What does the Cape Winelands Biosphere Reserve mean for Franschhoek and the landscape we call home?

Look across the Franschhoek Valley and it is easy to see what makes this place special. Mountains surround vineyards and farms, rivers and streams move through the valley, and patches of natural fynbos remain on the slopes.

But Franschhoek is part of something much bigger.

The valley forms part of the Cape Winelands Biosphere Reserve (CWBR), an internationally recognised landscape where conservation, sustainable development, education and people come together. The CWBR was designated by UNESCO in 2007 and covers approximately 322,000 hectares across parts of the Western Cape.

But what exactly is a biosphere reserve and what does it mean for those of us who live here?

More than a nature reserve

A biosphere reserve is not simply another type of nature reserve. It is a place where people and nature are considered part of the same system.

Through UNESCO's Man and the Biosphere Programme, biosphere reserves around the world provide opportunities to demonstrate how biodiversity can be conserved while communities continue to live, work and develop sustainably.

This means that a biosphere reserve is not about putting a fence around nature or stopping human activity. Instead, it is about finding ways for people and the environment to thrive alongside one another.

The approach is built around three closely connected ideas: conservation, sustainable development, and research, education and learning.

And these ideas are particularly relevant in the Cape Winelands.

A landscape of connections

Looking at a map of the Cape Winelands Biosphere Reserve puts Franschhoek into perspective. The reserve encompasses a diverse landscape of mountains, valleys, vineyards, farms, towns and natural areas.

The region forms part of the Cape Floristic Region, one of the world's most remarkable areas for plant diversity. The fynbos landscapes surrounding Franschhoek are home to an extraordinary variety of plant species, many of which occur nowhere else on Earth.

But biodiversity does not exist in isolation.

The mountains surrounding the valley form part of important water catchments. Rivers and streams connect different parts of the landscape, while healthy soils, natural vegetation and pollinators all contribute to functioning agricultural systems.

What happens in one part of a catchment can therefore affect people and ecosystems further downstream.

This is one of the reasons why thinking beyond individual properties, farms or protected areas is so important.

Why does it matter to Franschhoek?

For people living in Franschhoek, the term biosphere reserve can sometimes feel like a distant environmental designation. In reality, it is closely connected to the things that make the valley what it is.

The landscape supports agriculture, tourism, businesses and communities, while the natural environment provides essential services such as water, soil protection, pollination and habitat for biodiversity.

The challenge is finding a balance.

How do we continue to support livelihoods while protecting the natural systems on which those livelihoods depend? How do we maintain the character and biodiversity of the valley while responding to the needs of a growing community?

There are no simple answers. But a biosphere reserve provides a framework for bringing different people and organisations together to ask these questions and work towards practical solutions.

Learning for the future

One of the most important parts of creating a sustainable future is education.

Environmental education is not only about learning the names of plants or identifying animals. It is about understanding how the systems around us work and recognising our place within them.

Through programmes such as Education on the Move, the CWBR brings practical environmental and science learning to schools and communities across the region. Learners can investigate topics including water, biodiversity, soil, pollution and waste through hands-on activities.

These experiences can change the way young people see the places around them. A river becomes more than water flowing through a valley. A patch of fynbos becomes a living ecosystem. A mountain becomes part of a catchment rather than simply a beautiful backdrop.

By encouraging curiosity and environmental awareness, education can help develop the next generation of people who understand and care about the landscape they call home.

A shared landscape

Perhaps the most important thing about living in a biosphere reserve is the reminder that we are connected to the environment around us.

The mountains, rivers, farms, vineyards, natural areas, businesses, schools and communities of the Cape Winelands are not separate pieces. They form part of one interconnected landscape.

And caring for that landscape is not the responsibility of one organisation or one group of people. Farmers, residents, businesses, schools, conservationists, scientists, government and visitors all have a role to play.

So, the next time you look across the Franschhoek Valley, perhaps look beyond the familiar postcard view.

Think about the water moving through the mountains, the fynbos growing on the slopes, the farms and people that depend on the landscape, and the young people who will inherit it.

We are not simply living in a beautiful landscape. We are part of a living landscape.

And being part of a biosphere reserve is an invitation to understand that connection—and to consider what we can do today to ensure that this landscape continues to support both people and nature into the future.

From the archives.

An article by Stephen Smuts, originally published on the Cape Winelands Biosphere Reserve website on the 20th November 2019.

If you are like me, if you said bees, you would immediately think of hives with swarms of bees producing wonderful sweet honey but also that a bee can give you a nasty sting.

BUT not all bees are honeybees. This I learnt attending a lecture given by Jenny Cullinan, who studies all wild bees, social, semi-social and solitary.

Solitary bees by design are the main fynbos pollinators however the introduction of a great many honeybees hives is proving a problem to them and their numbers are declining.  The high density of honeybees means that despite them not being as efficient pollinators as solitary bees, their high numbers mean they outcompete the solitary and semi-social bees.  Another factor leading to their decline is that bees need a temperature of 25 degrees to fly. Social/honeybees reach this temperature earlier in the day as the nest warms earlier because of combined body temperature. Semi-solitary and solitary bees need the day to warm up before they can fly. This too means many flowers have already been pollinated by honey bees before they can be reached by their more solitary cousins.

