In a significant milestone for conservation, South African National Parks (SANParks) has successfully completed the incorporation of vital land into the Table Mountain National Park, creating a crucial ecological corridor between Noordhoekand Kommetjie.
Functioning ecological linkage
This achievement, celebrated at a recent handover event on 22 October 2024, enhances biodiversity and strengthens the park’s ecological integrity by linking its Central and Southern sections for generations to come.
When the Table Mountain National Park was established in 1998, a key challenge was creating a functioning ecological linkage between Chapman’s Peak (Noordhoek) and Slangkop (Kommetjie) across the so-called ‘Noordhoek – Fish Hoek gap’ to connect the Central and Southern sections of the Park in perpetuity.
The only available option was to incorporate the Noordhoek Kommetjie wetlands into the new Park and create an ecological corridor from the lowland wetlands to Slangkop Mountain.
However, the Noordhoek wetlands were privately owned.
A process involving the landowners, SANParks, City of Cape Town, WWF-SA, Table Mountain Fund and other stakeholders was initiated to achieve the creation and protection of the ecological corridor via the Noordhoek Wetlands.
Following detailed expert studies and stakeholder discussions, the core wetland properties, totalling 439 hectares, were acquired by SANParks and declared as part of the Table Mountain National Park in 2004 and core areas of the Cape Floral Region World Heritage Site in 2015.
‘Missing link’
Restoration of the wetlands commenced in earnest in 2004, with ongoing rounds of alien vegetation clearing and introducing new management programs for recreational users such as hikers, dog walkers and horse riders using the wetlands and the adjacent 4km Noordhoek beach.
Still outstanding was the incorporation of the remaining portion of the Kommetjie ecological corridor – the so-called ‘missing link’.
SANParks, the landowners and stakeholders announced at a ‘handover event’ on 22 October that the project to consolidate the wetlands section of the Park has now been completed with the landowners donating the final 25.5-hectare portion of required land to SANParks.
The landowners, Kommetjie Estates and Red Cliff Property have respectively donated 4.7 and 20.8 hectares of high-value conservation land to SANParks, which not only completes the ecological link but also enlarges the original planned area of the corridor by 6.7 hectares.
Restoration of the ‘missing link’ corridor portion has commenced with the clearing of alien vegetation and the invasive, fire-prone gum trees.
Restoration will be ongoing to allow the endangered Hangklip Sand Fynbos and the Peninsula Sandstone Fynbos to return to the area.
A ‘handover event’ was held on 22 October at Imhoff Farm, Kommetjie to mark the successful incorporation of these critical ecological corridor areas into the Table Mountain National Park linking the Central and Southern sections of the Park in perpetuity.
The celebration brought together SANParks, landowners and key stakeholders who have played a pivotal role in this landmark achievement and to recognise the collaborative efforts that have made this enhancement to our national park possible with far-reaching, positive impacts on biodiversity and conservation.
Well played to all concerned!
