Landscape West is diverse, comprising the City of Cape Town metropole and the West Coast District Municipality areas of jurisdiction, including the local municipalities of Swartland, Saldanha Bay, Bergrivier, Cederberg and Matzikama. Landscape West comprises marine and coastal habitats, lowlands, mountain catchment areas and arid landscapes such as the succulent Karoo. The landscape transitions from a densely populated urban environment in the south to a more rural landscape characterised by towns and villages, agricultural and natural areas towards the north and east.

The Landscape West protected areas network represents the lowlands, characterised by lowland fynbos and seasonal wetlands restricted to the plains lying between the coast and the foothills of the mountains, transitioning into renosterveld and mountain fynbos as one heads eastwards into the mountain ranges of the Grootwinterhoek and the Cederberg. North and east of the Cederberg, the landscape becomes arid, transitioning into succulent Karoo. The lowlands are incised by major rivers such as the Berg and Olifants rivers.

The coastal zone is characterised by the influence of the cold Benguela current and associated habitats such as seashore vegetation and strandveld. Coastlines of the landscape are characterised by rocky shores and kelp beds, interspersed with pockets of sandy shores subjected to high-energy wave action, estuaries and pans. Significant estuaries include the Berg River estuary, Verlorenvlei and the Olifants River estuary.

Protected areas include Riverlands, Ganzekraal, Dassen Island, Rocherpan, Bird Island, Kasteelberg, Grootwinterhoek, Cederberg and Matjiesrivier, and the Knersvlakte nature reserves.

Wildlife regulation, protected area management and species conservation are core functions. Activities include priority species and ecosystem monitoring, invasive vegetation management, fire management, wetland restoration and species conservation, and law enforcement. In these endeavours, we work closely with communities, landowners, partners and scientists.

Climate-change mitigation is applied in four landscape nodes. Climate change is mitigated though climate-change corridors, where CapeNature and partners work with communities, landowners and industry to create stepping stones of nature in the landscape for connectivity of ecosystems and species migration. The aim is environmental resilience through nature conservation, implementation of environmental best practice by industry and socio-economic development.

Focus areas include:

1. Cape Town’s Biodiversity Network where CapeNature’s only urban nature reserve, Driftsands, protects the largest intact remnant of threatened Cape Flats Dune Strandveld and associated dune slack wetlands
2. The Dassenberg Coastal Catchment Partnership, where the Ganzekraal Conservation Area, South Africa’s largest new protected area in highly threatened and poorly conserved lowland and coastal habitats, and Riverlands, important for its high concentration of threatened lowland fynbos species, are core conservation areas
3. The Greater Cederberg Biodiversity Corridor, where core conservation areas include the Cederberg Wilderness Area and Matjiesrivier, a World Heritage site known for its Khoi San heritage. evident in its rock art. The wilderness area is dotted with Clanwilliam cedars at high altitude and rock formations such as the Maltese Cross, Wolfberg Arch, Stadsaal Caves and Kluitjieskraal. The corridor includes the iconic Sandveld region and Verlorenvlei estuary. Threatened species conservation includes restoration of freshwater fish habitats and wetlands
4. The Knersvlakte Nature Reserve, representing the Succulent Karoo Biome, the world’s only arid biodiversity hotspot, with its undulating plains and mosaic of quartz fields, exposed shale beds, dolomite outcrops, and red sand plumes. Highly conspicuous are the pebble-strewn quartz fields, characterised by a dense layer of white, angular quartz stones