It’s official the Blaauwberg Nature Reserve is now a provincial heritage site.
This after Heritage Western Cape (HWC) approved a report from the City’s Environmental Management Department for the reserve to be nominated as a heritage site.
The Blaauwberg Nature Reserve contains approximately 1 445 hectares of rich biodiversity, and protects three threatened vegetation types, including the endangered Cape Flats Dune Strandveld, on the coastal plain, critically endangered Swartland Shale renosterveld, on the hill, and critically endangered Cape Flats Sand Fynbos, inland from the hill.
The City of Cape Town said that the Blaauwberg Hill, which forms part of the nature reserve, offers one of the few viewpoints in the world from which two World Heritage Sites – Table Mountain and Robben Island – can be seen.
The Blaauwberg Nature Reserve also presents a rich cultural and historical heritage of various periods in history dating back to approximately 15 000 years ago.
“This nomination is a milestone and will place the Blaauwberg Nature Reserve, with its rich history and heritage and the most spectacular views, in the same league with other important heritage sites. There’s a lot to see and do at the reserve. Thus, I encourage residents and visitors to visit the reserve and enjoy its benefits. A special word of thanks to the Friends of Blaauwberg Conservation Area for the role they played, as members of civil society, in the establishment and development of the nature reserve and for advocating to proclaim it as a provincial heritage site,” said the City’s Mayco Member for Spatial Planning and Environment, Alderman Marian Nieuwoudt.