Macassar Dunes Conservation Area is a coastal

nature reserve A nature reserve (also known as a wildlife refuge, wildlife sanctuary, biosphere reserve or bioreserve, natural or nature preserve, or nature conservation area) is a protected area of importance for flora, fauna, funga, or features of geologic ...

in Macassar, 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 ...

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 ...

Biodiversity

This conservation area conserves the unique local “ Cape Flats Dune Strandveld” vegetation with its dense evergreen thickets, flowers, shrubs and trees. The last remaining

forest A forest is an ecosystem characterized by a dense ecological community, community of trees. Hundreds of definitions of forest are used throughout the world, incorporating factors such as tree density, tree height, land use, legal standing, ...

of the

endangered An endangered species is a species that is very likely to become extinct in the near future, either worldwide or in a particular political jurisdiction. Endangered species may be at risk due to factors such as habitat loss, poaching, inv ...

White Milkwood tree (''

Sideroxylon inerme ''Sideroxylon inerme'' (aMasethole or white milkwood, , , ) is a southern and eastern African coastal tree, with dense foliage, black berries and small, foetid, greenish flowers. The tree's generic name means "Iron-wood" in Greek, referring to it ...

'') on the Cape Flats is found on this reserve, and it is also home to the largest and highest dune system on the

Cape Peninsula The Cape Peninsula () of South Africa is a generally mountainous peninsula that juts out into the Atlantic Ocean at the south-western extremity of the African continent. At the southern end of the peninsula are Cape Point and the Cape of Good ...

. Many of the 178 plant species that can be found here burst into flower in spring time, covering the dunes with colour. Animal species found here include buck, tortoises, porcupine, hares, mongoose and a variety of bird species.

History

The area was originally inhabited by the

Khoi-khoi Khoikhoi ( /ˈkɔɪkɔɪ/ ''KOY-koy'') (or Khoekhoe in Namibian orthography) are the traditionally nomadic pastoralist indigenous population of South Africa. They are often grouped with the hunter-gatherer San (literally "foragers") peop ...

people who had lived at the Cape for centuries. In the 1600s under colonial rule, the first

Muslim Muslims () are people who adhere to Islam, a Monotheism, monotheistic religion belonging to the Abrahamic religions, Abrahamic tradition. They consider the Quran, the foundational religious text of Islam, to be the verbatim word of the God ...

community in

was founded here by Sheikh Yusuf of

Indonesia Indonesia, officially the Republic of Indonesia, is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania, between the Indian Ocean, Indian and Pacific Ocean, Pacific oceans. Comprising over List of islands of Indonesia, 17,000 islands, including Sumatra, ...

, who named the area after his home in Indonesia – the original Khoi name for the area was not recorded. The shrine (or “kramat”) of Sheikh Yusuf is located on a hill on the eastern edge of the reserve and is still a site of worship and pilgrimage. Even up until today, Muslims from all over South Africa still make their way to the Kramat in Macassar to camp for the entire Easter weekend. Cape Flats Dune Strandveld flowers at Macassar Dunes

Cape Flats Dune Strandveld flowers at Macassar Dunes

Threats and Conservation

The local ecosystem is classified as

and what is left of it is under threat from alien invasive plants like ''

Acacia cyclops ''Acacia cyclops'', commonly known as coastal wattle, cyclops wattle, one-eyed wattle, red-eyed wattle, redwreath acacia, western coastal wattle, rooikrans, rooikrans acacia, is a coastal shrub or small tree in the family Fabaceae. Native to A ...

'' (“Rooikrans”), sand-mining and the rapid spread of informal settlements which is threatening to engulf the nature reserve. Shacks built on the dunes destroy the vegetation that is holding the sands in place. Consequently masses of mobile wind-swept sand become a problem. Areas that are infested with Acacia cyclops also burn much more easily, frequently and fiercely. These too-frequent fires reduce the ability of the indigenous vegetation to regenerate and are also a danger to the people of the neighbouring informal settlements. However, community involvement in the management of the reserve is increasing. It is used by local people for hiking, whale watching, environmental education, school excursions and fishing. In addition, traditional healers gather plants and animals from the reserve to use in traditional medicine. The reserve also provides shelter for the communities from the strong winds and sand from the coast, as well as being a protection from storm damage and a source of fresh water.

References

{{Cape Town, natural Nature reserves in Cape Town Protected areas of the Western Cape

Biodiversity

History

Threats and Conservation

See also

References