The Western Cape has so much to see and discover that it would take a lifetime to explore it all! As you reach your golden years, there’s no better time in your life than to spend summertime frolicking in nature.

CapeNature’s Bird Island Nature Reserve in Lambert’s Bay, known for its stunning seafront vistas and diverse birdlife, recently hosted unexpected visitors that sent bird enthusiasts into a frenzy. In a rare sighting, four Australasian Gannets and two Brown Boobies made a surprise visit to the island.

It is widely known that South Africa, and in particular the Western Cape, suffers from water scarcity. This reality underscores the critical need to prioritise the conservation of freshwater ecosystems and their catchments to ensure a sustainable supply of water for both biodiversity and human consumption. The provision of water is categorised as one of the ecosystem services offered by natural freshwater ecosystems.

CapeNature and its partners has experienced a grueling Summer fire season which ravaged a substantial number of hectares throughout the Western Cape.

The 2023 Western Cape State of Biodiversity Report builds on the 2017 edition, summarising information relating to the status of the terrestrial, freshwater, coastal ecosystems, and indigenous species in the Western Cape.

In late January 2024, CapeNature was alerted to a fire in the vicinity of one of its stewardship partners, and also an area of concern for the critically endangered, geometric tortoise (Psammobates geometricus) according to IUCN Red List.

Four landowners joined to form the Manna Karoo Nature Reserve Association and, in January 2024, signed an agreement with CapeNature to declare the site as a nature reserve.

A baseline survey of the Garden Route Nature Reserve complex was completed in January 2024 to provide updated information on the freshwater fish community of the reserve complex and inform future management interventions.

Frogs are excellent indicators of environmental change, and CapeNature will be launching a frog monitoring programme at Groenvlei in the spring of 2024.

In honour of tourist guides, CapeNature and the Western Cape Department of Economic Development and Tourism (DEDAT) would like to recognise the important role tour guides play within the tourism industry in the province and beyond.

With so much to do and even more to see, CapeNature reserves in the Garden Route are so worth it! A diverse an exciting experience leaves visitors speechless and in touch with their nature side for life. 

Love is in the air at CapeNature reserves this February! If you are planning to wine and dine your beloved or are in need of some self-care in the breathtaking views and wide open spaces of nature then visit one of our reserves.