"May you be fully aware of your fortunate lot
to enjoy that paradise on earth,
the Cape of Good Hope" — Linnaeus – Swedish botanist & taxonomist, 1707–1778

Being the custodian of one of the world's most awe-inspiring and spiritual places is a daunting task.  When most of it is set within a city of three million people (with mankind's predeliction for environmental destruction), the challenge becomes even more daunting.

Table Mountain National Park (TMNP) covers an area of 25 000 hectares, a distance of 80 kilometres from the tip of Cape Point in the south to Signal Hill in the north.  It also embraces marine reserves of some 1 000 hectares.

TMNP forms part of the Cape Floral Kingdom, which was awarded World Heritage Site status in 2004.   It is the only biome (community of plants and animals living together in a certain kind of climate) in the world to receive this status.  It's likely to remain unique in this respect.

	Brett Myrdal
	Capetonians: it's your mountain, your park... get your Cape Town Wild Card Income from the sale of cape Town's Wild Cards are used to improve safety in TMNP. The card costs R45 and gives you 12 entry credits per year to the following pay points: Cape Point, Boulders Penguin Colony, Tokai & Silvermine, and free use of the braai & picnic areas at Newlands, Oudekraal & Perdekloof. The 12 entries can be used by an individual card holder or you can have an additional adult loaded onto the card. But, you may take six extra people in with you, with a maximum of four adults.  But... one person, one credit. Recreational permits are also loaded onto the Wild Card.  Entry to certain areas is unlimited for a year. Dog walking permits – R55 Hang & Para Gliding, Sport & Rock Climbing, Line Fish Transport Permit – R130 Horse Riding & Mountain Biking – R200 Added Benefits: Discounted entry to other places of interest such as the Two Oceans Aquarium. Instant CashBack Rewards from Infinity partner stores. Get up to 20% discount on certain holiday packages. A free copy of Wild in Africa magazine. Click here to get your card online.
	Mountains in the Sea This is the best guide book we've found anywhere. Every Cape Town home should have one.  It will enrich the experience of any visitor and it's an ideal memento to take home. Its 184 pages are packed with information – John Yeld and Martine Barker have done Cape Town proud! The book is available from TMNP offices or click here to order online.  Price R97
	Cape Floral Kingdom Much of the northern hemisphere was subjected to a severe ice age (which only ended about 100 000 years ago) effectively wiping out its entire plant life. South Africa, in contrast, has not been disturbed by such violent glacial forces in recent geological time. Fynbos, therefore, is an ancient vegetation type – some date back more than 60 million years! If the Cape Floral Kingdom is a biological treasure chest, then one of its most brilliant gems is the Cape Peninsula.  This tiny patch of land, only some 470km² in extent, harbours a staggering 2 285 flowering plant species.  The 57km² of Table Mountain has some 1 470 plant species, only just fewer than the 1 492 found in Britain in an area of 308 000km², and more species than Sweden, which is a thousand times larger.
	A Star in its own Right During his visit to the Cape of Good Hope (1750–1754), French astronomer Abbé Nicolas Louis de la Caille observed more than 10 000 previously unrecorded stars, and named many of the southern constellations. His particular tribute to Table Mountain was to name a constellation which he found near the Southern Cross in its honour: Mons Mensa (Latin for Table Mountain), with the nearby Large Magellanic Cloud representing the mountain's "Table Cloth".  It is the only constellation named after a terrestrial geographical feature.
	The Circle of Islam Few things express the multi-cultural nature of Cape Town better than this: Not all visitors to the Peninsula arrived willingly.  Slaves were brought to perform forced labour from the outset of the settler colony.  Also, political "troublemakers" were exiled to the Cape from areas in the East controlled by the Dutch.  Among the early exiles was a Goan prince of Muslim faith, Sheik Yusuf, sent here in 1693.  Sheik Yusuf's kramat (tomb of a Muslim holy man) at Macassar is one of six on the Peninsula and Robben Island, forming what Muslims refer to as the sacred Circle of Islam.  They believe those living within the circle are protected from natural disasters such as fire, famine, plague and earthquakes. – from Mountains in the Sea

Brett Myrdal has been Park Manager since 2003.  He has a BSc Degree in Chemistry from the University of Cape Town and a Masters Degree in Town and Regional Planning from the University of Natal.  His work experience is diverse and includes lecturing at the Harare Polytechnic’s Department of Science and Technology, programme manager on the award winning Lwandle Housing Project, and was the first full-time manager for the Table Mountain Fund before joining TMNP as Park Manager.

