A short trip to the south of Cape Town in South Africa, you’ll find yourself surrounded by nature that is globally so valuable, that it has been declared a biosphere. The Kogelberg Biosphere aims to protect this vast natural wonder.
"We do this in a way that brings people closer to our planet, so that people of the Kogelberg thrive, while living in harmony with our rich biodiversity."
HECTARES
The Kogelberg Biosphere, designated by UNESCO, is South Africa’s oldest biosphere.
The Kogelberg Biosphere starts on the mountains above Gordon’s Bay, and includes land, sea and towns along the coast to just above Hermanus. It stretches inland past the town of Botriver and encompasses the growing economic hub of Grabouw. The Kogelberg Biosphere covers around 100 000 hectares – an area larger than Singapore. MORE
The heart of the Cape Floral Kingdom
PLANT SPECIES
ENDEMIC PLANT SPECIES
MARINE SPECIES
What makes the Kogelberg Biosphere so valuable?
There are many reasons to visit our area.
The Kogelberg Biosphere is considered to be the heart of the Cape Floral Kingdom – one of just six plant kingdoms in the world.
It has the richest, most complex biodiversity on earth, home to more than 1 880 plant species. Of these, 77 are found just here, and nowhere else. The seascapes here are also significant: more than 3 500 marine species occur only here. MORE
What do we do?
The Kogelberg Biosphere finds local solutions to global problems – by bringing our members together. Across the world, humankind has been using natural resources unsustainably, to our own detriment. The result is a loss of biodiversity and cultural heritage, risks to water and food security, increased poverty and a changing climate.
In the Kogelberg we seek to address this, reconciling conservation with sustainable development – to benefit all. Through our own activities and the actions of our members, we build towards sustainable and just economies here, while allowing nature to provide the services she offers us sustainably.
To achieve this, the Kogelberg Biosphere plays a central coordinating role: by working together across the biosphere, we can break down the silos in which we traditionally work, empower each other through knowledge and achieve our biosphere goals through collective action.
We work according to 5 project themes
SECURING WATER
PROTECTING NATURE
NATURE-BASED SOLUTIONS
GROWING THE ECONOMY
Education and awareness raising
HELPING ANIMALS IN DESPERATE NEED OF CARE
After three years of planning, renovations and capacity building, we have launched the Western Cape’s first permitted wildlife rehabilitation centre. The Kogelberg Biosphere Wildlife Rescue & Training Centre received its permits to operate in December 2024. Now we’re taking in injured animals in need of critical care, helping them recover, in order to release these animals back into the wild. The centre is particularly important as a sanctuary for blue cranes, our national bird.
Become a Kogelberg Biosphere member
Sign up as a member, and you can access resources, networking opportunities, connections and capacity to help you and/or your business. As a member, you also enjoy the power of the collective voice to bring about positive change. MORE HERE
LATEST NEWS
The Kogelberg and a changing climate: What can you do?
There’s a downside to being home to a rich natural world; it’s that the Kogelberg Biosphere stands to lose more in the face of the enormous threat of a changing climate.
Why we should give this slow grower a break
Fynbos must burn. But there’s one notable loser when fynbos burns too often in the Kogelberg Biosphere: it’s a pretty protea that only occurs in our corner of the earth.
Flowering Kogelberg silkypuffs have already been popping up on our biosphere. They flower throughout the year, although you usually see them come springtime.
Kogelberg silkypuffs (Diastella thymelaeoides) are threatened because they only occur in our biosphere, on the Hottentots Holland Mountains and around the Steenbras Dam. They are therefore the perfect #FloralFriday feature this Endangered Species Day.
These fynbos species have a special relationship with ants.
A few months after flowering, the fruit falls off and they are dispersed by ants to their underground nests. Here they are protected from predation and fire.
📸 @martinerobinson on iNaturalist
Biosphere Living
Become a Kogelberg Biosphere member – and enjoy benefits specially designed to assist you and/or your business.
You can take the next step, to become even more involved in the Kogelberg Biosphere.
And remember to include us in your social media posts, by using the hashtag: #BiosphereLiving.