Fauna, Flora and Conservation

The Eastern Cape, being a transition region for almost all the major South African biomes, has a wealth of flora and, as a result, fauna too. The diversity is huge, for example, in a single game reserve in the Eastern Cape of 10 000 hectares it is possible to find more tree species than in the entire United States of America! A small nature reserve of only a few hectares can be home to more bird species than found in Ireland. The Addo Elephant National Park is the only game reserve in the world to be home to the Big Seven – Elephant, Black Rhino, Cape Buffalo, Lion, Leopard, Southern Right Whale and Great White Shark.

Before reading further it is useful to know the following terminology. Fauna and flora species that are natural to an area are termed indigenous. Those that are found in one area and nowhere else are termed endemic and those that have been introduced by man to a region from a completely different region are termed exotic. There are 18 plant species that are endemic to the Eastern Cape, over 6000 that are indigenous and a large number that are exotic. In any habitat, in any part of the region one may find plants of one or all of the major biomes which are represented in the Eastern Cape.

Animals also have different phases of activity. They may be diurnal (active during the day), nocturnal (active during the night) or crepuscular (active around sunset and sunrise). Any given area will have a complex matrix of fauna and flora all of which are interdependent on one another. Just like flowers require bees to pollinate, so will the seeds of some species of plant only germinate if they are passed through the digestive tract of a certain animal. Certain plant species will throttle all others unless elephant are available to thin them out. An eco-system is very fragile and the elimination of one species, plant or animal, can have a dire effect on all the others.

Indigenous Flora of the Eastern Cape

Thanks to the wonderful bounty of plants on our planet, botanists have grouped all plants into six different Plant Kingdoms. Two of these Plant Kingdoms are found in South Africa, namely the Fynbos or Cape Macchia and Palearctic. Fynbos is only fond in the abundance in the Western and Eastern Cape and nowhere else on Earth. Fynbos, as you would suspect, is the smallest of the Plant Kingdoms. The Palearctic Kingdom covers the rest of South Africa. Each of the Plant Kingdoms may again be divided into Biomes. A Plant Biome is a geographical area that has plants of a similar nature. Fynbos, being such a small kingdom is also classified as a Biome. In South Africa the Palearctic Kingdom may be divided into Desert, Semi-desert, Afro-Montane, Grassland and Savannah. All these Biomes are found in the Eastern Cape with the exception of the Desert Biome. In fact, within a 150km radius of Grahamstown, in the heart of the Eastern Cape, you will find all the major biomes of South Africa, with the exception of Desert.

Cape Fynbos or Cape Macchia
Fynbos is mostly small leafed shrubs and sedge-like plants. The small leaves, which are often needle shaped, led to the Afrikaans or Dutch name of Fynbos (fine bush). Botanists use the name Macchia as the plants show some similarity to the plants of the Mediterranean area. Another distinctive characteristic of Fynbos is the strong perfume which is often smelt when walking or driving through undeveloped areas. Fynbos grows well in sandy, acidic and well drained soil often originating from the eroded Table Mountain group of rocks which cover large areas of the southern Cape. Proteas, Ericas, and Watsonias are common plants of this group.

Karoo/Semi-Desert
This Biome is found in the western interior of the Eastern Cape and extends to the coastline between the Sunday's and Swartkops Rivers. Karoo is a Khoikhoi word which means “Thirstland” which gives some indication of the low rainfall in the area. It is composed of succulents, some grasses and many small bushes from 30 to 60cm tall. Much bare earth is found between the bushes. The leaves are generally fine and greyish in colour and covered by fine hairs. Sheltering under the bushes are small succulents and bulbous plants. On the ridges and slopes of the hills, grasses and larger shrubs take over. The plants are well adapted to growing in climates of extremely hot days and cold nights with little rain. The Acacia Karoo, Aloes and Mesembryanthema which comprises of 2 000 species of fleshy-leaved, yellow and magenta flowered succulents, and commonly called "vygies" are typical plants in the Karoo.

