De Hel Nature Area
De Hel Nature Area is a nature reserve protecting a river valley and indigenous forest on the lower eastern slopes of Table Mountain, Cape Town, South Africa.
Ecology
The Spaanschemat River is surrounded by steep slopes that are covered in deep indigenous Southern Afrotemperate Forest. At the lower end of the reserve is an open piece of land known as “the Meadow” where fruit trees remain from earlier cultivation.The vegetation type is Afromontane forest, with areas of Peninsula Granite Fynbos. Several hundred plant species have been identified here, including the striking Silvertree and Erica phylicaefolia. The reserve is also home to a variety of local wild animals, including endangered birds like the Knysna warbler, and the endangered Western Leopard Toad. Invasive alien plants are a problem; as such weeds threaten both the indigenous forest and the fynbos.