Table Bay Nature Reserve

Table Bay Nature Reserve
Map showing the location of Table Bay Nature Reserve

Location of Table Bay Reserve

Location Cape Town, Western Cape, South Africa
Coordinates 33°50′45″S 18°30′01″E / 33.84579°S 18.50039°ECoordinates: 33°50′45″S 18°30′01″E / 33.84579°S 18.50039°E
Area 880 hectares (8.8 km2)
Governing body City of Cape Town
http://www.capetown.gov.za/en/environmentalresourcemanagement/Pages/default.aspx

The Table Bay Nature Reserve is an 880-hectare (2,200-acre) nature reserve in Milnerton, Cape Town, South Africa. It consists of several smaller constituent reserves including Rietvlei Wetland Reserve, Diep River Fynbos Corridor, Zoarvlei Wetlands, Milnerton Racecourse Nature Reserve, and Milnerton Lagoon, as well as surrounding protected areas. These adjacent reserves were amalgamated on 27 June 2012, in order to improve the biodiversity management in the built-up area. It is managed by the City of Cape Town's Environmental Resource Management Department, with offices at Rietvlei.[1]

The Table Bay Nature Reserve forms the southernmost buffer area of the Cape West Coast Biosphere Reserve, and links it to the edge of Cape Town's city centre. It also contains a large portion of the critically endangered lowland habitats remaining in Cape Town.

The central feature in the Table Bay Nature Reserve is the Rietvlei wetland system. The Rietvlei Wetlands and Milnerton Lagoon were proclaimed as a Nature Area on 3 August 1984, in proclamation number 1632 of Provincial Gazette No. 9345. The Nature Reserve is partly owned by the City of Cape Town and the World Wildlife Fund for Nature – South Africa, who own two of the Erven. The City of Cape Town manages these two Erven on a 99-year lease for the purposes of nature conservation.[1]

Biodiversity

Fauna and flora in the reserve include the following:[2]

Mammals

Indigenous

Bathyergidae
Bovidae
Canidae
Chrysochloridae
Felidae
Herpestidae
Hystricidae
Leporidae
Muridae
Mustelidae;
  • Aonyx capensis (Cape clawless otter)
  • Mellivora capensis (honey badger)
Soricidae
Vespertilionidae
Viverridae
  • Genetta genetta (small-spotted genet)
  • Genetta tigrina (Cape genet)

Introduced

Canidae
  • Canis lupus familiaris a.k.a. Canis familiaris (domestic dog)
Felidae
  • Felis silvestris catus a.k.a. Felis catus (domestic cat)

Reptiles

Chamaeleonidae
Colubridae
  • Psammophylax rhombeatus (rhombic skaapsteker)
  • Crotaphopeltis hotamboeia (herald snake)
  • Dasypeltis scabra (common eggeater)
  • Dispholidus typus (boomslang)
  • Duberria lutrix lutrix (common slugeater)
  • Lamprophis aurora (Aurora house snake)
  • Lamprophis fuscus (yellow-bellied house snake)
  • Lamprophis inornatus (olive house snake)
  • Lycodonomorphus rufulus (common brown water snake)
  • Psammophis crucifer (cross-marked grass snake), (crossmarked grass snake)
  • Psammophis leightoni (Cape sand snake)
  • Psammophis notostictus (Karoo sand snake)
  • Pseudaspis cana (mole snake)
  • Chamaesaura anguina (Cape grass lizard)
Elapidae
  • Homoroselaps lacteus (spotted harlequin snake)
  • Naja nivea (Cape cobra)
Gekkonidae
  • Afrogecko porphyreus (marbled leaf-toed gecko), (marbled leaftoed gecko)
  • Pachydactylus geitje (ocellated thick-toed gecko), (ocellated thicktoed gecko)
Gerrhosauridae
Lacertidae
  • Meroles knoxii (Knox's desert lizard)
Leptotyphlopidae
Pelomedusidae
  • Pelomedusa subrufa (marsh terrapin)
Scincidae
  • Acontias meleagris meleagris (Cape legless skink)
  • Scelotes bipes (silvery dwarf burrowing skink)
  • Trachylepis capensis (Cape skink)
  • Typhlosaurus caecus (Cuvier's blind legless skink)
  • Trachylepis homalocephala (red-sided skink), (redsided skink)
Testudinidae
  • Chersina angulata (angulate tortoise)
  • Homopus areolatus (parrot-beaked tortoise), (parrotbeaked tortoise)
Typhlopidae
Viperidae
  • Bitis armata (southern adder)

