New eco corridor links Noordhoek, Kommetjie

SANParks has incorporated more land into the Table Mountain National Park to create an ecological corridor between Noordhoek and Kommetjie.

This corridor strengthens biodiversity and bolsters ecological resilience for future generations by linking the central and southern sections of the park, says SANParks park planning manager Michael Slayen.

"When Table Mountain National Park was established, one of the pressing challenges was to connect Chapman’s Peak in Noordhoek with Slangkop in Kommetjie across the so-called 'Noordhoek-Fish Hoek gap’.

“The most feasible solution involved incorporating the Noordhoek-Kommetjie wetlands into the park, creating an ecological corridor linking the lowland wetlands to Slangkop Mountain,” Mr Slayen said.

“To achieve this, it was necessary to secure the extensive undeveloped Noordhoek-Kommetjie wetlands, much of which belonged to the Van der Horst family. So we had to negotiate with multiple landowners.”

This long-standing project began nearly two decades ago, with a major breakthrough in 2004 when SANParks acquired 439 hectares of the Noordhoek wetlands, officially designating them part of Table Mountain National Park.

Recognized in 2015 as core areas of the Cape Floral Region World Heritage Site, these wetlands have since undergone restoration, including alien vegetation clearing and managing recreational use popular among hikers, dog walkers, and horse riders.

"We acquired 439 hectares of critical wetland property, but we still needed the last piece of the Kommetjie ecological corridor - what we called ‘the missing link’,” said Mr Slayen.

The final step in completing the corridor came with the donation of 25.5 hectares from two key landowners, Kommetjie Estates and Red Cliff Property.

Kommetjie Estates donated 4.7 hectares, and Red Cliff Property donated 20.8 hectares, expanding the corridor by an additional 6.7 hectares.

The handover event, held on Tuesday October 22, in Kommetjie, celebrated this collaborative effort.

"Restoration has already started, including clearing invasive alien vegetation and fire-prone gum trees,“ Mr Slayen said, to regenerate endangered vegetation types, such as Hangklip Sand Fynbos and Peninsula Sandstone Fynbos.

Bongani Mnisi, regional general manager for SANParks, said: "The only way we can continue to protect biodiversity in Table Mountain National Park, especially with climate change challenges, is through ongoing collaboration."

Patrick Dowling, representing the Kommetjie Residents and Ratepayers Association (KRRA), said: "At a time of unprecedented biodiversity loss worldwide, today’s handover contributes to the global effort to conserve biodiversity."

Megan Taplin, park manager for Table Mountain National Park, said connecting previously separated park areas would help to preserve the park’s rich biodiversity well into the future.

"In an era where property prices are high, for landowners to willingly conserve their land in perpetuity is an exceptional feat."