Savannah
Two types of Savannah are found in the Eastern Cape. The first is the sub-tropical thicket which is a dense woody vegetation type composed of shrubs and small trees with a closed canopy, rarely exceeding 3m in height. This thicket also comes in two forms, namely the Coastal Dune Thicket and Valley Bushveld. Coastal Dune Thicket grows on the sand dunes just inland from the beach and extends from St Francis Bay northwards into and including the Wild Coast. The plants consist of salt tolerant shrubs with a few trees. The climax vegetation type of the Dune Thicket appears as true Coastal Forest on the protected leeward aspect of the dune slopes. The forest found in the Alexandria district is a prime example. Typical plants of the Coastal Dune Thicket are Mimusops Caffra (Coast Red Milkwood), Brachylaena Discolor (Coast Silver Oak), Strelitzia Nicolai (Natal Wild Banana) and the big variety of Rhus.

Valley Bushveld occupies almost all the river valleys between St Francis Bay and the northern Wild Coast. The vegetation is very thick and dominated by succulents such as Aloes, Crasulas and Euphorbia's. These thickets may reach forest proportions in the more sheltered areas. Per cubic meter, Valley Bushveld has the ability to support more animals than any other vegetation group on Earth. Typical plants include Aloes, Euphorbias, Crasulas, Haworthias and Portulaca Afra.

The second type of Savannah found in the Eastern Cape is Acacia Karoo Grasslands which are found just inland from the Coastal Dune Thicket and are regularly interrupted by the rivers with their surrounding Valley Bushveld. Typical trees are Acacia Karoo and Erythrina Kaffra (Coral or Lucky Bean).

Grasslands
This grassland differs from the Savannah Grasslands by not having any trees. Much of the original Grasslands have fallen to agricultural development. However the Wild Coast region still has spectacular stretches. Originally Grasslands extended from the Sundays River northwards to the northern Wild Coast. These Grasslands are Sourveld, Sweetveld or a Mixed Grassland. Sourveld occurs at higher altitudes or along the coastal strip where rainfall is high and occurs all year round. Some of the coastal grasslands are mixed grassland. Sweet grassland occurs inland in areas of lower or summer rainfall. Sweetveld is composed of grasses palatable to livestock throughout the year whereas Sourveld, although containing many of the same grasses, is only palatable in the spring and early summer.

Afro-Montane Forest
This consists of large forest trees and has affinities to the montane forests of central Africa. Forests occur in regions of high rainfall, attaining their greatest stature in the Eastern Cape in Tsitsikamma Forest (35m) and in the Hogsback area. Extensive coastal forests occur at Alexandria and the greatest diversity of tree species are found inland on the protected south –facing slopes. Typical plants include Podocarpus (Yellowwood), Alder and ferns. There are two extremely large Yellowwood trees found in the Eastern Cape, namely:
- Eastern Monarch: This is a 30 meter high, 9 meter wide tree in the indigenous forest near the village of Hogsback. The tree is over 450 years old. It can be reached on the same route as Madonna and Child Waterfall walk.
- The Big Tree: The more accessible of the two, this tree is 37 meters high and 9 meters wide and is estimated to be 800 years old. The tree is found a few hundred meters off the N2 west of the Storms River Bridge.

Exotic Flora

The Eastern Cape is home to a wide variety of plants that have been imported for various reasons. The most notable are the tree species imported from Australia and the Cacti imported from Central America.

Australian exotics
The Eastern Cape, with the exception of the small forested areas has very few trees that grow above 3m in height. Blue Gum trees were imported to South Africa and the Eastern Cape more specifically, to provide shade to the residential areas where indigenous trees were very sparse. The Black Wattle was imported for the leather industry as it is used for tanning hides. Black Wattle is very often found in water courses and it is due to their consumption of water that many rivers and streams have dried up.

