Reserve Photos Cape Flats Part of Worlds smallest

Reserve Photos:

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

Cape Flats NR: Centre of the Cape Lowlands Sandplain Fynbos Dune Thicket e n o t o Ec q Cape Flats: human impacted, little remaining natural vegetation q Map shows remnants q Zooming into the Cape Flats Nature Reserve, eighth most important site: due to size & floristics

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

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

3 ha bos Fyn ain d pl t San cke Th i e Dun Cape Flats Nature Reserve 1998 Natural Vegetation: Area/Condition 23 ha 6 ha 10 ha <1 ha

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

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

Area excavated for building fill raw ure t sd ree moi s e m. T Gu urfac s of Cape Flats Nature Reserve 2002 Sandplain Fynbos: Light and moderate disturbance Lighter disturbance Invasives & Ploughing

Area Highly human modifie d ry ve : ire eco t. F hr Ho wis slo s ive as Inv Cape Flats Nature Reserve 2002 Fynbos: Light disturbance Sandplain Fynbos:

Cape Flats Nature Reserve 2002 Sandplain Fynbos: Light disturbance g n i s ild ing e u ild r B B t u e w m. NNeew 0 6 1

Proposed New Development & Infrastructure New Entrance w e N Ri ng r g ildin u B New d oa g ildin u B New Concerned Keepover Existing congested Road entrance System d ra Upg oa r e d

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

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

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

The BCB request: Our new building is shifted 160 m q q q UWC 150 ha Estate Custodian of 42 ha of natural habitat heritage 40 ha vacant disturbed space to develop A small step to the left… Visit: http: //mapserver. uwc. ac. za/imf-aims 50/imf. jsp? session=62083