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Cape Flats: Part of World’s smallest Floral Kingdom

Cape Flats: Part of World’s smallest Floral Kingdom. Cape Flats: Part of World’s smallest Floral Kingdom. Cape Flats and Lowlands are part of the Cape Floral Region and is smaller and more threatened than any of the other Floral Regions

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Cape Flats: Part of World’s smallest Floral Kingdom

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  1. Cape Flats: Part of World’s smallest Floral Kingdom Cape Flats: Part of World’s smallest Floral Kingdom • Cape Flats and Lowlands are part of the Cape Floral Region and is smaller and more threatened than any of the other Floral Regions • Cape Floral Region – one of 25 Global Biodiversity Hotspots and first non-tropical one to be recognised Cape Town

  2. Cape Flats NR: Centre of the Cape Lowlands Sandplain Fynbos Dune Thicket Ecotone Cape Flats NR: Centre of the Cape Lowlands • Cape Flats: human impacted, little remaining natural vegetation • Map shows remnants • Zooming into the Cape Flats Nature Reserve, eighth most important site: due to size & floristics

  3. Cape Flats: Dune Thicket Related to Sub-tropical Thicket of the east coast Cape Flats: Dune Thicket • Broad-leafed shrubs • Calcareous sand substrate • 50% transformed in Cape Town • Much disturbed (sand-mining) • False Bay/Blaauwberg • Meets the 10% IUCN conservation target

  4. Cape Flats world highest species extinction rates! Cape Flats: Sandplain Fynbos • Protea, fine-leafed and restio plants • High species richness • Deep, leached acid sands • > 75% transformed in Cape Town • Highly disturbed (invasives, mining) • One percent conserved • One percent conserved

  5. ~2 ha Sandplain Fynbos 10 ha Dune Thicket 23 ha <1 ha 6 ha Natural Vegetation: Area/Condition Cape Flats Nature Reserve 1998

  6. More Bare Ground Annual Plants Coastal Thicket – Heavily Disturbed/Restoring Indicators of Disturbance Cape Flats Nature Reserve 2002

  7. Original Reserve Least disturbed Coastal Thicket –Slightly Disturbed/Original Site Cape Flats Nature Reserve 2002 Reserve Extension Some restoration

  8. Sandplain Fynbos: Light and moderate disturbance Area excavated for building fill Cape Flats Nature Reserve2002 Gum Trees draw of surface moisture Lighter disturbance Invasives & Ploughing

  9. Area Highly human modified Sandplain Fynbos: Light disturbance Best Condition Vegetation Cape Flats Nature Reserve2002 Invasives Hot Fire: slowish recovery

  10. New Building 160 metres New Building Sandplain Fynbos: Light disturbance Cape Flats Nature Reserve2002

  11. Concerned over congested entrance Keep Existing Road System New Building New Building New Ring road Upgrade road Proposed New Development & Infrastructure New Entrance

  12. X ? ? ? 9km Closest sites with Sandplain Fynbos all threatened 8km Closest 2 sites lost or under threat and are Dune Thicket X ? 8km radius and only two other reasonable habitats Cape Town Few and distant heighbours

  13. Botanical Society: Assessment of core sites 1997 • Cape Flats NR: rated 8th most important • Had the 8th most number of species • Most isolated and last viable site in the central Cape Flats area • Only one of two sites to have a transition between veg. types Other Consideration…

  14. Events since Botanical Society site ratings • #1 Milnerton RC been developed – small part reserved • #3 Macassar – sand mining/human pressure • #4 Kenilworth RC under threat of still more housing development • #7 N1-N7 brushcut by Eskom due to fire risks • #8 Cape Flats NR: development ? ? Only Rondebosch Com. & Rondevlei safe

  15. UWC 150 ha Estate • Custodian of 42 ha of natural habitat heritage • 40 ha vacant disturbed space to develop The BCB request: Our new building is shifted 160 m A small step to the left… Visit: http://mapserver.uwc.ac.za/imf-aims50/imf.jsp?session=62083

  16. "Help conserve and explore the environmental and cultural resources of the southern African region, and to encourage a wide awareness of them in the community" Extract: UWC Mission Statement Extinction is for Keeps!

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