New record-breaking Helihack pine clearing at Boosmansbos
A successful Helihack operation has cleared a further 16 276 invasive pine trees, which covered 2 500 hectares from the slopes of the Boosmansbos Wilderness Area.
From 7–9 November 2025, 21 volunteers were airlifted into the rugged mountain peaks to tackle areas otherwise impossible to reach. Over three days, they cleared 16 276 invasive pine trees and restored 2 500 hectares, setting a record for both volume and area cleared.
The Boosmansbos Wilderness Area is a protected World Heritage Site and a key strategic water source, feeding the Duivenhoks Dam and supplying around 15 000 residents with water. These critical catchments are under constant pressure from water-intensive invasive pine trees, which act as relentless “water thieves” in a water-scarce environment. Removing them is essential for both ecosystem health and regional water security.
Healthy ecosystems are the backbone of the Western Cape’s water security, livelihoods, and overall wellbeing. The removal of invasive alien species in Boosmansbos, strengthens the resilience of our catchments and ensures that water resources continue to flow to our communities. Initiatives like Helihack are helping to future-proof the Province, where our environment, economy, and people can thrive together despite the pressures from climate change.
This record-breaking mission is another example of how CapeNature’s partners provide complementary and additional capacity in conservation and ecosystem rehabilitation efforts in the Province. By removing invasive trees from Boosmansbos, we are not only restoring ecosystems but also protecting the water that thousands of residents rely on. Our partners like Helihack, in addition to providing critical and scarce skills, are also wonderful ambassadors for conservation.
This latest achievement builds on three years of work at Boosmansbos, where Helihack has cleared a total of 43 189 pines and restored 6 380 hectares, equating to 40% of Boosmansbos cleared. Earlier pilot missions in April 2023 and April 2024 demonstrated the success of the approach, leading CapeNature to formalise a three-year partnership in 2024.
This agreement ensures that the Helihack strategy continues at Boosmansbos and was expanded to four additional CapeNature reserves, reinforcing the Entity’s ongoing commitment to conserving the Western Cape’s biodiversity and securing vital water resources for communities and nature alike.
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