Minister Essop Approves Extension of Boundaries of Tygerberg Nature Reserve

The Provincial Minister for Environmental Affairs and Development Planning, Tasneem Essop, has approved the application by the City of Cape Town for the extension of the boundaries of the Tygerberg Nature
Reserve by the inclusion of the Parow Quarry. A notice to this effect will shortly be published in the Provincial Gazette.

Cllr Tozama Nomsa Mlanjeni, Mayoral Committee Member for Health, Amenities and Sport, has welcomed this announcement: "The quarry provides a nesting place for several birds of prey, in particular the Peregrine Falcon. They will now enjoy a higher level of protection. The City will also be able to embark on a programme to remove the invasive, alien Eucalyptus trees and replace them with indigenous vegetation. I also wish to thank the members of the Tygerberg Bird Club who have persisted for many years in their efforts to see the quarry proclaimed as part of the adjacent reserve."

Minister Essop said: "Conservation-worthy land is currently under great pressure due to the ever-increasing threat of development. The responsibility to reserve land for conservation purposes has become too big to be handled by the State alone. It is thus praiseworthy and of great conservation value when Local Authorities, such as the City of Cape Town, make a contribution to conservation by having their properties declared local nature reserves.

I would like to express my personal thanks as well as that of the Provincial Government for this valuable contribution to nature conservation."

Background information:
Mining in the Tygerberg area began as early as 1843 with the establishment of the Cape Roads Board whose first job it was to rebuild and surface the all-important road eastwards. The road-making gave rise to the first major quarrying in the Tygerberg. The Tygerberg has viable deposits of coarse aggregate in certain parts of the Malmesbury geological formation. Greywacke and quartzite deposits [generally known as "blue stone") were used in the construction of roads, dams, bridges and in the building industry.

The stone quarry provides a nesting place for several birds of prey of which the Peregrine Falcon Falco peregrinus is the most important. These birds of prey utilise the cliff faces and surrounding area to build nests and raise chicks. Koos De Goede (Member of the Tygerberg Bird Club) has been fighting for close to 12 years to have the quarry proclaimed as part of the Tygerberg Nature Reserve. The Bird Club monitor nests and breeding activities at the quarry on an ongoing basis.

The Tygerberg Stone Quarry is surrounded by a Eucalyptus plantation that was established in the 1960's to screen the landscape scar that was created by the quarrying activities. Fifty years later this plantation, bordering the Tygerberg Nature Reserve, is posing a threat to its biodiversity as threatened West Coast Renosterveld vegetation is being replaced by the alien, invasive Eucalyptus species. Indigenous plant undergrowth in the plantation is virtually absent, exposing the steep slopes to soil erosion. In order to reverse these negative environmental impacts, and enhance the ecological integrity of the Parow Stone Quarry, a rehabilitation programme was developed to systematically reduce these alien invasive trees and replace them through the planting of suitable indigenous plant species. This is a long-term rehabilitation program in order to minimise the visual and ecological impact resulting from the clearing of the existing Eucalyptus plantation.

Issued by:
Charles Cooper: Media Liaison Officer
Tel: 021 400 3719
Cell: 084 628 8618
Communication and Marketing: City of Cape Town
Email: media@capetown.gov.za
Tel: 021 400 2201
Fax: 021 957 0023

Media Queries:
Jacques Kuyler
Reserve Manager: Tygerberg Nature Reserve
Tel: 021 913 5695
Cell: 082 967 2551

Koos de Goede: Tygerberg Bird Club
Cell: 082 854 2992