The Oldest WORLD RECORD

It is a record that was created when the last ice age skirted the end of Africa many thousands of years ago. Elsewhere, countless species perished under a great glacial freeze, but the myriad of plants that had evolved at the southern tip of the continent survived. And it is here that the world’s greatest number of plant species can be found per 10 000 square kilometres – some

1 300 different species. Its next nearest rival is the South American rainforest with just 420. Early Dutch explorers found this confusion of small, bush-like plants so daunting they gave them a collective name, ‘fjnbosch’, or ‘fine-leafed bushes’, now known as ‘fynbos’.

The Cape Floral Kingdom boasts 9 087 different plant species. To put this in perspective, the whole of Central Asia has just 3 000. Another unique feature is the number of endemics, or plants found nowhere else on Earth; the Cape Floral Kingdom has 6 218 endemics, whereas the whole of the United Kingdom has just 20.

At the heart of this remarkable world record lies the Kogelberg Biosphere Reserve; the first UNESCO registered Biosphere Reserve in southern Africa.

Just an hour out of Cape Town, the 100 000 ha reserve begins in the Atlantic Ocean, two nautical miles off a rugged, rocky shore interspersed with glorious, golden, sandy beaches. It includes a narrow, zigzag ribbon of coastal plain squeezed between the ocean and huge, folded sandstone mountains, contorted by their tumultuous birth 300 million years ago. Nestled on these coastal plains are the picturesque, seaside villages of Rooi Els, Pringle Bay and Betty’s Bay, and the popular town of Kleinmond. The Reserve then extends inland to the fertile mountain valleys of the Grabouw agricultural region.

The Kogelberg Biosphere Reserve provides an ever-changing visual feast; soft pink dawns over magnificent white beaches to wild seas breaking over rocky shores, glorious orange sunsets over False Bay that paint the cloud-cloaked mountains gold, exquisite proteas, ericas and other indigenous flora, and vineyards and orchards edged with red and white roses.

There is also a host of eco-interaction opportunities; hiking, mountain biking, whale watching
from mid-winter to mid-summer, getting up close to African penguins at the land-based breeding colony at Stony Point, exploring the floral showcase of the Harold Porter Botanical gardens, hiking, and a host of water sports. Because of its spectacular seascapes and landscapes, and the richness of its flora and fauna, the Kogelberg Biosphere Reserve attracts people with a love of nature.

A Biosphere Reserve is a ‘new concept’ reserve. Nowhere do you see fences to keep people ‘out’ and nature ‘in’. It is the commitment of local communities, farmers, conservation agencies and local government that protects the magnificent landscapes and unique biodiversity! Aware that our planet has exceeded its ability to feed its population and to absorb the carbon dioxide produced by our energy and transport demands, UNESCO began establishing a worldwide network of Biosphere Reserves. These Reserves have been designed to meet one of the most challenging issues facing our World today – how to preserve the biodiversity of plants, animals and micro-organisms which make up our ‘living biosphere’ and maintain healthy systems while, at the same time, meeting the material needs and aspirations of an increasing number of people. In short, the role of Biosphere Reserves is to teach the rest of the world how to survive.

Like all Biosphere Reserves, the Kogelberg has three specifically designated ‘zones’:

A CORE AREA that gives long-term protection to the landscapes, ecosystems and species it contains, and which remains pristine and not subject to human activity;

BUFFER ZONES that surround and protect the core, and where environmental education and experimental research can take place, provided that they do not impact on the core;

TRANSITION ZONES where communities live and work and all the local stakeholders (local communities, conservation agencies, scientists, farmers, civic associations, private enterprises, etc.) need to work together to manage and develop the area’s resources in a sustainable manner, for the benefit of all the people who live there.

Biosphere Reserves are intended to fulfil three basic complementary and mutually reinforcing functions:

CONSERVATION of landscapes, ecosystems, species and genetic variation;

DEVELOPMENT, both economic and human, which is socio-culturally and economically sustainable;

LOGISTICAL SUPPORT for research, monitoring, education and information exchange related to local, national and global issues of conservation and development.

Although conservation of world record-holding biodiversity might have been the prime motivation for becoming an internationally recognised Biosphere Reserve, today more and more focus is placed on promoting sustainable livelihoods and sustainable living. Local authorities and NGOs are investigating greater use of solar heating and rain water harvesting, more environmentally-friendly, innovative construction of low-cost housing, eco-friendly development concepts, and the maximising of job creation through tourism opportunities.
This is an area with a mission – to become the Cape Floral Kingdom’s model sustainable living environment for all!