Forest Products, Livelihoods and Conservation

Rachel Wynberg 59

Two main methods of harvesting can be distinguished: complete removal

of the plant and the environmentally superior ‘superficial’ method, which

entails harvesting of the secondary tubers whilst leaving the parent tuber

intact (Ntseane 1993) (Photo 2). Harmful harvesting practices are widely

practised but the advantages of superficial harvesting are increasingly being

recognised, and a number of government departments, NGOs and some

exporters have introduced programmes to raise awareness about appropriate

harvesting techniques. This includes interventions by CRIAA SA-DC described

in the raw material production area of this study.

Photo 2. Secondary tuber of H. procumbens (Photo by R. Wynberg)

Processing of the root is relatively simple and entails washing, peeling

and slicing the tuber into approximately 0.5 mm thick pieces, generally on

the same day as harvest. Slices are then typically sun dried in a well-ventilated

area, sometimes on nets suspended off the ground. The drying procedure

takes two to five days but is dependent on the time of year and weather

conditions. Dried and sliced devil’s claw is subsequently packed into bags and

stored, awaiting sale.

Resource use and sustainability

Harmful harvesting techniques, combined with the escalation of international

trade in the plant, have led to growing concerns about overexploitation and

the status of Harpagophytum populations. Although localised declines in H.

procumbens populations have been recorded by several studies, little

information exists on its overall population status in the region. Nonetheless,

based on World Conservation Union (IUCN) criteria for overall population size,

extent of occurrence or area of occupancy its status is not considered

threatened (Raimondo and Donaldson 2002). Assessment is complicated by

the close interrelationship between production, overgrazing and rainfall

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