Who is Cape Flats Nature?

Cape Flats Nature was founded with the intentions of building good practice in sustainable management of nature sites in the City of Cape Town’s Biodiversity Network, in a people centered way that develops local leadership for conservation action and benefits the surrounding communities, particularly townships where incomes are low and living conditions are poor. Cape Flats Nature is being implemented through the South African National Biodiversity Institute (SANBI), under the Urban Nature Programme.

History:

Cape Flats Nature is a South African National Biodiversity Institute (SANBI) project founded in 2002 with founding partners the City of Cape Town, the Table Mountain Fund of WWF and the Botanical Society of South Africa. Table Mountain National Parks of SANParks and Cape Nature are actively engaged in the partnership.

These organizations shared a common interest in exploring and demonstrating how to manage priority biodiversity sites in the City, in a way that benefits surrounding low- income, urban communities.

The Name Cape Flats Nature

The apartheid government was notorious for its programme of forced removals. In Cape Town people who were classified non- white were moved from their homes in and around the city and suburbs beneath Table Mountain to the Cape Lowlands, popularly known as the Cape Flats. This area is some distance from the city centre, its infrastructure, services and job opportunities. Informal settlements grew too, as rural people arrived in the city in search of work. Like the residents, the precious biodiversity of the area was neglected. Only small pockets of the unique Cape Flats plant and animal life it supports survived the rapid development of human habitation, hence the project was named Cape Flats Nature. The project was created as a pioneering partnership project,

Project Aim:

The aim of the phase 1 of Cape Flats Nature (2002 – 2006) was to demonstrate that conservation sites can be managed in way that benefits and involves local communities.

The overall aim of phase 2 (2007 – 2010) was to deepen and spread the lessons good practice developed in the demonstration phase and other projects in the City more broadly, and to learn lessons about how to do this so that the practice can be spread even further through the Biodiversity Network in future.

The objectives for phase 2 recognised that practice can be spread in at least two ways: institutionally, by working with City Nature Conservation and other relevant institutions to develop an approach to learning through practice across sites; and spatially, by developing new sites.

Cape Flats Nature has a catalytic role, and does not manage the sites the project supports.

The next Cape Flats Nature experiment is under development. We are exploring will catalyse co-ordination in socio-ecological areas of connectivity, drawing new partners into integrated biodiversity management and demonstrating that human well being is improved through taking care of biodiversity in Cape Town.

CFN’s overall objectives are:

• Build good practice in the management of its 6 partnership sites;

• Develop and encourage local leadership for conservation action that benefits surrounding communities;

• Build a conservation management practice that integrates social development and biodiversity priorities;

• Demonstrate conservation benefits to the surrounding communities;

• Build bridges between people and nature;

• Create appropriate communication tools;

• Influence policies and/or policymakers around key aspects;

• Encourage participation amongst researchers and/or partner bodies;

• Educate and create awareness concerning Cape Flats nature amongst its stakeholders;

• Communicate adequate information about Cape Flats nature and its outputs stakeholders.

The task of Cape Flats Nature is to promote a new way of conserving nature and develop it in practice, drawing from urban nature conservation management and social development experience, so that both people and nature benefit.