Kogelberg Nature Reserve
Kogelberg Nature Reserve is a large and important nature reserve in the east of Cape Town, South Africa. With about 1600 plant species, it contains a floral diversity per unit area that is greater than anywhere else in the world.[1]
Located in the Kogelberg Mountains, along the mountainous coast on the eastern edge of Cape Town, this 3000 hectare nature reserve protects a significant portion of Kogelberg Sandstone Fynbos. Among the enormous range of plants in this local vegetation type are hundreds of species of Erica, a wide range of Protea species and a great many plant families which are endemic. There are also areas of wetland, and shady Southern Afrotemperate Forests grow in the ravines and river valleys. The Kogelberg mountains are known as the heart of the Fynbos, and have a floral diversity per unit area that is greater than anywhere else in the world.[2]
The 100 000 hectare Kogelberg Biosphere Reserve incorporates the nature reserve as part of its "core conservation area". As such, the nature reserve is surrounded by buffer zones of natural vegetation and environmentally friendly recreational areas, as well as transitional zones of environmentally aware farms and towns. The Kogelberg Nature Reserve itself, as the core conservation area, is exceptionally pristine. In fact, the mountain slopes are closed to the public and strictly protected. However, there is a portion that is open for hiking, along the valleys and waterfalls of the Steenbras River Gorge. The R44 road is an exceptionally scenic road that skirts the mountainous coast of the Kogelberg reserve. Whales and dolphins can also regularly be seen from this road.[3]
See also
- Kogelberg Mountains
- Biodiversity of Cape Town
- List of nature reserves in Cape Town
- Kogelberg Sandstone Fynbos
- Southern Afrotemperate Forest