echnical documents which present existing knowledge used to develop recommendations towards best practice in the wild honeybush industry have been compiled by Gillian MacGregor (University of Rhodes) with financial support by the Western Cape Department of Environmental Affairs and Development Planning.
Honeybush refers to the various plant species belonging to the genus Cyclopia, and covers those species which are commercially used to produce tea. The principle thinking behind the guidelines is the fact that the rate of harvest should not exceed the rate of regeneration.
As a first attempt at developing a formal set of guidelines for the wild harvesting of honeybush, the focus has been on Cyclopia intermedia (bergtee), as this is by far the major resource of the honeybush tea industry.
Download the series of documents covering (1) an overview of the honeybush industry, (2) the harvesting guidelines for Cyclopia intermedia (bergtee), (3) the implications of fynbos ecology for Cyclopia species, (4) applicable legislative and policy framework, and (5) a review of wild plant harvesting guideline type documents and relevant literature, below.
(Photo: AnneLise Vlok)