the leopard IN THE VINEYARD Agriculture and wildlife have had a long and, for the most part, incom- patible relationship. But, in South Africa’s winelands, a new appreciation for the Cape’s indigenous flora and fauna is taking hold among its viti- culturists. Author John Frederick Walker combined his twin passions

of wine and wildlife, and filed this report. 

TEXT BY JOHN FREDERICK WALKER  david rogers

40 africa geographic • SEPTEMBER 2012 WINE AND CONSERVATION WINE AND CONSERVATION

to the bontebok, a handsome chocolate- brown antelope whose numbers have rebounded from a few survivors. But cen- turies of wine-growing and creeping urban- isation have failed to completely tame this landscape. What’s remarkable about the natural world that remains is that much of it is found nowhere else. And often, it’s right underfoot. Botanists divide the world into a half- dozen floral kingdoms. The smallest is the Cape Floral Kingdom; only slightly larger than Scotland in area, it’s more botanically diverse than the richest tropical rainforest. There are over 6 000 endemic species, not- ably those found in the fynbos biome, a fire-prone heather-like shrubland that sub- sists on poor soils. Only nine per cent of the unique Renosterveld and lowland fyn- bos ecosystems are left, and 80 per cent of the Cape Floral Kingdom exists on private- ly held land.

jordan wine estate That became a wake-up call – and an opportunity. In recent years, South Africa’s hey’re here, we know tourists visiting the valley’s whitewashed wine industry has been working to bring that,’ Jeannie Hayward Cape Dutch farmhouses and trendy con- its total vineyard environment into har- tells me as we head up temporary winery restaurants have any mony with a unique and fragile ecosystem the narrow granite-and- idea that the bleak vertiginous mountain that’s recognised as both a World Heritage sandstone trail. For the slopes just above the picture-perfect vine- Site and a global diversity hotspot. The ‘Tpast two years, she and Boland Project col- yards provide vital habitat for leopards and Biodiversity & Wine Initiative (BWI), an laborator Anita Meyer have been studying the prey species they depend on. eight-year-old partnership between the the numbers, movements and diet of the wine industry and the conservation sector highly elusive Cape leopard. Yet they’ve griculture and wildlife conserva- that encourages producers to protect vul- never actually seen the big cats, only their tion are often at odds elsewhere nerable habitat and species, signs them up tracks and dung, and spectral images in Africa. But in the Cape, wine as members if they set aside a couple of caught by the unblinking lenses of Aproducers are demonstrating hectares of conservation land, and identi- 70 remote-sensing cameras. how habitat loss can be partly offset by fies them as ‘champions’ if they set aside Hayward and Meyer’s study area reaches promoting biodiversity alongside farming 10 per cent of their land. With more than from South Africa’s Groot Winterhoek one of the world’s most intensively man- a third of the industry’s producers on mountains down to Betty’s Bay and aged crops: fine wine grapes. Hundreds of board, the BWI effort has now reached a Kleinmond on the coast. Right now, we’re individual efforts are adding a vast patch- tipping point, with more land under con- in prime leopard territory. I scramble to work of wildlife corridors and pocket ref- servation agreements (131 000 hectares) keep up with the two young graduate uges, reclaimed riverbanks and replanted than currently under vines (101 000 hec- researchers, who lead the way in sandals mountainsides to one of the country’s tares). It’s an impressive accomplishment and shorts and hop nimbly from rock to most developed regions. considering that the Cape region remains boulder. We reach a remote camera the source of 90 per cent of the country’s strapped to the roots of an overhanging South Africa’s wine wine production. tree and pause to check what’s been industry has been working At Paul Cluver in Elgin along the Cape recorded. Alas, it’s malfunctioned. ‘We’ll to bring its total vineyard South Coast, over half the 2 400-hectare just check another camera,’ Meyer says property is given over to conservation. encouragingly. environment into harmony Cluver, a former neurosurgeon who intro- We’re in the bush, all right, but hardly with a unique and fragile duced wine farming at this century-old far from civilisation. Some of South Africa’s ecosystem family-run estate, takes me up a steep, Ecofriendly farming practices at Villiera in best-known vineyards are visible directly crumbling Jeep trail to admire the sweep- Stellenbosch attract all kinds of wildlife, even below us – specifically rows of vines The wine industry here dates back over ing vista and get a closer look at the fyn- this steenbok doe. belonging to La Motte Wine Estate, which 350 years. Settlers cleared land, planted bos. Among the species is coronata, OPPOSITE coexists with first planted grapes in 1752. As we crest the grapes and shot out much of the abundant with its fat apple-green flower heads, Vitis viniferia at Jordan Wine Estate. rocky hill, Hayward points out the sur- game, including the quagga – that curious, which happens to flourish on soils that PREVIOUS SPREAD Graham Beck Wines has

rounding craggy mountains that ring partly striped equid that looked like an are also good for sauvignon blanc, Elgin’s achieved BWI ‘champion’ status, meaning that 

