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Wildcliff
Nature Reserve
Dedicated
to
plant and wildlife conservation in South Africa's Cape Floral Kingdom
 About
Wildcliff
- Wildcliff is a mountain
wilderness reserve consisting of 955
hectares, deep kloofs with afro-montane forest, rocky mountaintops and
high meadows of fynbos. It is in the Langeberg
mountain range of South Africa's Western
Cape. It borders on the
Boosmansbos Wilderness Area,
a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
- Take a visual tour of the reserve here.
- Ian and Jennifer Giddy purchased the property in 2007 on
behalf of
the Wild Cape Nature Trust. It will be maintained as a nature reserve
in perpetuity for purposes of conservation and
research.
- Access is limited to other
conservation-minded people, and natural science researchers. The
reserve has an active research program, and invites research proposals.
Find details on current and potential research activities here.
- The Wildcliff team also needs help with
restoration, and with
clearing
the invasive alien vegetation such as black wattles and pines.
- Wildcliff has, in the past, had farming on a limited
portion. It has a farmhouse and two other houses. The
farmhouse, Talari, is used for visits by the Trustees and
their families, and for other conservation-minded visitors. Two other houses
are available for
researchers,
volunteers, and visiting conservationists.
- We are developing hiking trails to reach
places of
beauty or significant natural interest.
We welcome
comments, or enquiries from potential volunteers or researchers. Contact us for
information or browse the research
opportunities page.
About
the Cape Floral Kingdom
 South Africa
has among the highest levels of biodiversity in
the world, thanks in no small part to the Cape Floral Kingdom. The
Table Mountain National Park alone has more plant species within its
22,000 hectares than the whole British Isles or New Zealand. A stretch
of land and sea spanning 90,000 square kilometres, or
0.05% of the earth's land area, the Cape florisitic region contains
roughly 3% of the world's plant species. Of the 9,600 species of
vascular plants found in the Cape
floral kingdom, about 70% are endemic, ie occur nowhere else on earth.
The
areas's freshwater and marine environments are similarly
unique, with plants and animals adapted to highly specialised
environments. On land and sea, the kingdom is rich: 11,000 identified
marine animal species, 3,500 of which are endemic, and 560 vertebrate
species, including 142 reptile species of which 27 are endemic.
About
the Wild Cape Nature Trust
The trust, founded
by Ian & Jennifer Giddy in 2007, owns Wildcliff. It is guided by a Board of
Trustees. The goals are:
- To
contribute to the preservation and restoration of an important part of
the Cape
Floral Kingdom.
- To
improve understanding of the region's flora and fauna, by offering
access and accommodation for visiting students and researchers.
The
primary means of achieving this goal has been the acquisition and
protection
of Wildcliff, a beautiful section of the Langeberg mountain range whose
flora represents important elements of
the
Cape Floral Kingdom.
Exploring this Web
Site
If
you cannot visit
Wildcliff just yet, you may nevertheless enjoy a glimpse of flowers,
animals and activities at the Reserve. You can take one of several
virtual hikes, including the mountain
fynbos, the valley
forest, and the reserve's trails and
accommodations. If you are curious about the animals like leopards
and bushbuck,
visit the fauna page, or
watch the resident baboon
troop. There's a bird
page and a fauna log
and a flora
log. The flora page has
numerous links and descriptions of the forest and the indigenous
fynbos, ericas, proteas,
and more,
plus numerous labeled photos.
On the history page learn
about Wildcliff's first human inhabitants, the Khoisan, and the
pioneering farmers of the early nineteenth century. To read about the
scientific and conservation activities of Wildcliff volunteers,
visit the Research page.
Finally, the Site Map
offers an overview of all the Wildcliff resources, including the library, accommodation, and,
of
course, the people.
More Reading
 - Fynbos:
South Africa's Unique Floral Kingdom, by Richard Cowling
and Dave Richardson. Fernwood Press; Re-issue edition (January 1995)
- The
Wildlife of Southern
Africa; a field guide to the animals and plants of the region,
edited by Vincent Carruthers. Southern Book Publishers, 1997.
- Field Guide to Mammals of
Southern Africa, by Chris & Tilde Stuart.
Struik Publishers, 2001. 3rd
ed.
- Field Guide to Trees of
Southern Africa, by Braam Van Wyk & Piet
Van Wyk. Struik Publishers,
1997.
- The Garden Route and Little
Karoo: between the desert and the deep blue sea, by Leon
Nel. Struik Publishers, 2003. (Jenny's note: An inspiring,
informative and authoritative work. Beautifully illustrated.)
Wildcliff is a
registered
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Conservation Area
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