Amphibians

Brevicipitidae
Bufonidae
Pipidae
Pyxicephalidae bonaparte

Fish

Indigenous

Anabantidae
Anguillidae
Clupeidae
Galaxiidae
Gobiidae
Mugilidae
Sparidae
  • Lithognathus lithognathus (white steenbras)
  • Rhabdosargus globiceps (white stumpnose)

Introduced

Cichlidae
Clariidae
  • Clarias gariepinus (sharp-tooth catfish)
Cyprinidae
  • Cyprinus carpio (carp)
Poeciliidae

Birds

Accipitridae
Alaudidae
Alcedinidae
Anatidae
Anhingidae
Apodidae
Ardeidae
Caprimulgidae
Centropodidae
  • Centropus burchelli (Burchell's coucal)
Cerylidae
Charadriidae
Chionidae
Ciconiidae
Cisticolidae
Coliidae
Columbidae
Corvidae
Cuculidae
Dendrocygnidae
  • Dendrocygna viduata (white-faced duck)
  • Thalassornis leuconotus (white-backed duck)
  • Dendrocygna bicolor (fulvous duck)
Estrildidae
Falconidae
Fringillidae
Gruidae
  • Anthropoides paradiseus (blue crane) Vulnerable (VU)
Haematopodidae
  • Haematopus moquini (African black oystercatcher) Near Threatened (NT)
Heliornithidae
Hirundinidae
Indicatoridae
Laniidae
Laridae
Lybiidae
Meropidae
Monarchidae
Motacillidae
Muscicapidae
Nectariniidae
Passeridae
Pelecanidae
Phalacrocoracidae
Phasianidae
Phoenicopteridae
Ploceidae
Podicipedidae
Pycnonotidae
Rallidae
Recurvirostridae
Rostratulidae
Scolopacidae
Scopidae
Strigidae
Sturnidae
Sylviidae
Threskiornithidae
Tytonidae
Upupidae
  • Upupa africana (African hoopoe)
Viduidae
Zosteropidae

