Alien vegetation threatens endangered species: 05-06-2008
Foreign vegetation in the north of Cape Town is spreading, threatening a number of endangered species in the area.
Out of 530 plant species in the area, 47 are red-listed, meaning they are vulnerable or endangered.
North Environmental Resource Management area manager Bongani Mnisi said that the spread of foreign vegetation was damaging what was once a richly biodiverse ecosystem.
He said that the mayoral committee would take steps to control the spread and protect the endangered species.
Mark Duckitt, formerly director at the West Coast Biosphere Reserve, said that much of the area in question was owned by the public and therefore the situation could not be changed overnight.
The area affected includes the Blaauwberg reserve, where an extremely rare lizard, the Scelotes Montispectus, was spotted in 2005.