Traversing the Cederberg: A 70km Hike to Champion the Clanwilliam Cedar's Survival

The Clanwilliam cedar (Widdringtonia Cedarbergensis) is found only in the Cederberg - and nowhere else on the planet. The Cederberg Mountains owes its namesake entirely to the Clanwilliam cedar tree, which was once a prominent feature of the area. These incredible trees used to be spread across the entire Cederberg mountain range in the Western Cape of South Africa. Records show that by 1883 all accessible trees of commercial value had been felled - and they now occupy only a confined area of about 250km2 within the region. An estimated 1-2 million trees once graced the mountain range, but today as little as 10 000 remain. Today, this critical endangered species has become a symbol for the conservation of the region’s fragile ecology.

“Our Relationship with Nature not Only Defines Our History, it Shapes Our Future too”

Sustainable Ceder is a Non-Profit Organisation working in the heart of the Cederberg to save its natural habitats and species. Its purpose: to develop and implement a strategic and collaborative approach to the re-establishment of the Clanwilliam cedar tree. Sustainable Ceder acts as the central link between various organisations, partners, role-players, tourists, and communities in the Cederberg area.

North - South Cedar Tree Awareness Hike

Bushmans Kloof’s GM couple Gerhard & Michelle Thom together with a small group of friends, scientists & conservationists will undertake a 70km hike to help save this critically endangered species. The 4-day hike will start at Bushmans Kloof and traverse the Northern Cederberg Mountain Range southwards through the historic range of the Clanwilliam Cedar Tree.

We will pass some of the last remaining patches of adult Cedars which grow along cliffs and rocky outcrops at an altitude of between 1,100 and 1,500 m.a.s.l. in one of the most rugged & beautiful wilderness areas in South Africa.

• R150.00 - the cost to plant 1 x Cedar Tree
• We aim to raise funds to plant 2000 trees
• Total Funds We Aim to Raise: R300 000.00