Bracken Nature Reserve is a piece of protected land in
Brackenfell
Brackenfell is a town in the Western Cape province of South Africa, situated on the N1 about 30 km (17 mi) north-east of Cape Town and 35 km (22 mi) south-west of Paarl.
Regarded as the “gateway” to the Cape Winelands, the town marks t ...
in the
Western Cape,
South Africa
South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the Southern Africa, southernmost country in Africa. Its Provinces of South Africa, nine provinces are bounded to the south by of coastline that stretches along the Atlantic O ...
.
This park preserves badly threatened
Cape Flats Sand Fynbos
Cape Flats Sand Fynbos (CFSF), previously known as Sand Plain Fynbos, is a critically endangered vegetation type that occurs only within the city of Cape Town. Less than 1% of this unique lowland fynbos vegetation is conserved.
Description
This ...
and
Swartland Granite Renosterveld vegetation. A diverse array of orchids, succulents and flowering bulbs are among the over 160 plant species that occur here. Of these, ten occur only within the
City of Cape Town
The City of Cape Town (; ) is a Metropolitan municipality (South Africa), metropolitan municipality that forms the metropolitan municipality (South Africa), local government of Cape Town and surrounding areas. As of 2022 it has a population of ...
and are in serious danger of
extinction
Extinction is the termination of an organism by the death of its Endling, last member. A taxon may become Functional extinction, functionally extinct before the death of its last member if it loses the capacity to Reproduction, reproduce and ...
, including ''Antimima aristulata'', cowslip (''Lachenalia aloides''), canary yellow vygie (''Lampranthus glaucus'') and carrion flower (''Orbea variegate'').
The park is also home to a variety of small mammals, reptiles and amphibians, as well as range of bird species.
There is an indigenous garden at the entrance, and footpaths that take visitors past birdlife and views of the surrounding countryside. The reserve is situated on top of an old
quarry
A quarry is a type of open-pit mining, open-pit mine in which dimension stone, rock (geology), rock, construction aggregate, riprap, sand, gravel, or slate is excavated from the ground. The operation of quarries is regulated in some juri ...
and
landfill
A landfill is a site for the disposal of waste materials. It is the oldest and most common form of waste disposal, although the systematic burial of waste with daily, intermediate and final covers only began in the 1940s. In the past, waste was ...
site so gas extraction pipes have had to be installed, to let the excess gases from the decomposing waste escape.
See also
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Biodiversity of Cape Town
The biodiversity of Cape Town is the variety and variability of life within the City of Cape Town, excluding the Prince Edward Islands. The terrestrial vegetation is particularly diverse and much of it is endemic to the city and its vicinity. Te ...
*
Cape Flats Sand Fynbos
Cape Flats Sand Fynbos (CFSF), previously known as Sand Plain Fynbos, is a critically endangered vegetation type that occurs only within the city of Cape Town. Less than 1% of this unique lowland fynbos vegetation is conserved.
Description
This ...
*
List of nature reserves in Cape Town
The City of Cape Town, South Africa has numerous nature reserves within the city limits.
City of Cape Town
The City of Cape Town manages the following nature reserves in the Cape Town metropolitan area: Temp
North region
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Renosterveld
Renosterveld is a term used for one of the major plant communities and vegetation types of the Cape Floristic Region (Cape Floral Kingdom) which is located in southwestern and southeastern South Africa, in southernmost Africa. It is an ecoregion ...
References
{{Cape Town, natural
Nature reserves in Cape Town
Protected areas of the Western Cape
Fynbos