In the late 1890’s the drift sands south west of Port Elizabeth had reached unmanageable proportions and a concerted effort was made to stabilize the whole peninsula as sand migration was threatening to silt up the harbor and parts of the town. Port Elizabeth then experimented with various methods of containing the sand movement including dumping the cities refuse on the dunes. It turned out that the only effective way was to allow Australian acacias, commonly known as Rooikrans, Long Leaf Willows and Port Jackson Willows to take root and, with a bit of encouragement, these spread over the dunes. Port Elizabeth is now faced with two problems, firstly the trees have created large areas of sterile, fire prone bush and secondly, the supply of sand to the beaches has been cut off.

The South African government has undertaken an extensive project, known as Working for Water, to eradicate the Australian exotics. The primary reason for this eradication is that these trees consume vast amounts of water. South Africa's demands for water are expected to exceed its supply in 2020.

Prickly Pear and other Cacti
The Prickly Pear or Opuntia, of which there are a variety of species, was introduced into South Africa from Central America in the early 18th Century and found its new home much to its liking. With no natural enemies, it rapidly covered vast areas of grazing land and threatened man with an ever-encroaching jungle of thorns. Mechanical attempts to tackle the problem proved ineffective. The prickly pear is so prolific that, even if a fragment of its leaf is left on the ground, it will take root and sprout anew. Over the years various biological attempts to eradicate the plant were attempted, the most successful being the use of the Cochineal Beetle whose vividly red body fluid was used for colouring foods and textiles before the introduction of artificial dyes. The female introduces her proboscis into the cactus, feeds on the plant and over a period of months the plant weakens. If the weakened cactus is felled, at this stage, it dies. Of the 725 000 hectares of land in the Karoo and Eastern Cape once infested by prickly pear, only a small area, around Uitenhage, remains today. The Prickly Pear will never be completely eradicated but it no longer strangles the indigenous flora. The fruit of the prickly are sold on the road side through much of the western parts of the Eastern Cape.

Amphibians and reptiles

The Eastern Cape includes representatives of all the reptilian families found in Southern Africa. However pythons were killed to extinction, the last near Bathurst in 1927, before being reintroduced into the Andries Vosloo Kudu Reserve near Grahamstown. This appears to have been successful with pythons now being found on a regular basis. Hopefully pythons will increase in number and help farmers naturally control problem animals such as dassies and jackals.

The largest reptile in the Eastern Cape is the Nile Crocodile, a few of which live in the more remote rivers of the Wild Coast.

Few of the Eastern Cape reptiles and amphibians are endangered, and most have been recorded within local nature reserves. However, the drastic clearing of Valley Bushveld vegetation around Alexandria and Paterson is destroying the habitat of many species, particularly Tasman’s Girdled Lizard, which is endemic to the region. In addition, the infestation of Rooikrans around Port Elizabeth appears to have greatly reduced the local population of the Berg Adder. Our most endangered local reptile is Smiths Dwarf Chameleon. Its total range encompasses only 20 to 30 square kilometers of Fynbos on the summit of Van Stadensberg. Approximately 90 species of reptiles and amphibians inhabit the Eastern Cape. Most are species tolerant of many habitats. As with other animals, the reptiles reflect the transition from temperate to tropical faunas. A number of Montane forms associated with the Fynbos of the Cape Fold Mountains reach their eastern extremity on the Van Stadensberg.

Poisonous snakes, those able to inflict a deadly bite on humans, include the Cape Cobra, Rinkals, Boomslang and the Puff Adder. The Puff Adder is the most common. The Rinkals can also spit its venom. There are a large number of non venomous and semi-venomous snakes. Monitors, both Rock and Water, are common throughout the region and can grow to substantial size. They are non-poisonous but their powerful tails can cause injury if approached.

