Fynbos For The Future

The compounding effects of urbanisation on biodiversity as well as the inaccessibility of green spaces and their associated ecosystem services has motivated Greenpop to expand its Urban Greening Programme to include the conservation of fynbos and other indigenous flora in Cape Town.

This city is at the center of the Fynbos Biome which is known for being exceptionally rich in floral biodiversity and exhibiting a high degree of endemism. However, in Cape Town, the biome has become highly fragmented and many unique species – plant and animal alike – are currently critically endangered.

As urban areas and farmlands expand, this unique ecosystem and the natural assets it provides are increasingly threatened. While several fynbos rehabilitation projects are being carried out in Cape Town, these tend to be disconnected from one another and do not focus on providing tangible links to local communities.

By incorporating fynbos into urban landscapes, we can uphold biodiversity and ecosystem services for the greater urban area while increasing the ecological linkages between natural spaces. Fynbos for the Future seeks to not only reconnect biodiversity corridors through coordinated site efforts but to reconnect the public, especially youth living in marginalised communities, with their natural heritage.

To inspire a green urban future, where biodiversity is accessible, valued and protected by an active, engaged and inspired citizenry through community-oriented urban nature conservation.

The outcomes for this project are as follows:

• Plant fynbos biodiversity gardens
• Increase urban ecosystems services
• Reconnect urban biodiversity corridors
• Instill a love for nature in learners
• Create empowered environmental stewards
• Promote water-wise practices
• Encourage active community engagement

In addition, the installation of fynbos gardens will provide numerous ecological benefits and contribute to the rehabilitation of the Cape’s fragile ecosystem. Planting indigenous modular gardens will: help stabilise the soil and limit erosion; provide habitat to a wide variety of native fauna; increase biodiversity and thus resilience to environmental changes; provide habitat for pollinators, thus securing our food resources; act as air and water filtration, and cool the soil temperature and improve transpiration.