Franschhoek wine district’s estates. Few unfinished zebra – and nearly did the same stylish signature white.  10 per cent of its land is devoted to conservation. david rogers

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At Rustenberg in Stellenbosch, Simon n the hills behind the Wemmershoek head of the Department of Botany and Barlow has capped the vineyard footprint Dam near Franschhoek I follow Zoology at Stellenbosch University, ‘is of his family’s historic fine wine property. Anita Meyer through thickets of fyn- that there’s no real DNA evidence that it A keen beekeeper, Barlow shows me his Ibos to a small clearing in front of a is genetically distinct’ from other leopards. spectacular silver trees argen- . Known as the waboom or But, he points out, its differences remain BELOW Not all wildlife is welcomed by wine farmers. Baboons like grapes and can cause an teum, one of the few stands of a species ‘wagon tree’, it was used by the Boers to important to its conservation. immense amount of damage. The challenge is to described by Linneaus in 1753 and rarely make ox-wagon wheels. A barkless patch Whatever the Cape leopard’s taxonom- find a constructive way of handling them. found beyond Table Mountain. on the trunk is deeply gouged by the ic status, Hayward and Meyer are enthusi- MIDDLE Boekenhoutskloof is a firm supporter But if saving indigenous is a region’s apex predator to mark its terri- astic that the region’s last remaining of porcupine research, and has even incorp- vital part of current eco-efforts, so is get- tory. She snaps opens the remote camera big mammal benefits directly from the orated the prickly rodent into its wine’s labels. ting rid of invasive alien vegetation. Not strapped to a nearby stake and takes out wine industry’s conservation thrust. BOTTOM Anita Meyer (left) and Jeannie the wine vine, of course – Vitis vinifera is the chip. When we return to the truck, Increasingly, wine producers are no lon- Hayward from the Cape Leopard Trust’s Boland a highly desirable import. Trees targeted Hayward pops it in her camera and flips ger content with featuring wildlife on Project check their remote cameras on La Motte Wine Estate in the hope that the region’s apex for removal include those out of favour, rapidly through a series of the usual sus- their labels – some are now direct predator, the leopard (BELOW, RIGHT) has like the water-sucking blue gum (euca- pects, including porcupines, honey bad- supporters of species conservation. passed this way. lyptus), brought here in the late 19th gers and baboons. Twelve-year-old Leopard’s Leap estate in century for timber. Then the image I’ve been hoping to see Franschhoek, for example, is a prominent It’s an expensive undertaking. Multi- comes up, a ghostly profile of a male backer of the Cape Leopard Trust, which national mining giant Anglo American, leopard. They recognise him by the includes the Boland Project among its which has owned Vergelegen in unique pattern of his spots. It’s ‘BM4’ – regional research efforts. Somerset West since 1987, continues to Boland male #4 – who’s also been record- polish the 3 500-hectare estate, manag- ed, a long mountain climb away, on the een to have their own niche ing it both for its much-praised wine and La Motte camera. His muscular form, cap- projects, other producers have its biodiversity – it signed on as the first tured flash-lit in the night, is yet more embraced additional species. BWI Champion. Anglo American is digital proof of the nearly invisible pres- KHistoric Neethlingshof in spending R14-million (US$1.7-million) ence here of Panthera pardus. Stellenbosch has added a pair of red wines eradicating non-indigenous vegetation, a featuring owl and caracal labels, under- vast project that includes controlled scoring that the animals’ presence is wel- burning and the hand-weeding of shoots come in its vineyards. Graham Beck in the that pop up from alien seed banks left in Robertson district has a private nature pre- the soil. Herbicides are used to finish off serve bordering its wine estate that fea- stumps, but such chemicals will be tures endemic vegetation and habitat for phased out in five years. It’s a task that the critically endangered riverine rabbit ‘could take up to 50 years’, environment- that’s been spotted on the property. al consultant Gerald Wright tells me on a At Villiera, Simon Grier has taken his drive around the property. It’s already passion for sustainability a step further, paying local dividends; Vergelegen’s pop- developing a 225-hectare game sanctuary ular bird walks (140 species counted so in conjunction with properties neigh- far) are booked far in advance. bouring his family’s Stellenbosch wine estate. ‘We’ve got more than 150 species,’ The same stealth and adaptability that Grier tells me on a golf-cart prowl, during leopards use to exploit rainforest, savanna which we spot eland, zebra, bontebok and desert across the continent allow and a pair of leopard tortoises. them to persist in the Cape, living re- Gary Jordan, owner of Jordan Wine jordan wine estate markably close to humans yet remaining Estate, was happy to discover his land ‘It’s difficult to sell wine on the back of The Cape dwarf chameleon is found only in South Africa’s south-western reaches, and its conser- virtually undetectable. Roaming widely, was prime habitat for the swivel-eyed, a conservation programme,’ he admits. vation is supported by Gary Jordan and the Jordan they take advantage of any available pro- spiky little Cape dwarf chameleon, But like other producers, Jordan recog- Wine Estate. tein; in this environment, it’s typically which is specific to the Cape Town nises that the industry is ‘leaning green’. hyrax, spotted genets, duikers, rheboks region. The estate sponsors chameleon Those who see it as the wave of the future and klipspringers. research and uses its image on the labels believe they ought to go in that direction, These distinctly smaller, shyer leopards of several Jordan wines, including a crisp even if they aren’t sure exactly how it’s are only half the size of the ones found in white he’s brought in the back of his going to help their business. That’s why the Kruger National Park and elsewhere bakkie (pick-up) as tall posts – owl in southern Africa. A male Cape leopard we visit one of his Increasingly, wine produc- perches – are an typically weighs 35 kilograms; a female prize blocks. It’s the ers are no longer content increasingly com- only 21 kilograms. highest vineyard of with featuring wildlife on mon sight in vine- Despite these marked differences, how- sauvignon blanc in their labels – some are yards, attracting ever, the latest research indicates that the Stellenbosch, and we birds of prey to Cape leopard isn’t a separate subspecies. share a glass while now direct supporters of control the field

