We have all experienced this at some stage; you’re hiking down a trail that becomes overgrown, the sharp Fynbos is lashing at your shins and moments later you’re basically leopard crawling while cursing beratingly, through a Sugarbush tunnel that’s grown over the path at chest height. Or what about that time when you were crossing a short wooden bridge with a few broken planks thinking “They should fix that!” and simply going on? To assist hiking safety, accessibility and conservation, CapeNature’s digital hiking maps partner, Forge, has launched the ‘Trail Issue Alert’ function on the Forge App, enabling you to report trail issues you encounter with ease.

The Trail Issue Alert function allows app users to report issues directly from the app via a simple form. Issues that can be logged include:

• Damaged or missing trail infrastructure (like erosion logs and boardwalks),

• Overgrown or closed paths and,

• Forge map discrepancies (incorrect or out-of-date information/data).

The alert form includes a map where you can pinpoint the exact location of the issue and an image upload option to enhance issue descriptions. Alerts submitted are instantly received by Forge, allowing us to update our digital maps and inform CapeNature swiftly.

CapeNature has an extensive trail network dotted around the Western Cape. Forge currently hosts 14 CapeNature reserve maps, including large - and remote - nature reserves such as the Cederberg and Groot Winterhoek Wilderness Areas. Keeping our maps up-to-date is a top priority for us to ensure that we provide accurate and reliable information, and you can help us do that, to the benefit of the hiking community.

Forge has been the official digital hiking maps partner of CapeNature for almost two years and as our relationship has developed, we have realised that we can aid communication between you and them, by empowering you, the visitor, to assist with conservation efforts by crowdsourcing and sharing information via up-to-date maps freely available on the Forge App. The ‘Trail Issue Alert’ aims to bridge the gap between trail users and trail managers.

The Trail Issue Alert is (at the time of writing) in beta testing and we encourage CapeNature guests and visitors to try it out and let us know what you think - feedback really does help us to refine the tool's functionality and make sure that it works for you. By working together, we can keep our hiking trails in top condition and help ensure the sustainable conservation of our beloved nature reserves.