Barking up the wrong trees𝗧𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗿𝘆 𝗼𝗿𝗶𝗴𝗶𝗻𝗮𝗹𝗹𝘆 𝗮𝗶𝗿𝗲𝗱 𝗼𝗻 𝟭𝟮 𝗗𝗲𝗰𝗲𝗺𝗯𝗲𝗿 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟭.
Largescale and organised bark stripping in Cape Town's Newlands Forest is slowly but surely killing it. The harvesting of tree bark for sale and use in traditional medicines is causing a growing army of the city’s nature lovers to take action. They say it’s the equivalent of stripping the skin off living humans as it rips away the trees’ ability to disperse water and nutrients. Joining SANParks on patrol under the cover of night, Carte Blanche investigates the mission to save a forest from bark strippers, and how best to secure a place in society for traditional practices.