‘The short answer,’ says Conrad Matthee, surveying the view. species conservation mice that gnaw  john Frederick walker

44 africa geographic • SEPTEMBER 2012 www.africageographic.com 45 WINE AND CONSERVATION WINE AND CONSERVATION

on the vine roots and elim- BACK TO ITS ROOTS inating the need for chemical Eco-consciousness in the wine industry has control. even penetrated below ground. There are a At Boekenhoutskloof in surprising number of wine estates that now Franschhoek, cellarmaster grow grapes organically, without recourse Marc Kent thinks the envi- to pesticides and herbicides. Organic vine- ronmental tilt in the industry yards are easy to spot – they look scruffy is simply what consumers and unkempt, with weeds growing between expect a business with literal the rows of vines. But unlike the monocul- roots in the earth to be doing. ture of tidy, manicured vineyards, the soil in To Kent, putting the hillside these vineyards is loose and full of life. ‘Look behind his winery back to at this,’ says Michael Malherbe, managing fynbos is just part of being up director of Laibach in Stellenbosch, which to date, like his use of the lat- has 42 hectares of EU-certified organic est egg-shaped concrete fer- vineyards, as he scoops away the crumbly menters for his acclaimed earth under a vine to reveal squirming reds and whites. He’s also earthworms. long supported porcupine Other organic producers have, well, research and features the gone back to the future. At Waterkloof animal on some of his bot- estate, there are 111 species of fynbos tlings. He sums it up simply: on the property, along with a cliff-hanging ‘We want to leave the place contemporary winery and restaurant in better shape than we overlooking False Bay, and hillside vine- found it.’ yards tended with 19th-century farming But being nature-friendly techniques. Manager Christiaan Loots is a isn’t always easy. A troop of keen proponent of biodynamics, an eso- chacma baboons recently ate teric, spiritual approach to organic viticul- nearly an entire hectare-sized ture. On a tour of the property, he leans block of his prized cabernet out of the window of his truck to talk to franc grapes, leaving him only the driver of a cart pulled by a plodding enough fruit to make two bar- draught horse. ‘One horse can take care of rels of his flagship red. Re- leopard’s leap klein constantia eight hectares,’ he says. Waterkloof has six calling the incident, I expect of them now, replacing two of their four Kent to be livid, but he’s philosophical. partly urbanised wine district south of turns out that baboons comprise only these isolated populations of mountain- tractors. They plan convert to horsepower ‘Those guys have been here longer than Cape Town’s city centre, the primates are three per cent of their diet. Leopards will dwelling leopards have a future. NORTHERN CAPE entirely – horses don’t compact the soil we have.’ protected. But it’s not an issue they can pick off stragglers, but are wary of attack- On my final evening there, under a the way wheeled tractors do, and their Others find that sort of primate ignore, according to viticulturist Stiaan ing baboon troops, according to Quinton vine-covered pergola, I share a glass of CEDERBERG emissions provide useful fertiliser. behaviour hard to shrug off. Johan Cloete. ‘It’s insane, baboons are far and Martins, the Cape Leopard Trust’s found- chilled Cederberg Private Cellar Sustain- Just how earth-friendly can wine Delport, cellar manager at Waverly away our biggest problem,’ he says, cost- er, who’s been observing, trapping and able Rosé with David Nieuwoudt, whose production be? Simon Back, marketing Hills, an organic producer in Tulbagh, ing the estate R500 000 (US$60 000) a collaring the spotted cats here for nearly