A. Species
Scientific name: Aloe ferox
Common name(s): Bitter Aloe, Cape Aloe
Global IUCN Red List Threat Status:
B. Location of use
Geographic location(s):
- Eastern Cape Province
- Western Cape
Country/Region: South Africa
C. Scale of assessment
Scale of assessment: National Level
Name/Details of location: Eastern and Western Cape Provinces in South Africa
D. Timescale of use
Start Year: 1976
End Year: 2015
E. Information about the use
How is the wild species sourced?: Wild species sourced from its natural habitat
Type of use: Extractive
Practice of use: Gathering/Cutting/Collecting terrestrial plants and fungi or their products from the wild
Lethal or non-lethal: Non-Lethal
Does this use involve take/extraction of: Only parts or products of the organism
Purpose(s) of end use: Medicine and hygiene
Motivation of use: Income generation from trade (individual/household/community)
Is this use legal or illegal?: Legal under national law
F. Information about the Users
Which stakeholder(s) does the record primarily focus on?: Local people
G. Information about the sustainability of use
Is there evidence that the use is having an impact on the target species?: Wild species sourced from its natural habitat
Has an assessment (or judgement) of sustainability of the use of the target species from an ecological perspective been recorded?: Yes, considered sustainable
Details of assessment carried out: South Africa’s Department of Environment, Forestry and Fisheries (DEFF) non-detriment finding in 2018
Brief summary on why the use has been assessed/judged to be sustainable or unsustainable: DEFF determined in a resource assessment on A. ferox in 2014 that current harvesting levels do not seem to have impacted significantly on the occurrence of Aloe ferox within its predicted range. The species remains common and abundant throughout its very extensive distribution range, and occurs in some places at very high densities. In its non-detriment finding (NDF) in 2018, DEFF found that the harvest and international trade in A. ferox is non-detrimental and poses a low to moderate risk to the population in the wild.
Has an assessment (or judgement) of sustainability of the use of the target species from an economic perspective been recorded?: Yes, considered sustainable
Details of assessment carried out: This study + DEFF NDF
Brief summary on why the use has been assessed/judged to be sustainable or unsustainable: Although here have been concerns in the industry about inequitable benefit-sharing, with harvesters typically able to exercise little power, and sometimes becoming trapped in a debt cycle.
Has an assessment (or judgement) of sustainability of the use of the target species from a social perspective been recorded?: Yes, considered sustainable
Details of assessment carried out: This study + DEFF NDF
Brief summary on why the use has been assessed/judged to be sustainable or unsustainable: Jobs + health benefits / sustainable.
Has an assessment (or judgement) of sustainability of the use of the target species from a human health perspective been recorded?: Yes, considered sustainable
Details of assessment carried out: This study
Brief summary on why the use has been assessed/judged to be sustainable or unsustainable: Harvested for health benefits.
Has an assessment (or judgement) of sustainability of the use of the target species from an animal health/welfare perspective been recorded?: not recorded
Details of assessment carried out: This study
Brief summary on why the use has been assessed/judged to be sustainable or unsustainable: It's a plant.
Recommendations provided in the record to maintain or enhance the sustainability of the use of the target species
Livelihood benefits and sustainable management could both be improved by increasing the ability of communities to form co-operatives and other producer associations, in order to carry out the first stage of processing themselves and increase their bargaining power with the exporters. This requires financial support, training in processing, administration and marketing, and capacity building for harvester communities.
Record source
Information about the record source: grey_lit
Date of publication/issue/production: 2019-01-01T00:00:00+0000
Source Reference(s):
Date of record entry: 2022-11-18