Cape adds Mount David Nature Reserve to protected areas

The Cape has officially added Mount David Nature Reserve to its provincial network of protected areas. The reserve spans over 800 hectares near Hermanus and safeguards threatened ecosystems and endangered species.

The land, formerly known as Diepgat, was acquired in 2008 by Antony van Hoogstraten. Over the past 17 years, the property has been systematically restored from livestock and grain farmland to natural fynbos and wetland habitats. Alien plant species were removed to promote ecological recovery.

The reserve’s conservation value was highlighted in 2010 when a critically endangered Erica species, previously thought nearly extinct, was identified following a wildfire survey. Further biodiversity significance emerged in 2020 when conservationists discovered a breeding population of the Moonlight Mountain Toadlet (Capensibufo selenophos) on the upper slopes, a species previously unrecorded in the area.

Mount David now contributes to the province’s ecological services, including water purification, soil health, climate regulation, and the maintenance of ecological corridors. The reserve also supports notable fauna such as leopard, Klipspringer, Grey Rhebok, Black Harrier, Verreaux’s Eagle, and Blue Cranes.

Provincial Minister Anton Bredell recently confirmed that CapeNature facilitated the legal declaration of Mount David as a protected area under the National Environmental Management Protected Areas Act. The process was supported by Bionerds and the Endangered Wildlife Trust (EWT), who also developed the Protected Area Management Plan, approved in 2023.