This follows a two-year restoration project, which has seen the reintroduction of rare Cape mountain zebra, as well as eland, hartebeest,\u00a0 kudu and other species to the 3 000 hectare reserve, according to developer Brian Corrigan.<\/p>\n
According to ECPTA chief executive officer Siebert Liebenberg, the area has been declared a nature reserve because it \u201chas significant natural features and biodiversity, including endangered and critically endangered vegetation types, significant quantities of endemic plant species and the presence of vulnerable avifauna species\u201d.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis is evidenced by the recent identification of two plant species at Hopewell, both of which had been thought to have been extinct,\u201d says Corrigan.<\/p>\n
The nature reserve is included in the biodiversity plan of the Nelson Mandela Bay Municipality. One of the objectives in the plan is to link Hopewell with the Municipality\u2019s land at Van der Kemp\u2019s Kloof, Parsons Vlei and Chatty Kloof through to the Groendal Wilderness area, providing a green lung for the city, according to Joram Mkosana, director of environmental management for the Municipality.<\/p>\n
Management of the nature reserve is being carried out by Shamwari Wildlife, under the direct supervision of Dr Johan Joubert and John O\u2019Brien \u2013 two of the Eastern Cape\u2019s leading conservation and wildlife experts.<\/p>\n
The agreement signed with ECPTA is designed to ensure that the natural heritage is retained while nature-based recreation and tourism opportunities are developed on the Property, says Liebenberg.<\/p>\n
The agreement takes into account the zoning and subdivision approvals granted by the Nelson Mandela Bay Municipality, which allow for a limited residential component within the reserve.<\/p>\n
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