Plants

Indigenous

Aizoaceae
  • Tetragonia fruticosa
  • Galenia africana
  • Tetragonia decumbens (sea spinach)
  • Tetragonia spicata
  • Acrosanthes humifusa
  • Aizoon sarmentosum
Amaranthaceae
Amaryllidaceae
Anacardiaceae
Apiaceae
  • Dasispermum suffruticosum
  • Sonderina hispida
  • Sonderina tenuis
  • Capnophyllum africanum
  • Stoibrax capense
  • Torilis arvensis
  • Lichtensteinia obscura
Apocynaceae
Aponogetonaceae
Araceae
Asparagaceae
Asphodelaceae
  • Aloe sp.1
  • Trachyandra filiformis
  • Trachyandra ciliata
  • Trachyandra divaricata
  • Bulbine lagopus
  • Trachyandra brachypoda
  • Trachyandra muricata
  • Trachyandra revoluta
Asteraceae
Brassicaceae
Campanulaceae
  • Wahlenbergia capensis
  • Wahlenbergia androsacea
Caryophyllaceae
Celastraceae
Ceratophyllaceae
Chenopodiaceae
  • Atriplex cinerea
  • Atriplex semibaccata
  • Salicornia meyeriana
  • Sarcocornia capensis
  • Sarcocornia natalensis
  • Sarcocornia perennis
  • Sarcocornia pillansii
  • Chenopodium murale
  • Exomis microphylla
Colchicaceae
  • Androcymbium eucomoides
  • Ornithoglossum viride
  • Androcymbium capense
Convolvulaceae
Crassulaceae
  • Cotyledon orbiculata
  • Tylecodon grandiflorus
  • Crassula cymosa
  • Crassula dichotoma
  • Crassula glomerata
  • Crassula vaillantii
  • Crassula fallax
  • Crassula flava
Cucurbitaceae
  • Kedrostis nana
Cyperaceae
Ebenaceae
Ericaceae
  • Erica subdivaricata
Euphorbiaceae
Fabaceae
  • Aspalathus hispida
  • Dipogon lignosus
  • Indigofera complicata
  • Lessertia rigida
  • Lessertia sp.1
  • Psoralea repens
  • Rhynchosia ferulifolia
  • Senna didymobotrya
  • Medicago polymorpha
  • Otholobium hirtum
  • Spartium junceum
  • Sutherlandia frutescens
  • Aspalathus acanthophylla
  • Aspalathus cymbiformis
  • Aspalathus ternata
  • Otholobium virgatum
Frankeniaceae
  • Frankenia pulverulenta
Fumariaceae
Gentianaceae
  • Orphium frutescens
  • Sebaea aurea
  • Sebaea albens
Geraniaceae
Haemodoraceae
  • Wachendorfia paniculata
Hyacinthaceae
Hypoxidaceae
  • Spiloxene aquatica
  • Spiloxene capensis
Iridaceae
Juncaceae
Juncaginaceae
  • Triglochin bulbosa
Lamiaceae
Lauraceae
  • Cassytha ciliolata
Lemnaceae
Lobeliaceae
  • Lobelia sp.1
  • Monopsis lutea
  • Monopsis simplex
Malvaceae
  • Hermannia multiflora
  • Hermannia pinnata
  • Hermannia procumbens
  • Malva parviflora
  • Hermannia linifolia
  • Hermannia procumbens procumbens
Melianthaceae
Menispermaceae
  • Cissampelos capensis
Mesembryanthemaceae
Molluginaceae
  • Pharnaceum lineare
Myoporaceae
  • Myoporum tetrandrum
Myricaceae
  • Morella cordifolia
  • Morella quercifolia
Neuradaceae
  • Grielum grandiflorum
Oleaceae
Onagraceae
  • Ludwigia adscendens diffusa
Orchidaceae
Orobanchaceae
  • Harveya squamosa
Oxalidaceae
Plantaginaceae
Plumbaginaceae
  • Limonium equisetinum
  • Limonium scabrum
Poaceae
Polygalaceae
  • Nylandtia spinosa (skilpadbessie bos), (tortoise berry bush)
  • Polygala myrtifolia
  • Muraltia satureioides
Polygonaceae
Potamogetonaceae
  • Potamogeton pectinatus
Proteaceae
  • Leucadendron levisanus (Cape flats conebush)
Ranunculaceae
Restionaceae
  • Thamnochortus sp.1
  • Willdenowia incurvata
  • Elegia tectorum
  • Ischyrolepis eleocharis
  • Thamnochortus spicigerus
  • Calopsis rigorata
  • Elegia verreauxii
  • Thamnochortus erectus
Rhamnaceae
  • Phylica ericoides
  • Phylica cephalantha
  • Phylica parviflora
Rosaceae
  • Cliffortia falcata
  • Cliffortia stricta
  • Cliffortia ericifolia
  • Cliffortia hirta
Rubiaceae
  • Anthospermum spathulatum
  • Galium tomentosum
Ruppiaceae
Rutaceae
  • Diosma aspalathoides
Sapotaceae
Scrophulariaceae
  • Diascia capensis
  • Hebenstretia cordata
  • Hebenstretia repens
  • Hemimeris racemosa
  • Lyperia lychnidea
  • Lyperia tristis
  • Manulea tomentosa
  • Nemesia versicolor
  • Phyllopodium cephalophorum
  • Hemimeris sabulosa
  • Nemesia affinis
  • Zaluzianskya villosa
  • Dischisma capitatum
  • Hebenstretia dentata
  • Manulea rubra
  • Nemesia ligulata
Solanaceae
Sterculiaceae
  • Hermannia procumbens
Tecophilaeaceae
Thymelaeaceae
  • Passerina corymbosa
  • Passerina ericoides
  • Passerina rigida
  • Gnidia spicata
  • Lachnaea grandiflora
  • Struthiola striata
Typhaceae
Viscaceae
Zygophyllaceae
  • Zygophyllum flexuosum
  • Zygophyllum morgsana
  • Zygophyllum sessilifolium

Introduced

Agavaceae
Anacardiaceae
  • Schinus terebinthifolius (Brazilian pepper)
Araceae
  • Pistia stratiotes (water lettuce)
Asteraceae
  • Senecio pterophorus
Azollaceae
  • Azolla filiculoides (red water fern)
Boraginaceae
Cactaceae
Commelinaceae
  • Commelina benghalensis (Blouselblommetjie), (Benghal dayflower)
Fabaceae
Haloragaceae
Lythraceae
Malvaceae
Moraceae
Myoporaceae
Myrtaceae
Poaceae
Pontederiaceae
  • Eichhornia crassipes (water hyacinth)

References

  1. 1.0 1.1 Nature reserves
  2. Table Bay Nature Reserve Draft Integrated Reserve Management Plan