Durbanville Wine Valley
The Durbanville Wine Valley is home to some of the last remaining renosterveld in the Western Cape. The name renosterveld conjures images of an open plain filled with rhinoceros. And maybe this is where its name comes from. However, it could also be named for the small, dull grey shrub found in this unique ecosystem. Irrespective of the origins of its name, the renosterveld is a threatened vegetation type and the grape growers and wine producers of the Durbanville Wine Valley are serious when it comes to its conservation.
Renosterveld, found mainly on the lowlands along the south-western coastal region, forms part of the Cape Floral Kingdom. Today, less than 4% of it remains. Renosterveld flourishes on fertile clay soils and is often confused with fynbos which grows only on sandy nutrient poor soils. Because these clay soils are very suitable for agriculture, very little renosterveld remains unscathed. This Eden is home to some 5 400 indigenous bulb species such as the kukumakranka. Many of them are extremely rare and found only in South Africa in small patches of veld on road verges and between cultivated fields.
The botanical biodiversity of renosterveld is complemented by numerous bird, amphibian and reptile species. The geometric tortoise, one of the world's rarest, is found only in renosterveld. The ecosystem is also home to the world's smallest reptile, the parrot-beaked tortoise or Common Padloper, the Cape dwarf chameleon, and the fastest bird in the world, the peregrine falcon.
http://www.durbanvillewine.co.za/