Tortoises are very common in the Eastern Cape with the Mountain, also known as the Leopard Tortoise, being the most frequent sitting. Mountain Tortoises may grow to over three feet in height and are also the only tortoise that can swim. Terrapins are common in most fresh water rivers, streams and lakes, with the Marsh Terrapin being the most common. Off the coast of the Eastern Cape it is possible to see Green and Leatherback Turtles. However no turtles breed on the Eastern Cape coastline.

Frogs are found where ever there is water and can be quite noisy at during the night. Lizards, skinks and geckos are common and help with pest control.

Birds

Birds are the animals most likely to be seen by the casual visitor to the region. Those of the coastal region include many large conspicuous species in addition to the small, elusive ones sometimes pursued by bird watchers. More than 350 species of birds have been recorded in this area.

Identifying birds is often a puzzle to the beginner, but by using a good pair of binoculars that are easy to wear and the use of a good bird field guide book, such as Newman’s Birds of Southern Africa, the process is not too difficult. Bill shapes and body proportions are the most useful characters for deciding to which group a bird belongs. Colour alone is likely to be confusing. Distinctive markings shown in flight are especially useful for identifying birds of prey and waders. Songs and calls are valuable distinguishing features; however these can only be learnt by experience in the field. Careful observation is a matter of practice, training oneself to notice the features characterizing a bird.

Birds may be divided into different groups according to habitat. Pelagic birds are those rarely seen over land, except during stormy weather and live off the ocean. They include birds such as the Jackass Penguin found in a large colony on St Croix Island in Algoa Bay and the albatross. Seashore birds include the large black and white Kelp Gulls, various cormorants, terns, plovers and oystercatchers amongst others. Rivers and estuaries have very dense concentrations of birds and include herons, egrets, kingfishers and many more. Dams and marshes include many birds found in rivers and estuaries, but also include ducks, geese and flamingoes. Grasslands have birds such as ostrich, cranes, hadedas and various others that walk on the ground as well as those that fly above such as swallows and birds of prey. Birds that live in thick bush are often difficult to see as is the case with bulbuls, robins and sunbirds because of their quick movements and small size. Forest birds are often brightly colored such as the Knysna Loerie and Narina Trogon as well as being very vocal like the Red Chested Cuckoo and Burchal’s Coucal. Urban areas have their fair share of birds, particularly doves, starlings, pigeons and sparrows.

The Eastern Cape has a large number of fantastic areas for birding including all the game and nature reserves. A couple of these reserves offer excellent bird hides such Addo Elephant National Park, Seekoei River Nature Reserve, Andries Vosloo Reserve (part of the Great Fish River Reserve) and Cape Recife Nature Reserve.

The Eastern Cape Guide highly recommends that any visitor, not just to the Eastern Cape, but to South Africa as a whole, purchase a bird guide.

Mammals

There are 101 mammal species in the Eastern Cape, the biggest being the African Elephant and the smallest being the Least Dwarf Shrew. Most mammals have been adversely affected by the increase in human population. Mammals such as lion, rhinoceros and warthog were hunted to extinction in this area, but have recently been reintroduced. Certain private game reserves have introduced mammals which are not indigenous to this area such as lechwe and bontebok.

The Eastern Cape has three famous species, the Elephants found at Addo which are the sole surviving African Elephants that once numbered in their thousands, south of the Orange River. Although not a true sub species they do differ from the majority of African Elephants by being slightly smaller in size and have particularly small tusks. The female elephants found at Addo, with the odd exception, have no tusks which is most uncommon amongst African Elephants in general. The Cape Buffalo, being the second. These Buffalo are found in large numbers at Addo, and in much smaller numbers at other game serves. They are also the remnants of vast herds that once roamed the Cape. They differ from the Cape Buffalo to the north by being free of diseases such as Foot and Mouth. The Mountain Zebra is the third, and was also hunted to the brink of extinction, but was saved by the declaration of the Mountain Zebra National Park near Cradock and the later arrival of another herd from a private farm nearby. Today they may be found in other parts of the region such as Baviaanskloof.

