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Cape St Francis is home to no less than four
nature reserves, Cape St Francis Nature Reserve,
Seal Point Nature Reserve, Seal Bay Nature
Reserve and Irma Booysen Flora Reserve.
These reserves offer a fine variety of walks.
For downloadable maps and detailed information
please visit our downloads page.
What is so special about these areas?
South Africa is extraordinarily rich in plant
and animal life and scientists have classified
the different kinds of vegetation across the
land. The southwestern Cape region is especially
blessed in plant species, so much so that it is
recognized as one of only six Plant or Floral
Kingdoms in the world. Known as the Cape Floral
Kingdom, it extends roughly from Port Elizabeth
to Cape Town and inland, covering about 90,000
km2 and is home to 9,000 plant
species, 70% of which grow nowhere else in the
world (i.e. endemic to the Cape).
These plants are not scattered randomly across
the landscape. Instead, from one hill to the
next, different plant species grow together in
their own communities. This means that the
entire region is divided into these vegetation
types, comprising plant species that grow in
their particular area and nowhere else.
Our local vegetation type is the St Francis
Fynbos/Thicket Mosaic and only grows on the
lime-rich coastal sandy sites scattered between
Tsitisikamma in the west and Port Elizabeth in
the east. The conditions under which this
vegetation type can grow is a relatively small
area comprising 0.2% of the Cape region. Since
European settlement it has undergone
considerable damage and disturbance - by
urbanization, agriculture, forestry and alien
plant invasions. Much of our local Fynbos has
been disturbed by alien plants and developments.
As a result of this as well the threat of
continued destruction, it
has been classified as Critically Endangered and
enjoys legislative protection.
Animals you may see
Look out for bushbuck, grysbok, common duiker,
bushpig, porcupine, vervet monkey, caracal,
yellow and grey mongoose and otters. You can
sometimes see the rare African black
oystercatcher and occasionally an endangered
Jackass penguin. Bottlenose and common dolphins
are often seen offshore and, from August to
December, southern right whales may be spotted.
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