Rare plant species were found on parts of the land opposite the Ipic Soneike Shopping Centre, between the overhead power lines, the Bottelary Road and the Kuils River Golf Course.

Mr. Mark Callaghan, environmental and heritage management head if the City of Cape Town, confirmed the land belongs to the city and that the developer, Communicare, has been negotiating with the city for some time regarding the acquisition of a portion of the area for residential development.

He said following the discovery and referring to the pace of the negotiations things have been extremely protracted due to changing legislation.

“The full potential of the proposed development could not be realised should the area that is deemed to be conservation worthy not be released for development,” he said.

Ms. Fahiema Daniels, conservation biologist at the South African National Biodiversity Institute (Sanbi) said conservation targets of 30% have been set for this vegetation type.

“It is so endangered that this target is unattainable even if every remaining fragment of this vegetation type is conserved. Most of the remnants of it have been identified as core conservation areas in the City of Cape Town’s conservation plan.

“This indicates just how important the last remaining fragments of this vegetation type are for conservation.

“Apart from development pressure, the vegetation type is currently threatened by a host of processes including invasive alien plants such as Acacia saligna, mismanagement, and dumping.

“Because the area around Kuils River is also being developed at a rapid rate, it places this already critically endangered vegetation type under even more pressure,” said Daniels.

“More than 80% of it has already been transformed by urban sprawl and cultivation. The remaining natural vegetation (about 15%) for the vegetation type is less than the conservation target for this vegetation type,” Daniels said.

Prof. Karen Esler of the University of Stellenbosch’s Conservation Biology Unit agreed that Cape Flats Sandstone Fynbos is the worst threatened vegetation types in the world.

She urged that land remnants such as those found in Kuils River must be conserved as it would, if placed under the stress of development, mean that the species in them would be lost forever. She added that there is also the legal imperative to conserve such endangered vegetation types and habitats.

About the red data list plant species (those threatened by extinction) Daniels said some 95 occur on the Cape Flats Sandstone Fynbos remnants and exist within the boundaries of the City of Cape Town. This vegetation type has 20 endemic plants (occurs only on Cape Flats Sandstone fynbos), two of which are extinct, four extinct in the wild and 12 either critically endangered or endangered.

“Remnants of land with this vegetation type in the city of Cape Town are the only suitable sites for reintroduction of these extinct wild plants that are being propagated in botanical gardens,” Daniels said.