family has owned this windswept wine SOUTH AFRICA manager of Backsberg Estate in Paarl, points out that baboons can ‘destroy a year in damages. He hired field biologists a decade. In the Cederberg, they’d rather estate since the 19th century. We points out that you need to consider WESTERN CAPE vineyard in a few hours, unless you to capture and radio-collar some to mon- take sheep, goats, even sub-adult cattle, admire a view of jagged cliffs, their tum- N1 the entire carbon footprint, not just that control them’. He employs grape guards itor their movements. Advised that which puts them in direct conflict with bled, blocky boulders turned coppery WEST COAST of the vineyard, but of the winery and to chase them away. Unfortunately, baboons will respect territories, but only shepherds and ranchers. Martins has in the twilight, and talk about the com- business as a whole – right down to the Stellenbosch • Paarl they’ve learned to wait for the guards to if they’re consistently defended, Cloete worked with livestock owners, encourag- patibility of conservation and wine • flights taken to promote the product in Cape Town • • Franschhoek go off duty before swooping in to gorge organised year-round vineyard monitors ing them to use Anatolian sheep dogs to production – even if grape-gobbling global markets. Largely by dialling back its • Somerset West N2 on the fruit. armed with paint guns that shoot harm- guard their herds, baboons are a re- CAPE OF fuel and electricity usage, Backsberg has GOOD HOPE Baboons can be repelled by pelting less but stinging pellets. He’s able to rather than obtaining we talk about the com- minder that it is maintained carbon neutrality since 2006. N them with stones, although some check the troops’ locations twice a day permits to shoot ‘prob- rarely a problem- John Frederick Walker patibility of conservation troops rain rocks right back at offending via computer, and if they’ve holed up lem’ cats. and wine production – free mix. U ATLANTIC OCEAN humans. Electric fencing? It’s effective near the vineyards at night, he can send Why? There aren’t even if grape-gobbling And the leopard? 100 km but expensive, and as one producer put in the guards to chase them away. that many of them left. Surely the survival it, makes a vineyard look like ‘a prison In his 3 000-square- baboons are a reminder of this superb pred- ABOVE Situated barely 20 minutes’ drive from camp for vines’. In remote wine dis- n the remote Cederberg Wilderness kilometre Cederberg that it’s rarely a ator in the moun- Cape Town’s bustling city centre, Klein Constantia tricts, crop-raiding baboons can be shot Area, a desolate and rocky land- study area, Martins has tains of the Cape is Estate is nonetheless faced with the threat of problem-free mix baboons. Through the deployment of radio-collars, if you have a permit, although that scape that also includes some of found just 30 adult reason enough to the winemaker is able to keep tabs on their doesn’t guarantee that the survivors Ithe Cape’s highest-elevation vine- leopards. ‘There may only be 500 of protect its habitat; to know that it movements and so protect his vineyards. won’t return. yards, I imagined nature had a simple them in the entire Western Cape,’ he endures there, a symbol of wilderness in OPPOSITE Leopard’s Leap wine estate has At Klein Constantia, they couldn’t shoot solution to keeping baboon numbers in says. Stopping habitat fragmentation, the deep shadows of the slopes that supported its namesake, through the efforts of baboons even if they wanted to. In this check for grape-growers: leopards. But it he adds, is one key to ensuring that overlook the vineyards. the Cape Leopard Trust, for eight years. john frederick walker

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