Back 130 million years ago all plants were wind pollinated – no bees - however there were insect- eating wasps. The evolution to bees came about as flowers were producing pollen which the wasps realised was also protein. This discovery led to the evolution of bees, a specialised species of wasp totally dependent on flowers. This also led to flowers becoming more attractive as they discovered that there was an alternative to wind pollination. The more noticeable the flower, the more likely it would attract bees. Interestingly, bees however do not see red so the role of pollination of red flowers is filled by butterflies.

The bees also evolved a fascinating way to harvest pollen bearing in mind that they do not have baskets or hands. As they fly, they generate static electricity, so the pollen attaches itself to the bee.

Some bees are species specific so if a plant species goes extinct, so does that species of bee.

Carpenter bees, a species of solitary bee, is a buzz pollinator. Here the bee lands on a flower – an example is the flower of a Keurboom – grasps the flower and buzzes on the note of C. On ‘hearing’ this, the flower releases its pollen. A buzz pollinated flower will not release pollen to a honeybee.

Solitary and semi-solitary bees look after their young. Carpenter bees for example, excavate tunnels in wood in which they lay their eggs and raise their young. One bee species female nests in the ground whereas the male will sleep overnight in loose sand such as a mole rat run. In the case of semi-social bees, the adults raise their babies with the help of her earlier brood. They don’t make actual honey but, as pollen goes off quickly, they preserve the pollen with sugar.

This is just a taste of what there is to learn about bees and the ecological role they play in pollination. If you ever get the chance to attend a Jenny Cullinan talk, grab it. Her passion for bees and their conservation is infectious. She is writing a book on her research but until then, there is lots on the internet so go read more about these fascinating creatures. 

A solitary bee. The head of an allodapine bee protruding from the entrance to its nest in the tip of a dead pincushion bush.

“The chelifer found in South Africa is mostly Ellingsenius fulleri and is believed to be a predator of small mites, wax moth larvae and other arthropods found in the nest debris. They often cling onto the legs of bees and are believed to be spread in this way to other colonies” (Geoff Tribe). ujubee.com

From the archives.

An article by Peter Slingsby, originally published on the Cape Winelands Biosphere Reserve website on the 15th Feb 2019.

Ants generally get a bad press. They spoil food, encourage aphids on plants, they bite, some of them sting, some even smell. When there’s lots of them in a swarm they can be scary, too, with all those little legs rustling around at high speed. The first question I’m always asked is “How can we get rid of ’em?”

                The answer is that you can’t. Ants are the most numerous insects on Earth, and if you should succeed in removing them from one place there are thousands more to move in and take their place. It’s far more rewarding, in fact, to get interested in them, because not only are they the most numerous insects, they’re also the most fascinating.

                Ants are social animals and they live in colonies where they organise themselves in many ways that superficially resemble human society. Ants feed and care for their young; ants cooperate to find food and bring it home; ants ‘farm’ other insects and ‘milk’ them for nutritious juices; ants care for and nurse their sick and injured comrades. Ants build their own castles from leaves or sticks or tiny bits of plant litter; they build ‘stables’ for their livestock; they excavate and turn over more soil than earthworms. They keep pets and they employ servants. Some of them grow their own crops for food; others employ living ‘nutcrackers’ to crack open seeds. They build road-like tracks across the sand and through leaf litter; they form living rafts and sail across lakes and rivers. And, in their most human-like behaviour of all, they make vicious war upon their own kind.

                There are about 25 000 species of ants in world, about 1000 of them in South Africa. Some are minute and hardly visible without magnification, while others are amongst the largest ants in the world, up to a whopping 25 mm long. Some have different sizes in the same nest; others are all the same size. Ants can be black, brown, red, orange, yellow, green, blue or even the most beautiful shimmering gold or silver – or they can be combinations of the above. They are never, ever white – so-called ‘white ants’ are really termites, related to cockroaches. Real ants are closely related to bees and wasps, occupying top spot on the insect ‘tree of life’. Most of them are completely harmless to humans, and those that are the most troublesome – the food spoilers in your kitchen, the aphid-bearers on your fruit trees – have been spread around our human living spaces by our own human commerce.

                Ants are in fact one of the most fundamentally important vectors in a healthy ecosystem – and that means environmental health for us humans too. So next time they give you trouble stop and think about the good they do, consuming millions of even more troublesome goggas, like the larvae of fleas and flies; cleaning up dead insects and even small vertebrates; recycling plant and animal material back into the soil. You don’t have to love ’em, but if you stop and look at them they’ll give you endless interest.

– Peter Slingsby

In July, the Cape Winelands Biosphere Reserve team will be hosting a graduation, celebrating the seven graduates of the recently co-facilitated qualified guides’ course. Since January, the participants have done weekly pre-assignments aligned with the course syllabus, followed by an intensive in-person programme, and engaged themselves in firsthand lived experiences in the tourism industry and natural world. Covering areas in the Cape Winelands, Klein karoo, Garden Route and parts of the Eastern Cape.

