CapeNature is a public entity with the statutory responsible for biodiversity nature conservation in the Western Cape province. It is overseen by the Department of Environmental Affairs and Development Planning of the Western Cape Government.
Formed in January 1999, CapeNature is mandated to: promote and ensure nature conservation, preserve biodiversity, render services and provide facilities for research, education, and training, as well as generating income.
CapeNature is the chief custodian of the Western Cape’s natural environment. As a Schedule 3C Public Entity, CapeNature is governed by the Western Cape Nature Conservation Board as established in terms of section 9 of the Western Cape Biodiversity Act, No. 6 of 2021.
The Board is appointed by the Provincial Minister for Local Government, Environmental Affairs and Development Planning.
The Board comprises seven non-executive members and is supported by Board Committees to ensure that the mandated oversight role and responsibility is exercised.
The Board is mandated to:
- Maintain effective governance of CapeNature
- Ensure that CapeNature properly performs its functions in terms of this Act
- Approve and monitor compliance with the policies and strategies of CapeNature
- Provide strategic direction to CapeNature
- Develop a board charter to provide for a code of conduct for Board members and for meeting procedures, and to regulate matters further relating to corporate governance
- Identify and regularly monitor risk areas and performance in respect of CapeNature
- Advocate for the sufficient resourcing of CapeNature to perform its functions
- Perform its functions subject to any directives issued by the Provincial Minister
CapeNature is committed to improving access to protected areas for local communities in order to promote greater conservation consciousness within the Western Cape.
CapeNature is responsible for managing and maintaining 31 nature reserve complexes comprising 112 nature reserves, of which 106 are terrestrial and six are marine protected areas, totalling 828,506 ha in the Western Cape Province of South Africa.
CapeNature offers a variety of eco-tourism products at 25 of its nature reserves.
Through a variety of targeted programmes and projects, CapeNature staff strive to conserve the province’s natural heritage to ensure a sustainable future.
Besides nurturing nature, championing our unique ecosystems (such as the Cape Floristic Region), and educating visitors and local communities about how to protect our natural environment, CapeNature offers memorable, authentic eco-tourism experiences to local and international visitors. These vary from adrenaline-filled pursuits such as bouldering, kloofing and kayaking to more leisurely activities like hiking, fishing and whale watching.
Vision and Mission
CapeNature’s vision is to conserve nature for resilience and sustainability.
CapeNature’s mission is to conserve, protect and restore our natural environment by inspiring and influencing positive change.
The above are achieved by ensuring that the Western Cape province’s natural, knowledge, and heritage assets are nurtured, accessed, well utilised and experienced.
Values
The values that guide how CapeNature works are grounded in the Batho Pele (“people first”) principles of “we belong, we care, we serve”.
CapeNature places a high premium on service delivery and excellence, and strives to create a work environment that nurtures people, puts their needs first and motivates a high level of performance.
CapeNature’s core values are;
- Customer service: CapeNature undertakes to take care of the needs of its internal and external customers by providing professional, high-quality service and assistance.
- Accountability: CapeNature encourages its staff to take responsibility for their actions and outcomes.
- Respect: CapeNature strives to treat people with care and courtesy, having a high regard for their well-being.
- Ethics: CapeNature embraces environmental ethics in all they do, and conduct themselves in a moral and ethical manner.
- Innovation: Purposeful creativity and inventiveness; leveraging industry advancements to enhance corporate and conservation capabilities; creating new ideas and new approaches with a can-do attitude.
Overseeing Department/Entity
What does CapeNature do?
As the public entity that promotes and ensures biodiversity conservation in the Western Cape, CapeNature manages complexes made up of 112 nature reserves and wilderness areas, including six Marine Protected Areas (the latter on behalf of the national Department of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment). These span five distinct areas, stretching from the Winelands and the West Coast to the Cape Karoo, the Overberg and the Garden Route.
Central to these responsibilities is the efficient management of the province’s natural water resources to ensure a sustainable and equitable supply of this precious resource for communities, industry and agriculture.
This includes being the custodian of mountain catchment areas and remote areas – which may not be visible to residents or visitors – that have a direct bearing on the quality of life of millions of people. Fynbos, for example, is not only vital to the area’s biodiversity, but also plays an important role in facilitating rainfall catchment in the province.
For this reason, CapeNature’s duty of care to the ecosystem requires accurate scientific data, a sound understanding of fynbos ecology, and a commitment to the principles of integrated biodiversity management and planning. It also requires the committed buy-in of communities, the public and other players to work together to nurture and protect the Western Cape’s natural assets.
CapeNature projects and programmes
In CapeNature’s ongoing quest to conserve and nurture the Western Cape’s natural environment for a sustainable future, it undertakes the following projects and programmes:
- Community-based natural resource management and local economic development: we unlock opportunities to ensure that local communities enjoy the benefits of natural resources and their sustainable utilisation and conservation
- Youth development: we use educational activities to help young people develop the knowledge, skills and insights necessary for them to appreciate and preserve the heritage that will be passed on to them
- Environmental crime investigation: we are active in preventing, investigating and monitoring criminal acts relating to the environment
- Fire management: we take the lead in developing effective partnerships to extend fire management throughout the province
- Wildlife management: we proactively manage any conflicts that arise between humans and wildlife
- Stewardship: we have various initiatives to include private and communal land when establishing biodiversity corridors and to conserve vital lowlands habitat remnants
- Ecotourism development: we work to develop nature-based recreational and tourism products and to leverage the Western Cape’s natural assets in such a way that protected areas become sought-after tourist destinations, and more accessible and attractive to a greater proportion of our population
Office Bearers/Management
| Chairperson: | Kiki Loubser |
| Deputy Chairperson: | Prof Gavin Maneveldt |
| Board Members: | – Mervyn Burton – Prof Denver Hendricks – Dr Colin Johnson – Paul Slack |
| CEO: | Dr Ashley Naidoo |
| CFO: | Mohamed Bhayat |
| Senior Management: | – Coral Birss (Executive Director: Biodiversity Capabilities) – Natalie Hayward (Executive Director: Conservation Operations) – Sheraaz Ismail (Executive Director: Eco-Tourism and Access) |
| Communications Officers: | – Luke Folb (Communication Officer) – Petro Van Rhyn (General Manager: Advocacy) |
Contact Details
The contact details of CapeNature are listed in the table below.
| Physical Address: | PGWC Shared Services Centre, corner Bosduif and Volstruis streets, Bridgetown, Gatesville, 7766 |
| Postal Address: | Private Bag X29, Gatesville, 7766 |
| Telephone (Head Office): | 087 087 9262 |
| Telephone (Reserve Bookings): | 087 087 8250 |
| Email (Reserve Bookings): | reservation.alert@capenature.co.za |
| Email (Cubs Club enquiries): | learning@capenature.co.za |
| Email (Customer Care): | customercare@capenature.co.za |
| Website: | www.capenature.co.za |
Bookings
Bookings are processed through CapeNature’s Contact Centre during office hours, Monday to Friday 7:30 am to 4:30 pm, and Saturday from 8 am until 12 noon (CAT). Bookings are closed on Sunday.
Please call CapeNature on 087 087 8250, or email them at reservation.alert@capenature.co.za. CapeNature’s friendly contact center agents will take you through the booking process and answer all your enquiries.
Customer Care
CapeNature visitors have a direct email address to log booking-related complaints or compliments via customercare@capenature.co.za.
Your feedback is important to CapeNature, therefore they will endeavor to respond to all written feedback within five working days after receiving the initial query. For more information please call us on 087 087 8250.
