1. A brief history of Tokai Park

2. Tokai Arboretum

3. The Conservation Significance of Tokai Park
    Cape Flats Sand Fynbos  Peninsula Granite Fynbos  Peninsula Sandstone Fynbos  Afrotemperate Forest 

4. Restoration of Tokai Park

5. See also

6. References

7. External links

Until recently, most of Tokai Park was under plantation. However the lease of Tokai Park by MTO Forestry expires in 2025, and the removal of the last of the commercial plantations has been followed by restoration efforts by South African National Parks and other conservation organisations.^[1] Today Tokai Park has over 110 plant species threatened with extinction or extinct in the wild and restored at Tokai. Perhaps the best known example of a species that is extinct in the wild, but which is recovering at Tokai Park is Erica verticillata. More than 300 plant species have already naturally returned.

Tokai Park is also a popular recreational area, with walking trails, horse-riding and cycling trails as well as a picnic area. There has been much contention over this recreation.^[4][5]

A brief history of Tokai Park

From 1905-1919, William Frederick Purcell created a species list for the Bergvliet/Tokai Cape Flats Sand Fynbos.^[6]

Tokai is thought to have been the starting point of Forestry in South Africa. Its most important contribution was arguably the attempted Forestry School (1906-1911). Its failure led to a local training college for foresters in 1912, which was transferred to Saasveld in 1932 ^[7]

During the 20th century Tokai plantation was used for the provision of wood during the two World Wars. Forestry eventually allowed the plantations to be used for dog-waking, opening up the area as an exclusive "white recreation area" during apartheid.^[8] Post apartheid, the park was eventually ceded to the World Heritage Site: Table Mountain National Park, and it came under the management of South African National Parks. It is now open to the public as a conservation area.{{citation needed|date=December 2018}}

Tokai Arboretum

The main section of the Tokai Arboretum at Upper Tokai Park is 14 ha in size, with adjacent compartments resulting in a combined 26 ha.^[9] The first trees (4379 English Oaks) were planted at the arboretum in 1694 by Simon van der Stel. In 1884, Joseph Storr Lister planted Monterey Pines in the first attempt at commercial afforestation at Tokai. Two years later (1886) an arboretum was established adjoining the nursery at Tokai. Over 150 species were established, some indigenous and some nationally-indigenous, but mostly exotic species.{{citation needed|date=December 2018}}

In August 1985 -its 100th anniversary- Tokai Arboretum was declared a National Monument. In the 1990s there was an attempt to establish a 'Gondwana Garden" to showcase species typical of Gondwana. Many of these species were present at the Cape 60 million years ago. However this was not a success as the plantings were shaded out by the established trees, therefore the project was abandoned.{{citation needed|date=December 2018}}

There are currently about 900 plants from 300 species recorded in the main Arboretum. It was badly damaged by the 2015 fires.{{citation needed|date=December 2018}}

The Conservation Significance of Tokai Park

Mediterranean ecosystems are sites of both high biodiversity and high biodiversity loss.^[10] Tokai Park is unusually rich and stands out amongst its counterparts making it a significant conservation area for the City of Cape Town and a site of global interest. Tokai is part of the Cape Peninsula centre of endemism of the Cape Floristic Region. With over 9000 species of plants the Cape Flora is by far the richest temperate flora on earth, earning itself the status of one of the 6 Floral Kingdoms on earth.^[11] Thus this minute area has half of all the plant species in South Africa, and 20% of the flora of Africa.{{citation needed|date=December 2018}}

With over 2500 indigenous plant species the Peninsula is exceptionally rich even by Cape Floral standards. By comparison, the United Kingdom has 1200 species of plants, the Kruger National Park has about 1980 species and Namibia has 3960 species. Additionally there are very few cities on earth with 150 plant species threatened with extinction, let alone in a single vegetation type within their borders (Cape Flats Sand Fynbos). Despite its remarkable species richness in a small area, Tokai Park is adjacent to a large conservation area, the World Heritage Site Table Mountain National Park [https://www.sanparks.org/parks/table_mountain/ (SANParks)], and thus is not an isolated fragment and avoids associated management problems.{{citation needed|date=December 2018}}

Tokai Park has four national vegetation types present, including: Cape Flats Sand Fynbos, Peninsula Granite Fynbos, Peninsula Sandstone Fynbos and some small patches of Afromontane Forest. Tokai Park is also the location of historical and cultural heritage, such as the Tokai Arboretum.{{citation needed|date=December 2018}}

Cape Flats Sand Fynbos

Peninsula Granite Fynbos

Peninsula Sandstone Fynbos

Peninsula Sandstone Fynbos occurs on the uppermost slopes of Constantiaberg and Vlakkenberg. It is confined to the sandstone geology, which weathers to a coarse sand. The soil is exceptionally poor in nutrients and the carrying capacity for supporting animals is very low. Animals do occur, but at extremely low densities. The most common vertebrates are sunbirds and sugarbirds, subsidized by nectar provided by plants. But in terms of plants this veld type is extremely rich: based solely on the large number (64) of threatened species, this veld type is classified as Endangered. Some 140 species of plant are categorized as endemic to this vegetation type – they occur nowhere else on earth. This high richness can be explained by the topography (greater relief means more habitats), the proximity to the sea (which limits the variation in climate, so that species occur in narrower zones on the mountain, thus packing more communities and species into the same altitudinal range), and the long isolation of the Peninsula mountains from the other mountains (so that fewer species are shared with neighbouring mountains at Kogelberg, Hottentots Holland and Piketberg, resulting in more unique species).{{citation needed|date=December 2018}}

Afrotemperate Forest

The Afrotemperate Forest is by far the rarest and belongs to the Forest Biome. Potentially it is the climax vegetation type over most of the Peninsula, but it cannot cope with fire. Consequently it is confined to a few fire-safe kloofs at Tokai, minute pockets compared to the larger expanses in Orangekloof and Kirstenbosch. As forests go, Afrotemperate is the richest forest in temperate regions, however, its species richness pales into insignificance compared to Fynbos: barely 20 species of tree occur naturally in these forests. Animals, mainly insects, abound in these forests and their species diversity is extraordinary given their area. There are only three small patches of Forest at Tokai, and their species have not been well documented.{{citation needed|date=December 2018}}

Restoration of Tokai Park

Parts of Tokai Park remain under pine plantation.^[16] This exceptional recovery{{clarify|reason=what exceptional recovery?|date=December 2018}} is largely due to seedbanks which are still intact after over 100 years of rotational plantations.{{citation needed|date=December 2018}} These results mean that Cape Flats Sand Fynbos can be relatively easily restored and conserved within Tokai Park.{{citation needed|date=December 2018}} Furthermore, Tokai Park has been identified as one of the top 80 priority areas for active restoration in Cape Town, out of thousands of vegetation remnants.{{citation needed|date=December 2018}} It is possible that close to 500 species of plants will establish naturally here – based on a historical study by Purcell in the Bergvliet area.^[17]

Fynbos will not regenerate properly without fire.{{citation needed|date=December 2018}} SANParks is tasked with conserving the World Heritage Site of Table Mountain and the Cape Peninsula and will thus maintain the natural fire regimes in these areas. But even so, without fire the Fynbos is regenerating well at Tokai Park. For instance in upper Tokai, over 150 Fynbos species are already documented in the Granite Fynbos which was restored without fire.{{citation needed|date=December 2018}}

See also

• {{annotated link|Biodiversity of Cape Town}}

References

External links

• [https://www.inaturalist.org/places/tokai-park-tmnp-wc-za iNaturalist.org Tokai Park]

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