Can Cape Town's unique biodiversity be saved? Balancing conservation imperatives and development needs

Abstract

ABSTRACT. Cape Town is an urban hotspot within the Cape Floristic Region global biodiversity hotspot. This city of 2,460 km² encompasses four local centers of fynbos plant endemism, 19 national terrestrial vegetation types (six endemic to the city), wetland and coastal ecosystems, and 190 endemic plant species. Biodiversity in the lowlands is under threat of extinction as a result of habitat loss to agriculture, urban development, mining, and degradation by invasive alien plants. Cape Town's population is 3.7 million, increasing by an estimated 55,000 people/yr, which puts pressure on biodiversity remnants for development. South Africa is a signatory to international instruments to reduce biodiversity loss and has a good legislative and policy framework to conserve biodiversity, yet implementation actions are slow, with limited national and provincial support to conserve Cape Town's unique and irreplaceable biodiversity. The lack-of-action problem is two-fold: national government is slow to implement the policies developed to realize the international instruments it has signed, with conservation initiatives inadequately funded; and local governments are not yet recognized as important implementation partners. A further problem is created by conflicting policies such as the national housing policy that contributes to urban sprawl and loss of critical biodiversity areas. The City's Biodiversity Management Branch, with partners, is making some headway at implementation, but stronger political commitment is needed at all levels of government. Our objective is to improve the status and management of biodiversity in existing conservation areas through the statutory proclamation process and management effectiveness monitoring, respectively, and to secure priority areas of the BioNet, Cape Town's systematic biodiversity plan. The most important tools for the latter are incorporating the BioNet plan into City spatial plans; communication, education, and public awareness; negotiating appropriate management of public land; and conservation stewardship on private land. The timeframe to save Cape Town's biodiversity is short, and it is unlikely that full success will be achieved without national or international funding and political will at all levels of government.

Insights and Opportunities Offered by a Rapid Ecosystem Service Assessment in Promoting a Conservation Agenda in an Urban Biodiversity Hotspot

“…The city occupies about 2460 km², has a population of 3.7 million people, and includes 19 national terrestrial vegetation types, containing an estimated 3250 plant species, of which 190 are endemic (Rebelo et al 2011, Holmes et al 2012. The city has varied topography, with mountain ranges in the southwest (Table mountain range) and east (Hottentots Holland and Kogelberg ranges), a low lying central region referred to as the Cape Flats where urbanization is focused, coastal areas on the south and western edges, and agricultural areas in the northeast (Rebelo et al 2011).…”

Meanings and robustness: Propositions for enhancing benefit sharing in social-ecological systems

“…This set the scene for conservation agencies to exert their influence in ways that would challenge the established collectively designed institutional arrangements of, among others, the Table Mountain SES. For those promoting an appreciation of 'fynbos' this created a chance to emphasise meanings associated with native vegetation in a number of places including urban settings like Cape Town (Rebelo et al 2011;Anderson and O'Farrell 2012;Holmes et al 2012). These motivations were stimulated by increased global awareness, particularly among scientists and conservationists, of the uniqueness of the flora of the Western Cape region and of the role of biodiversity in sustaining ecological resilience (Cowling et al 1992;Goldblatt and Manning 2002).…”

What constitutes a successful biodiversity corridor? A Q-study in the Cape Floristic Region, South Africa

“…Holmes et al (2012a) 161 identify habitat loss and fragmentation as the major threats to CFR biodiversity, driven by, among 162 others, rapid urbanization, agriculture, invasive alien species and inappropriate fire regimes.…”

“…Conservation biologists and planners have identified biodiversity corridors as a means to successfully 164 prevent a "mega-disaster" by preserving ecological connectivity in the CFR (Cowling et al, 2003; 165 Holmes et al, 2012a). However, the apparent 'threats' of urbanization and agriculture to conservation 166 success reflect the diversity of imperatives in the CFR.…”