Endless natural beauty and a string of secret beaches ready to be explored! The magical Langebaan Lagoon, rare fynbos, white sandy dunes, internationally acclaimed wetlands and incredible birdlife are only some of the delights our West Coast National Park has to offer.
Hello and welcome to the eighth episode of Know Your Nature! A free ReWild Africa newsletter released exploring the National Parks of South Africa (and beyond). Know Your Nature aims to showcase off-the-beaten-track parts of Africa, and to encourage the support of our natural heritage #PreservationBeforeRestoration
West Coast National park 🌼
The West Coast National park is a sensory overload in the Springtime. Full of beautiful rich colours with a huge variety of plant and bird species, this park is well known as one of the finest wetland areas in South Africa. If you live in Cape Town and you have not been here, this is a great place to begin your journey of discovering South Africa's National parks. Watch on.
🌻 🌺🌸 Vegetation type and the spring flowers
Every year, from August to September, this park becomes alive and lit up in a rainbow of colours. It is incredible to look into the horizon of the park and see the colourful arrangement of these flowers, especially when you see the wildlife such as Eland or Bontebok walking through a carpet of colors.
The vegetation of the park can be separated into two types, strandveld and coastal thicket otherwise known as Hopefield Sand Plain Fynbos. Both these habitat units were given a 50 % irreplaceability rating ( see here to learn more) , however, sand plain fynbos is regarded to be of higher conservation value than strandveld, due to very little being formally conserved and it being more threatened by alien plant invasion. The park boasts around 482 plant species.
🦅 The Migratory birds & the unique Wetlands
It's astonishing to think of the distances that birds fly to breed and find food across the globe. The Wetlands is a huge feature of this park and attracts a host of diverse marine birds. An exciting activity is to visit the bird hides within the park. One of the most exciting birds to see is the curlew sandpipers all the way from the Siberian Arctic (below). Other exciting birds to tick off as you adventure through the park are Knot, Sanderling and Little Stint. Top tip is to wait for the low tide, so that you might see the wading birds (geelbek hide is apparently the best viewing).
☄️ Not on Our Soil - ReWilds latest
Not On Our Soil is a film series based on Climate Change
Everyone has the right to a safe and healthy environment, yet South Africans are experiencing extreme climate and environmental injustices all around the country. But, with the knowledge and understanding of our democracy, our rights, and how we can take part in the decisions that affect our future, comes the responsibility and empowerment to actively engage elected representatives and advocate for a just, equitable, and sustainable transition to a low-carbon and inclusive society. In this new series, we meet and explore the stories of the active citizens who are advocating for the #WorldWeWant.
Not On Our Soil - A Climate Justice Reality releases on 14 April 2021.
PS - ReWild is hiring! We’re looking for a Business Development Specialist If you know someone who understands ReWild’s film production standpoint (from a clients perspective), please send them to check out our ReWilds careers page to apply.
Wild regards
Elvi and the ReWilders