COURSE INTRODUCTION

South Africa’s natural heritage is one of the most biologically diverse on Earth, from the rich marine ecosystems of the southern coastline to the globally unique Fynbos biome. These environments play a vital role in eco-tourism, conservation, and community livelihoods. Yet they are under increasing pressure, and the need for knowledgeable, responsible and community-rooted guides has never been greater.

Followed by two months of pre-course work, the combined Field Guides Association of Southern Africa (FGASA) Marine and Nature Guiding 26-day intensive course was designed to meet this need. Hosted within the inspiring landscapes of De Hoop Nature Reserve, a place where rolling dunes, pristine marine ecosystems, limestone fynbos, wetlands, whales, birds, and coastal history converge, this course immersed learners in one of the most ecologically rich training environments in South Africa. Academic learning became a lived experience.

Hike Vulture Colony Potberg

Marine Rocky Shores

In the Classroom

Mother Africa Exhibition

WHY THIS COURSE IS DIFFERENT

The programme went beyond simply training guides. It built up individuals, supports community development, and creates pathways to employment within conservation, eco-tourism, guiding, hospitality, and environmental education. Three of the graduates recently co-facilitated environmental and coastal education activities for youth in their community as part of Youth Month activities.

Hike Kylemore

MiniSASS

Marine Rocky Shores

Harold Porter Botanical Garden

THE GRADUATES LEAVE WITH

A deep connection to their natural environment, confidence and professionalism, knowledge that can uplift their communities, and skills that open real job opportunities.

CONCLUSION & TRAINING OUTCOME

By the end of course, each participant completed all FGASA requirements and gained meaningful exposure to four highly diverse ecosystems including Afromontane Forest, Fynbos, Renosterveld, and Marine.

The learners gained strong species identification skills, developed ecological understanding, and mastered the FGASA unit standards that define professional guiding practice.

Through guided walks, field practical’s, nightly learning sessions, and workbook integration, the students refined their interpretive abilities, strengthened their safety awareness, and built confidence in real guiding scenarios.

Since 2015, the Cape Winelands Biosphere Reserve (CWBR) management team have implemented the Edulink project, in partnership with Athénée Action Humanitaire NGO. A long-standing initiative that supports education, cross-cultural learning through volunteer programmes, and community engagement through meaningful partnerships with local schools, mentors in communities, and organisations.

As part of project activities, a select group of students from Lycée Athénée de Luxembourg school visit South Africa once a year. These cultural exchange visits have allowed for the CWBR to create and build on two-week itineraries, that continue to evolve each year.

Following the success of the cultural exchange trips, the CWBR have been approached to host local and international university and college class students for 2–3-day visits. An itinerary is tailor-made to suit the needs of the class objectives and includes fieldwork, engaging with experts, and exposure to conservation and development projects. The programme also highlights community-led tourism initiatives, supporting small local enterprises and fostering sustainable economic participation.

Hosting these tailor-made excursions have become a unique opportunity to learn from and build towards biosphere reserve to biosphere reserve tourism incentives.

This year, in addition to the yearly school group visit from Luxembourg, the CWBR team hosted a group of 16 geography students and two teachers from the Dresden University of Technology, Germany. The group went on a hike alongside a Stellenbosch Geology Professor, who shared about the various rock formations in the unique Paarl Rock Nature Reserve. In addition, a geological journey visiting selected sites in the Cape Winelands facilitated by esteemed author and geologist Nick Norman. 

These cross-cultural engagements expose visitors to broader CWBR projects and partner initiatives. Allows for the opportunity to learn about South African cultures first hand and engaging in conversation with local communities. Gives exposure to different biomes within Western Cape, South Africa and visiting neighbouring Biosphere Reserves. Learning first-hand about the unique fauna and flora. In addition to visits to famous tourist destinations and adventure tourism activities in the region.

To immerse students in practical, real-world learning experiences that promote personal growth, global citizenship, and intercultural understanding.

Apiary Tourism

Students learning about MiniSASS

Students at Young Mother Support

Culinary Experience FRN Hospitality

The Cape Leopard Trust (CLT), a leading conservation organisation focused on protecting the Cape’s leopards and promoting healthy ecosystems through research, education, and community engagement, have completed a re-survey across ~2500 km2 of the Boland Mountain Complex (BMC), mimicking the original CLT survey design and making use of 90 paired camera trap stations spread.

The recent survey reflects the scale and collaboration required to conduct an extensive field project. Conservation partners contributed expertise and logistics, landowners opened their properties for access, accommodation partners offered support, and dedicated rangers and volunteers assisted with on-the-ground fieldwork.

Read more in their published blog post: Back to the Boland! Spotting Leopards and Highlighting Biodiversity

The CLT BMC survey area extends from Bainskloof in the north, continuing south through the Limietberg, Jonkershoek, Hottentots-Holland mountains and Groenlandberg, all the way to the Kogelberg coast. This range places the survey within both the Cape Winelands and Kogelberg Biosphere Reserves.