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Biodiversity of Cape Town

The biodiversity of Cape Town is the variety and variability of life within the City of Cape Town, excluding the Prince Edward Islands. The terrestrial vegetation is particularly diverse and much of it is endemic to the city and its vicinity. Terrestrial and freshwater animals are heavily impacted by urban development and habitat degradation. Marine life of the waters immediately adjacent to the city along the Cape Peninsula and in False Bay is also diverse, and while also impacted by human activity, the habitats are relatively intact.

Floristic region (phytochorion)

The City of Cape Town lies within the Cape Floristic Kingdom, by far the smallest and most diverse of the earth's six floristic kingdoms, an area of extraordinarily high diversity and endemism, and home to over 9,000 vascular plant species, of which 69 percent are endemic. Much of this diversity is associated with the fynbos biome, a Mediterranean-type, fire-prone shrubland. The economical worth of fynbos biodiversity, based on harvests of fynbos products (e.g. wildflowers) and eco-tourism, is estimated to be in the region of R77 million a year. Thus, it is clear that the Cape Floristic Region has both economic and intrinsic biological value as a biodiversity hotspot.

Vegetation types

Cape Town is located within a Conservation International biodiversity hotspot and is home to 19 distinct vegetation types. (This enormous variety is mainly because the city is located at the convergence point of many soil types and microclimates.) These 19 vegetation types are mostly restricted to unusually small areas, and several are completely endemic to the city – occurring nowhere else in the world. Vegetation types include the following.

Endemism

Of the thousands of plant species that are indigenous to Cape Town, 190 are known to be endemic. In addition, there are over a hundred animal species that are restricted to the city. Endemic plant species include the following.

Cape Peninsula endemics
Additional species

Species records in South African Biodiversity Database

Mammals

Mammals present in Cape Town, , include the following.

Fish

Fish present in Cape Town, , include the following.

Reptiles

Reptiles present in Cape Town, , include the following.

Amphibians

Amphibians present in Cape Town, , include the following.

Insects

Insects present in Cape Town, , include the following.

Fungi

Fungi present in Cape Town, , include the following.

See also

References