Sharptooth catfish Clarias gariepinus are rather remarkable creatures indigenous to the northern parts of South Africa but both alien and invasive in the Western and Eastern Cape.They are omnivorous feeders, and as such can have negative impacts on indigenous fish populations as they can eat large numbers of young fish.

Wetlands are associated with a wide range of specially adapted plant species giving food and shelter to a variety of animal life. Obligate wetland plants possess adaptive characteristics that allow them to occur in wetlands almost their entire life cycle.

World Water Day is celebrated annually on 22 March with National Water Week taking place between 20 and 26 March 2022. These special calendar days are aimed at educating the public about their responsibility in water conservation initiatives, raising awareness around the need to protect and conserve the country’s scarce water resources. The theme for World Water Day 2022 is “Groundwater: making the invisible visible”.

The Western Cape Province is home to the Greater Cape Floristic Region, which is the world’s smallest, but in terms of biodiversity, the richest floral kingdom. Fynbos vegetation is part of this Floristic Region. Summer is slowly dwindling, the days become shorter, nights longer, colder weather is creeping in and autumn is with us.

CapeNature’s strong focus on brand awareness and innovation led to eco-tourism earnings growing by a record 60.5% compared to the previous financial year. It has already surpassed its pre-COVID-19 revenue target of 2019/20.

In February 2022 Walker Bay staff participated in a joint Operation Phakisa exercise. The operation focused on addressing the Off-Road Vehicle (ORVs) issues being experienced in the Walker Bay Complex and the Overberg region in general. 

The Rough Moss frog is a unique little frog, actually a minuscule frog, with a body length in adult males of only 15 mm and a couple of extra millimetres in females. 

Odonata is the name of the order of predatory insects that comprises the dragonflies and damselflies. The name is derived from the Greek word meaning “toothed jaw”. A descriptive referral to the impressive jaws of the larval form of these flying insects.

Get a quick glimpse every week into CapeNature's firefighting efforts during fire season (October - March) with a self-explanatory infographic highlighting fire locations and hectares of veld affected over a 7 day period. Read all about fire prevention and management here.

Eighteen of the ±62 species of bats in South Africa occur in the Western Cape. Four of these are fruit-eating species, while the rest are insectivorous. The largest bat roost in South Africa is on CapeNature’s De Hoop Nature Reserve and the 300 000 bats that live there are estimated to consume about 100 tons of insects per year, including mosquitoes and agricultural insect pests.

In July 2021, CapeNature announced a partnership with Forge, the 100% Made in Mzansi mobile hiking maps app. The digital maps include super accurate trails and important points of interest, like camping sites, waterfalls and mountain peaks among others, as well as information on opening hours, facilities, contact details and more.

Picnics are a wonderful way to enjoy the outdoors with friends and family. Packing a good picnic basket can add to your experience in a positive way. Read our tips to help you impress your friends and family this summer when visiting one of your favourite CapeNature reserve spots.