The City of Cape Town’s Tygerberg Nature Reserve plans to burn approximately 28 ha on the eastern slopes of the reserve as part of a prescribed ecological burn.

The burn is planned for either February or March 2016. The actual date is dependent on the weather conditions.

The ecological burn will take place on management block TGB4, which borders the Welgedacht Estate and Cronje Street. The area designated for burning was ploughed approximately 60 years ago and has self-restored into shrubby renosterveld, which is in need of a burn to complement the restoration process.  

Tygerberg Nature Reserve conserves one of the largest remaining areas of the critically endangered Swartland shale renosterveld. Prescribed ecological burns are crucial for the management of this land as fire plays a fundamental role in the vegetation’s lifecycle. Ideally, the area should burn every five to 10 years.

Renosterveld is renowned for its diversity of plant life, and the 388 ha nature reserve boasts 562 recorded plant species, with new species continually being discovered. To date, 23 plant species are threatened with extinction, and three are endemic to the reserve.

The single biggest threat to renosterveld is the rapid encroachment of development which has led to its depletion and fragmentation. In order to conserve what we have left, it is necessary to simulate a natural fire pattern.

Carefully managed burns are necessary to obtain maximum species diversity. There are numerous benefits to burns. For example, by removing the canopy created by the mature vegetation, sunlight is allowed to penetrate the ground level, which helps with seed germination. While fires occurring too frequently can lead to a decline in slow growing species and reduced seed production, infrequent fires, i.e. fires that occur over 20 years, can lead to bush encroachment and extinction of local species. Another advantage of burning old vegetation is that it reduces fuel loads, which in turn reduces the risk of wild fires.

Competent staff from the Environmental Resource Management (ERM)department will work with the Fire and Rescue Service as well as Working on Fire and Volunteer Wildfire Services. ERM staff will ensure that the procedure is conducted efficiently and safely.

Everything is in place to go ahead with the burn:

For safety reasons, the reserve will be closed to the public on the day of burning and for a few a days after until the area is deemed safe.

Local residents are advised to keep their windows shut while the burning takes place. Flammable items such as gas canisters should be removed from outside areas and laundry should be taken off washing lines to prevent odour contamination from smoke. Sprinklers may be used to dampen gardens as a further precautionary measure.

The Tygerberg Nature Reserve management would like to thank residents in the area for their understanding and cooperation.

For further information, residents should please contact the Tygerberg Nature Reserve on 021 444 8971 or send an e-mail to tygerberg.naturereserve@capetown.gov.za.