Being aware that we’re in an era of the “Sixth Extinction” let’s pay tribute to this the 25th annual International Day of Biodiversity. The Western Cape region is known as a hotspot for biodiversity particularly for it’s fynbos ecosystem. No better way to describe it’s rich heritage is Cape Nature’s latest biodiversity report in this Vimeo link below.
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Nature on the Edge 
Superb video
Thanks for commenting. ‘Superb’ beautifully sums up the inherent wildness 🙂
Yes and well captured as well
Loved the video – such a beautiful area – may it continue to improve and maintain its wilderness.
Thanks Eliza; yes very hopefully!
Fantastic!
Isn’t it!! Cape Nature did a good job in highlighting the beauty of this diverse region.
GREAT video 🙂
Thanks Paula, glad you enjoyed it.
Thank you for posting – great!
Glad to have highlighted this beautiful region 🙂
Such amazing diversity in life and scenery. Glad we have Cape Nature to look after it for all of us!
Yes! Kudos to Cape Nature – their alien clearing programmes and work monitoring species, anti-poaching all help towards conservation efforts 🙂
Your post led me to research Fynbos. It’s an amazing area with a wide variety of unusual plants, some of which we’ve imported here to Australia and which grow very well here. I hope the Fynbos area continues to be cared for so that it maintains its diversity.
Lovely to read your comments Jane. Glad to have piqued your curiosity in the fynbos biome – isn’t it incredibly rich and extraordinary for it’s diversity in endemic species. It’s interesting to see the similarities in our continents’ floral heritage via the Gondwana split. We’re seeing changes here in the Cape impacting the environment and areas of natural decline losing species. Though it is heartening to know the work being done to protect and restore the systems. Kudos to Cape Nature for all their sterling work.
Fabulous video. Made me nostalgic for the Cape once again.
🙂 the Cape does that – weaves a spell of it’s beauty!
Beautiful, and sobering yet hopeful. Thank you for sharing!
Hi Sid, nice to see you back here and thanks for the comments. ‘Sobering’ sums it up well! And yes hopeful when the conservation authorities continue with their good works. We’re seeing protected areas under their custodianship flourish. Just not sure what we’re in for with the effects of climate change?
It looks like a very special place. The sights in the video were amazing and I loved the sound track as well. I hope the conservation actions there continue.
Thanks for commenting, Siobhan. Glad you enjoyed the video, it’s kind of in a ‘nutshell’ summing up of the rich diversity in the region. It falls under the Cape Floristic Region one of the six floral kingdoms – though small in area it hosts an incredible 13000 plus plant species. Fortunately there is policy for environment protection and impact assessment. Though who knows what the long term effects of climate change and urban creep will have in the long term?! We’re seeing the impact of drought and habitat change with disappearing fauna and flora.
There’s clearly a lot of conservation work taking place, long may that continue, this wonderful place cannot be lost.
Yes fortunately there is commitment and policy in place to protect and care for the environment and it’s biodiversity health. Though some of the biomes are seriously under threat – creeping urbanization, climate change, invasive alien vegetation.It all sounds so daunting in the long term!
Four minutes well spent on my part today. Thank you. We need more beautifully educational videos like this. I fell in love with South Africa’s fynbos after spending some time with a guide exploring the intricate, ecologically dependent lives of its little insects. It was so fascinating. I really hope Cape Nature’s work continues to thrive as more locals and visitors to the area become educated about the importance of endemic biodiversity.
I recall your beautifully descriptive post on Kirstenbosch Atreyee. Isn’t that a fascinating aspect – the intimate interaction between insects and plants? Not every visitor gets an insight into the remarkable connections in the biology of endemism! What an array of characterful critters fynbos hosts especially the monkey and blister beetles, not least the weevils and ants. The specific roles and how they evolved servicing endemic species is a whole study in itself. Yes we’re fortunate for the role Cape Nature undertakes in protecting the fragile web of biodiversity though climate change along with urban creep and land encroachment are the ongoing threats in this changing world of ours.