Fynbos Background

bunch
The Cape Floral Kingdom (CFK) is a global biodiversity asset, the smallest of the world's six floral kingdoms and the only one to be found entirely within one country. It is home to more types of indigenous plants than any similar sized area on Earth.

What makes it even more special is that approximately 70% of its 9000 plant species are found nowhere else on Earth. The conservation of the remaining areas of natural vegetation within the CFK is of international conservation significance. The flora of the Cape is being threatened by agricultural and urban expansion as well as by alien vegetation invasion. Many threatened habitats, especially those in lowland areas, fall within private properties. Unfortunately there is limited financial support from government for conservation on private land.

Fynbos is the term given to a collection of plants (a vegetation type) that is dominated by shrubs and comprises species peculiar to South Africa's southwestern and southern Cape. Fynbos is characterised by four growth forms : tall protea shrubs with large leaves (proteoids); heath-like shrubs (ericoids); wiry reed-like plants (restioids); and bulbous herbs (geophytes). When the Dutch arrived at the Cape in the mid 17th century they required timber for building. The Cape offered little exploitable forest, the predominant vegetation having timber too slender or fine for harvesting, and was thus apparently given the name 'fijnbosch'.

home the trust fynbos harvesting handmade fynbos paper community involvement partners
agulhas biodiversity initiative fynbos background contact us