There are a number of Game Reserves that offer viewing of the Big Five, namely African Elephant, Lion, Cape Buffalo, Leopard and the Black Rhinoceros (not including the White Rhinoceros). These game reserves include Addo, Shamwari, Pumba, Lalibela, Amakhala, Kwantu, Kuzuko and Kwandwe. These animals are called the Big Five because they are the five most dangerous animals to hunt and not because of their size. Another dangerous mammal is the Hippopotamus which is also found in a number of game reserves as well as the Sundays and Fish Rivers. Leopards are found throughout the Eastern Cape and have been known to venture into the outskirts of urban areas such as Port Elizabeth and Uitenhage. White rhino are found in most private game reserves.

Many antelope, including kudu, bushbuck, grysbok, duiker, mountain reebuck and klipspringers are found throughout the region, both within and without game reserves. Kudu, in particular, have been the cause of a number of deadly motor accidents in the more remote areas. It is advisable to travel cautiously at night on roads that carry the antelope warning sign. South Africa’s famous springbok may be seen in most parts of the Karoo. Warthog may also be found over large tracts of the Eastern Cape. Brown hyenas, black backed jackals, bat eared foxes and a number of the smaller cat species such as genet and caracal may also be found throughout the Eastern Cape including the outskirts of urban areas.

Springhares, porcupines and aardvark are usually only visible at night and may also be found over large areas of the region. Monkeys and baboons are common road side sightings and may not be fed.

There are at least 37 species of whales, dolphins and seals to be found in the waters off South Africa and the Eastern Cape. The most common sightings are of southern right whales, humpback whales, bottlenose dolphins, humpback dolphins and cape fur seals. There are no porpoises of the South African coastline. These species are frequently sighted from land as they may approach to within a few meters of the shore however; these and other species are best viewed from the ocean.

Conservation

Conservation in the Eastern Cape is undertaken by a wide range of organizations. Some of these organizations are privately owned and others are part of government. The key difference between private and government conservationists is that the primary objective of government is conservation with a possible secondary objective of income generation. Private conservation’s primary objective is profit with conservation being the means of generating this profit.

The largest contributor to conservation in the Eastern Cape is the South African National Parks or Sanparks, a government organization that runs Addo Elephant National Park, Tsitsikamma National Park, Mountain Zebra National Park and the Camdeboo National Park. Sanparks cover vast amounts of land and have the largest numbers of the large mammals. Sanparks has very strict policies on conservation and will never introduce an animal that is not indigenous, historically or currently, to a conserved area. Thus you will find no Giraffe in any Sanpark reserves in the Eastern Cape as none of these reserves was ever part of a giraffe’s natural habitat. Sanparks are often the least expensive of the game reserves to visit and offer a wide range of accommodation from camping to self catering but no five star accommodation. Guests are entitled to roam these reserves in their own vehicles provided they adhere to the basic rules of the Park. There are a few privately run five star lodges on some of the Sanpark reserves, examples being Gorah and Riverbend lodges.

Eastern Cape Nature Conservation, in terms of area managed, are the next biggest conservation organization. Dwesa, Baviaanskloof, Great Fish River, Hluleka, Tslowana, Silaka and Mpofu are all reserves managed by ECNC. Their conservation model is similar to that of Sanparks.

Most municipalities have their own conservation departments and thus include smaller parks or nature reserves. An example is Cape Recife Nature Reserve which is managed by Nelson Mandela Bay Municipality or Seal Point Nature Reserve which is managed by the Kouga Municipality.

Private conservationists are numerous and have expended substantial amounts on land, animals and infrastructure with the intention of providing a wonderful outdoor experience to visitors. Private game reserves usually offer up market accommodation (4 to 5 star) and personal service including guided game drives in open vehicles. Private game reserves include Amakhala, Shamwari, Kariega, Kwantu, Blaaubosch, Samara and many more. Most of these offer a Big Five experience.