Spekboom maze
Publish date: 03 December 2019
Issue Number: 634
Diary: Legalbrief Environmental
Category: General
Spekboom maze
The largest labyrinth in Africa is being built in Stellenbosch to remind society of its carbon footprint and the impact carbon emissions are having on the environment. The 13 circuit labyrinth is the largest in the world to be made with spekboom trees. Founder of the Great Labyrinth Project Peter Shrimpton said the idea of creating a labyrinth had occurred to him as he connected the relationship of the spekboom tree with carbon reduction. ‘If we don’t regress carbon emissions by 2025, we’ll go past the tipping point and all of humanity will face extinction,’ he said. The Great Labyrinth of Africa will be built at the Stellenbosch Bridge Smart City development and will have a similar design to the labyrinth at Chartres Cathedral in France. It will take four months and be visible from far above, being 220m in diameter. The spekboom is known to be 10 times more effective in reducing carbon compared to tropical rain forest trees.
