An influential partnership between conservation organisations and the Overberg Renosterveld Conservation Trust (ORCT) has secured the protection of 500ha of globally important and endangered habitat in the Overberg district of the Western Cape, providing a lifeline for species that would otherwise be at risk of vanishing forever.

Renosterveld is part of the Cape Floral Kingdom – the smallest and richest of the six plant kingdoms in the world. It is known as the shy sister of the more well-known fynbos habitat but is arguably the richest of all Mediterranean shrublands.

However, renosterveld faces extinction, with only 5% of the original extent remaining on the planet. This landscape has been shaped by decades of large-scale agriculture, meaning that most of what’s left untouched occurs as tiny fragments on outcrops, steep hills and in valleys in the Overberg Rûens. Despite this, renosterveld still provides a haven for an abundance of biodiversity.

The remaining islands of virgin renosterveld are, however, threatened by overgrazing from livestock, inappropriate fire regimes, illegal damming, further ploughing and invasive alien plants. Without a clear and decisive strategy to secure and connect these remnants, renosterveld will be lost forever.

The recent purchase of a key portion of property represents a major milestone achievement within the ORCT’s greater strategic plan. The conservation team that collaborated with the ORCT to buy the Plaatjieskraal property, situated 40km south of Swellendam, included WWF South Africa, the UK-based World Land Trust, the IUCN NL Land Acquisition Fund, and WildLandscapes International, based in America. The property will be managed by the ORCT, in partnership with WWF South Africa and the World Land Trust.

According to Dr Odette Curtis-Scott, Director of the ORCT: “This is a powerful collaboration of like-minded organisations from across the world. This is significant because it shows that renosterveld is, at last, being recognised internationally.”

She added that the acquisition of the Plaatjieskraal property, which took 16 years, is essential because the farm is home to nearly 500ha of intact renosterveld. In contrast, around three-quarters of the remaining renosterveld is less than one hectare in size – the equivalent of one rugby field.

The acquisition also doubles the size of the existing Haarwegskloof Renosterveld Reserve, purchased in 2013 through a joint initiative by WWF South Africa and the ORCT.  

Plaatjieskraal will be declared a Nature Reserve and managed together with Haarwegskloof. “We are thrilled that 500 hectares have now been added to the 500 hectares of Haarwegskloof. These two reserves together now make up the most extensive area of protected renosterveld and are part of the largest cluster of contiguous renosterveld left on Earth,” Curtis-Scott said.

While the habitat is highly threatened, it nevertheless houses extraordinary levels of plant diversity: Over 560 plant species (and counting) have been recorded to date, nearly 10% of which are species of conservation concern.

The Haarwegskloof/Plaatjieskraal cluster also supports one of the largest breeding hotspots for the Black harrier, an endemic, endangered species that relies on large, natural, intact habitats in which to breed. There are only an estimated 1 300 individuals of this raptor left.