The Cederberg derived its name from the endemic cedar tree, Widdringtonia cedarbergensis.
San and Khoi people inhabited the Cederberg area from early times, leaving behind a rich legacy of rock art. European settlers began stock farming in the Cederberg in the eighteenth century.
During 1876 a forester was appointed to oversee Crown Land in the mountains. This was possibly the first attempt at conservation in the Ceder-berg. Nevertheless, uncontrolled exploitation of the Cederberg's natural resources took place from 1903 to 1973. Large amounts of dead cedar wood, rooibos tea, buchu and Rockwood bark was harvested while farmers used the mountains to graze livestock in times of drought. Large numbers of cedar trees were felled as the wood was in great demand for construction - some 7 200 trees were used as telephone poles between Piketberg and Calvinia. Fires added to this destruction and the cedar tree is now on the brink of extinction.
In 1967 the removal of dead cedar trees was halted, and all other exploitation ended in 1973 with the proclamation of Cederberg Wilderness.
In 2004 the Cederberg Wilderness received World Heritage Site status as part of the Cape Floristic Region.
In October 1997 the Cederberg Conservancy was constituted as a voluntary agreement between landowners to manage the environment in a sustainable manner. Conservation goals are achieved through cooperation and dedication towards the conservation of nature on private land. The Conservancy is active through quarterly meetings and participation in conservation projects in the area.
