Diep River Fynbos Corridor


The Diep River Fynbos Corridor is a nature reserve located in the Blaauwberg region of Cape Town, South Africa. It forms part of the larger Table Bay Nature Reserve, which was established in June 2012.

Location and ownership

The Fynbos Corridor is jointly owned by the City of Cape Town and a private owner. The Diep River runs south into the Rietvlei Wetland Reserve, and the corridor extends north-west towards the Blaauwberg Conservation Area. The corridor runs through the Parklands and Sunningdale developments that are managed by ASKA and SEEFF Properties, respectively.

Vision

The Fynbos Corridor extends from the Diep River in the South to the BCA in the north. Approximately seven kilometers in length, it is interrupted by five east–west routes and two south–north routes. The total extent of the corridor, including the satellite areas to the east and west, takes up large portions of privately owned land including the Garden Cities and the Milnerton Estates. It is the intention of the owners of these properties to cede the necessary land portions to the local authorities as development proceeds.
The City of Cape Town owns the Potsdam Outspan land immediately adjacent to the Diep River, which is the planned origin of the corridor, as well as the BCA where the corridor will end.

Biodiversity

A provisional list of species recorded in the reserve, as of 2011, includes the following:
; Mammals:Otomys unisulcatus Vulpes chama Tatera afra Raphicerus melanotis Lepus capensis Georychus capensis Eptesicus capensis Sylvicapra grimmia Cryptomys hottentotus Felis silvestris catus Myosorex varius Dendromus melanotis Mus musculus Genetta tigrina Hystrix africaeaustralis Lepus saxatilis Galerella pulverulenta Genetta genetta Raphicerus campestris Rhabdomys pumilio Otomys irroratus Cynictis penicillata Rattus rattus
; Birds:Alopochen aegyptiacus Anas capensis Anas erythrorhyncha Anas platyrhynchos Anas smithii Anas sparsa Anas undulata Anhinga rufa Anthropoides paradiseus Ardea cinerea Ardea melanocephala Ardea purpurea Bostrychia hagedash Bubo africanus Bubulcus ibis Burhinus vermiculatus Ceryle rudis Charadrius tricollaris Ciconia ciconia Corvus albus Egretta alba Egretta garzetta Egretta intermedia Elanus caeruleus Fulica cristata Gallinula chloropus Haliaeetus vocifer Himantopus himantopus Larus dominicanus Larus hartlaubii Milvus migrans Motacilla capensis Nycticorax nycticorax Oena capensis Pelecanus onocrotalus Phalacrocorax africanus Phalacrocorax capensis Phalacrocorax lucidus Platalea alba Plectropterus gambensis Plegadis falcinellus Podiceps cristatus Podiceps nigricollis Porphyrio madagascariensis Prinia maculosa Tachybaptus ruficollis Thalassornis leuconotus Threskiornis aethiopicus Vanellus armatus
; Reptiles:Naja nivea Trachylepis capensis
; Amphibians:Amietia fuscigula
; Introduced species:
  • ''Corvus splendens''