Image related to website content

Update on upcoming transitioning period, Cape Peninsula Baboon Advisory Group

29 Aug 2024

SANPARKS, CAPENATURE, CITY OF CAPE TOWN

The Cape Peninsula Baboon Management Joint Task Team (CPBMJTT) consisting of representatives from SANParks, CapeNature, and the City of Cape Town, wants to inform communities from baboon-affected areas that options are being initiated to enable a presence of baboon rangers during the upcoming transitioning period. In addition, if all goes as planned, the Cape Peninsula Baboon Advisory Group will be formally established next month. Read more below:

In June 2024, the CPBMJTT hosted engagements with communities from baboon-affected areas about the Cape Peninsula Baboon Strategic Management Plan (CPBSMP), its implementation, and the development of area-based solutions in cooperation with the individual communities.

The undertaking was to report back to communities about the transitioning period, which will commence at midnight on 31 December 2024 when the contract with NCC Environmental Services comes to an end. Over the past few years, NCC has been contracted by the City to manage the Urban Baboon Programme, including the provision of baboon rangers to keep troops out of the urban area and in their natural environment as far as possible.

The CPBMJTT can confirm as follows:

  • Options have been reviewed and supply-chain processes are being initiated in order to enable a presence of baboon rangers in affected communities in coming months
  • A short-term solution will address the December period as the current Urban Baboon Programme is winding down from the end of November 2024 onwards
  • An interim solution will address the transitioning period starting on 1 January 2025
  • The longer term options under consideration include a grant-in-aid with a non-profit organisation (NPO) or the creation of a special purpose vehicle to assist with the implementation of the area-based solutions and other tasks that must a) operationalise the Baboon Strategic Management Plan and b) ensure the transitioning to a more sustainable urban baboon programme which involves communities, as well as the parties to the CPBMJTT
  • The details of the longer term solution will be communicated once finalised

Cape Peninsula Baboon Advisory Group (CPBAG)

The CPBMJTT received over 120 nomination forms for representatives to serve on the CPBAG and is currently assessing these.

The organisations and groups that submitted nominations that meet the nomination criteria to serve on the CPBAG will be informed of the outcome of their submissions and the inaugural CPBAG meeting in due course. The intention is to establish the CPBAG as soon as possible to ensure continuous engagement as we are approaching the transitioning period.

The CPBAG members will represent their respective communities, academic and research institutions, and organisations from the Cape Peninsula with a direct interest in baboon management.

The CPBAG is to advise the CPBMJTT on achieving the intended outcomes as stipulated in the CPBSMP; support its implementation on a local area level; ensure ongoing and constructive engagement between the constituencies and the CPBMJTT; and assist in developing strategic partnerships with stakeholders.

Annual Chacma baboon population count

The latest annual census of the baboon population has been concluded. This census provides a detailed breakdown of the changes in the baboon population between July 2023 and June 2024.

The report for 2023/24 is available as follows:

For more information contact: cpbmjtt@capenature.co.za

Share:

Related News

Cape Nature Green Noise Blog Image with Julia Louw from Wesgro Tourism and Itumeleng Pooe
19 Aug 2025
Celebrating innovative, resilient women in tourism

Women are thriving in tourism and wielding influence from the boardroom to hiking trails, where they beat a pathway for others to follow. They occupy 70% of the tourism workforce in South Africa, and their voices are being amplified in the sector now more than ever. A powerful yet often overlooked statistic that underscores their vital role in the sector.

Klein Estuary Image 1
15 Aug 2025 by Pierre de Villiers
Rivers, Watersheds, and the Klein Estuary: A 2025 Natural Breach Event

Over millions of years, South Africa’s rivers and watersheds have evolved through the forces of erosion, rainfall, and shifting geology. A river catchment, or watershed, is an area of land where all surface water flows toward a single river, stream, or channel, eventually reaching the sea.

Seagull image by taryn elliott
14 Aug 2025
Avian Influenza detected in Western Cape: Public urged to stay alert, not alarmed

High pathogenicity avian influenza (HPAI or “bird flu”) is a viral disease of birds that can also, on rare occasions, infect humans and mammals. The virus spreads through bird faeces and droplets from the nose and mouth, and is present in other body fluids and tissues of dead birds. The disease can cause high mortality rates in domestic poultry.

Baboon icon
12 Aug 2025
Independent experts’ review of draft action plan for baboon management now available

The Cape Peninsula Baboon Management Joint Task Team (CPBMJTT) consisting of representatives from SANParks, CapeNature, and the City of Cape Town, wants to inform residents, interested parties, and stakeholders that the independent expert panel’s review of the proposed action plan on baboon management is now available to the public. 

Wilderness Nature Reserve
5 Aug 2025
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).

MPA Day Rocherpan 2
1 Aug 2025
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.