Hikers Can Now Report Trail Issues With Ease Using the Forge App
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- Forge map discrepancies (incorrect or out-of-date information/data).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.
Related News
Boost for freshwater biodiversity as Wilderness Nature Reserve declared
A new nature reserve has been declared in the Western Cape, marking another significant milestone for the province’s environment. The Wilderness Nature Reserve, spanning over 643 hectares, has been declared a Provincial Nature Reserve in terms of the National Environmental Management: Protected Areas Act (Act 57 of 2003).
Rocherpan clean-up kicks off MPA Day 2025 celebrations
CapeNature kicked off Marine Protected Areas (MPA) Day celebrations with a community-driven beach clean-up at Rocherpan Nature Reserve on 31 July 2025. With school learners, volunteers, and the ever-popular Cubs Club mascot, Kai, lending a hand, all to highlight the link between marine and ocean protection and a public responsibility for conservation.
Winning hearts and minds through Marine Protected Areas
Our marine areas are teeming with life and a variety of protection measures are used to protect the ocean, such as precautionary fishery management principles (bag limits, size limits, catch limits and closed seasons) and shipping and pollution regulations. But at the heart of the protection efforts, are Marine Protected Areas (MPAs), which are demarcated areas to conserve this incredible biodiversity. MPAs can form critical refugia for some more resident species, which may become extinct without protection. All species and ecosystems form part of the overall functioning marine ecosystem and its ability to sustain direct and indirect use. The need to conserve MPAs is based on scientific evidence as well as frequent public engagement and participation in active protection of these areas.
New nature reserve secures rare Cape Vernal Pools habitat
The Franco Three Fountains Nature Reserve is declared a protected area, marking a significant conservation turning point as the first and only reserve dedicated to safeguarding the rare and ecologically important Cape Vernal Pools (a rare and endangered type of seasonal wetland ecosystem found within the Greater Cape Floristic Region). This unique vegetation type, previously unrepresented across our conservation areas, now finds its largest protected expanse within the boundaries of this reserve.
Biodiversity crime often overlooked but its impact is devastating
Biodiversity crime is a growing and often overlooked threat that directly harms South Africa’s unique ecosystems. From the illegal plant trade in the Western Cape to poaching and even picking wildflowers in protected areas without a permit, these acts all contribute to the degradation of biodiversity and the loss of crucial natural resources.
New EPWP intake launches careers in conservation and eco-tourism in the Western Cape
CapeNature has welcomed 475 new participants into a three-year Expanded Public Works Programme (EPWP) cycle, emphasising its commitment to skills development, conservation, and community upliftment across the province.
A small cohort of these participants, based at Kogelberg and Stony Point Nature Reserves, were officially welcomed at an event hosted at Kogelberg and led by Western Cape Provincial Minister of Local Government, Environmental Affairs and Development Planning, Anton Bredell.
How can I assist you today?
How can I assist you today?