With a mission to protect and preserve the unique biodiversity of the Cape Floral Kingdom (fynbos), the Sugarbird Trust is enabled to currently operate in the Table Mountain National Park to remove Invasive Alien Plants (IAP’s) through management agreements with SANPARKS. An Nbal is the smallest management unit of Table Mountain National Park and TMNP is divided into roughly 1000 of these.  The Sugarbird Trust adopts Nbals from SANPARKS for the purpose of clearing IAPs.

 

As at May 2023, The Sophia Foundation funded teams of 5-8 people working in Deer Park in the City Bowl (Nbals 406 and 145) and Rhodes Memorial (Nbals 402), giving the fynbos ecosystem a chance to regenerate and thrive in its natural environment.

 

During 2025, the Sophia Foundation continued to support the Sugarbird Project in its mission to protect the indigenous fynbos and Afromontane forests of Table Mountain National Park. Specifically, we funded the Sugarbird Rope Access team consisting of a group of four men who are trained and equipped to eradicate invasive alien vegetation growing on high-angle slopes. Most of their work was in the upper reaches of Newlands Forest and on the steeper slopes of Devil’s Peak, dealing with heavy infestations of such species as black wattle, longifolia, gum and blackwood 
that if left unchecked completely overrun the indigenous flora.

In addition, the Rope Access team also completed the Newlands Forest bark-painting project, painting all the remaining vulnerable old trees of Table Mountain’s largest and most beloved forest. This critical intervention was undertaken in collaboration with the Newlands Forest Conservation Group to protect the forest’s ancient indigenous trees that are targeted by bark-strippers for medicinal purposes.

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Contact: Sandra van Hoogstraten