Myrdal's infectious enthusiasm reaches TMNP's 135 permanent employees and 440 contract workers – staff morale is high.  "They come here because of the nature of the work – if the monetary rewards are not high, there are rewards in the sunrise and sunsets, and being able to work in one of the world's greatest environments" says Myrdal.  "The staff's delivery record is high."

The Park's vision is to make TMNP the greatest urban national park in the world by 2010, with many more incomparable experiences for international visitors.  But above all it is a Park for all Capetonians – A Park for All, Forever.

New trails cater for international visitors with high expectations, locals who already love the precious environment, and disadvantaged youths who will be introduced to the Park, many for the first time although they only live a few kilometres away.  A range of smart cards provide affordable access alongside other benefits.

Visitor safety has hit the headlines recently, after a number of muggings and attacks.  Myrdal believes this reflects what is happening in adjacent parts of the city, which doesn't get reported to the same degree.  But they are taking the challenge seriously and all income from the new Cape Town Wild Card is ringfenced to improve safety in the Park.

The new Hoerikwaggo (the Khoikhoi word for sea mountain) Trail will achieve international recognition, like the Inca Trail in south America or SA's own Otter Trail, and highlights the fact that this is a walking park – by foot or wheelchair – rather than one that you drive through.

There were over 770km of poorly maintained and eroded paths.  Through the expanded public works programme, some 550km are being upgraded and the remainder will be closed.

The Hoerikwaggo Trail will be guided – to protect the hikers and to protect the mountain.  The guides, drawn from disadvantaged communities, will also be storytellers and are being trained by the Boland College (guiding) and Theatre for Africa (drama).  Hikers will be able to walk from the Nelson Mandela Gateway at the V&A Waterfront to Table Mountain, and then over five nights all the way to Cape Point, staying in tents or renovated buildings along the way.  Only 40 people can be accommodated throughout the trail at a time and the first trail is scheduled to start in March 2006.

Visitors can expect an enthralling experience.  Apart from natural splendours to take one's breath away, storytelling will cover:
Geological Time – the story of the evolution of one of the world's oldest mountains.
Plant Time – starting with the end of the Dynosaurs and the plant life that evolved at that time leading to today's fynbos.
Human Time – from Philip Tobias' "cradle of humankind", the move by modern man's predecessors from inland to the coast, and the arrival of the early San 300 000 years ago.

Where else in the world can you experience true wilderness and still only be a few minutes away from a bustling city?

A Park for All
The plan for 2010 is to restore TMNP to its previous balance.  The removal of alien vegetation will reduce the voracious fires that have swept across the Park.  In Newlands and Tokai 12 000 indigenous seedlings have been planted.  Precious areas of lowland fynbos are being returned to fynbos but, says Myrdal, "the pine plantations are an asset.  They provide an amenity for braaing, horseriding and dog-walking.  We're not eco-fascists – it is not a matter of 'pristine at all costs' – we look for a balance."

Everything the Park does is for the benefit of Cape Town's citizens – hiking trails, job creation through the labour-intensive nature of managing the park, and training and development of those who work there, creating new opportunities in tourism.  But above all, "it is a spiritual place".

A Park Forever
Myrdal says economic sustainability is critical to the success of the Park.  "We are applying for R250 million in public funding, which will show a return of R45 million a year.  Tourism is the route.  The mountain and the sea are the backbone of Cape Town's tourism industry.  We need to increase the number of desirable activities, with longer spent in the Park, without disturbing the pristine ecosystem.

"At the moment, tour operators try to cover Table Mountain and Cape Point – with everything in between – in one day.  That needs at least two days, and the more time that visitors spend in Cape Town, the better it is for everybody."

New facilities will be introduced in areas where an impact has already been made and where the wilderness character is not disturbed.  Current examples are:

{jacomment on}