National Environmental Management: Biodiversity Act, 2004 (Act No. 10 of 2004)

Notices

Non-Detriment find Assessment for Aloe ferox (Bitter Aloe)

Table 1: Detailed NDF assessment for Aloe ferox undertaken in accordance with the CITES NDF checklist.

Harvest management

12. Management plan or equivalent
Purchase cart Previous page Return to chapter overview Next page

 

Is there a management plan related to the harvest of the species?

Approved and co-ordinated local and national management plans

1

Approved national/state/provincial management plan(s)

2

Approved local management plan

3

No approved plan: informal unplanned management

4

Uncertain

5

 

There is currently no formal management plan in place for the harvesting of A. ferox, but the Eastern Cape Department of Economic Development, Environmental Affairs and Tourism, in collaboration with the national Department of Environment, Forestry and Fisheries (DEFF), is currently in the process of developing a Biodiversity Management Plan (BMP) for the species. To contribute to the BMP, the South African National Biodiversity institute is also undertaking a resource assessment for A. ferox.

 

In many areas, particularly in the Western Cape, it has been reported that informal unplanned management in the form of indigenous harvesting practices (based on knowledge that has been passed down over generations without having changed substantially) takes place on privately-owned lands.

 

Before the tappers decide to harvest the following factors are considered:

•There must be sufficient leaves on the plant.
•Only a fraction of the lower leaves can be cut from each plant so that the growth point is not injured, and only the leaves that would die naturally at the end of the season should be taken. Leaves must be fat/thick. Thin leaves indicate that if harvested, the plant is less likely to survive the dry period. In addition, thin leaves result in lower product yields, which acts as an economic
•deterrent to harvesting (i.e. low return per unit effort).
•In winter rainfall areas, winter is the better season for harvesting (cooler and wetter); harvesting leaves in summer is not favored as cut leaves develop a skin very quickly, which reduces the bitter yield.

 

Tappers reported that regular harvesting of leaves keeps the bitters and sap content high. Often tappers will 'bleed' a new aloe of harvestable size in the year prior to first harvest by cutting off one leaf. Individual plants are generally only harvested once every 18 - 24 months to ensure healthy regrowth for future harvest.

 

Harvesting on communal and state-owned land in the Eastern Cape unfortunately lacks even these controls.