EXECUTIVE SUMMARY The Driftsands Nature Reserve is situated on the Cape Flats, approximately 25 km east of Cape Town on the National Route 2, in the Western Cape Province. The reserve is situated adjacent to the Medical Research Centre in Delft and is bounded by highways and human settlement on all sides. Driftsands is bound in the northwest by the R300 and the National Route 2 and Old Faure road in the south. The northern boundary is bordered by private landowners, while the eastern boundary is formed by Mfuleni Township. The Nature Reserve falls within the City of Cape Town Metropolitan Municipality. The reserve experiences a Mediterranean-type climate with warm dry summers, and cool wet winter seasons. Gale force winds from the south east prevail during the summer months, while during the winter months, north westerly winds bring rain. Driftsands Nature Reserve represents of one of the largest remaining remnants of intact Cape Flats Dune Strandveld which is classified as Endangered, and harbours at least two Endangered Cape Flats endemics, Muraltia mitior and Passerina paludosa. The Kuils River with associated floodplain wetlands, dune strandveld depressions and seeps are representative of a wetland type that has been subjected to high cumulative loss, and provides regulatory ecosystem services such as flood attenuation, ground water recharge/discharge and water quality improvement. The site provides access for cultural and/or religious practices and provides opportunities for quality curriculum based environmental education. Driftsands Nature Reserve is given the highest priority rating within the Biodiversity Network (BioNet), the fine scale conservation plan for the City of Cape Town. Driftsands Nature Reserve was established as a Provincial Nature Reserve in terms of Section 6(1) the Nature and Environmental Conservation Ordinance, 1974, (Ordinance 19 of 1974) on 22 July 1983 and proclaimed in the Provincial Gazette of 4276 by Proclamation No. 192. During first 18 years of the site being proclaimed it was remotely managed making the site vulnerable to unplanned uses resulting in degradation of some critical features. Informal settlements developed within the reserve, with Driftsands Township being formally established in 1994. Currently an additional two informal settlements have established on the reserve, namely Los Angeles and Green Park. Since 2001 the site has been actively managed, while in 2005 CapeNature saw the need to investigate the potential of the Nature Reserve and its role in the City in the context of the N2 Gateway Project and increasing pressure for the Nature Reserve to alleviate housing requirements in the Khayelitsha area. Subsequently, existing settlements are to be consolidated and informal settlements upgraded. With the de-proclamation of consolidated settlements, the extent of Driftsands Nature Reserve will be reduced from the original 638 ha to 506.86 ha. D R I F T S A N D S NATURE RESERVE MANAGEMENT PLAN I In compliance with the National Environmental Management: Protected Areas Act, 2003 (Act No. 57 of 2003), CapeNature is required to develop management plans for each of its Nature Reserves. In developing the management plan for the Driftsands Nature Reserve, CapeNature strives to establish biodiversity conservation as a foundation of a sustainable economy providing ecosystem services, access and opportunities for all. This management plan is divided into seven sections. The first section provides background information to the compilation of CapeNature protected area management plans and details the structure, approval and revision of these plans. The second section outlines the Strategic Management Framework of Driftsands Nature Reserve. The vision and purpose was developed to guide reserve management in its daily operations and longer-term planning. The vision for Driftsands is to be a Nature Reserve with ecosystem integrity, which reinforces a resilient landscape in a changing urban environment. The purpose of the reserve is for the preservation of ecosystem services and viability through environmental education and awareness, in a biodiversity network, which influences change through conservation stewards, advocacy and the enforcement of legal mandates, to the benefit of communities and partners. The objectives for the Driftsands Nature Reserve were developed in line with CapeNature’s strategic goals, objectives and key measurable objectives and were derived from the organisation’s vision and purpose. They represent Key Performance Areas which must be achieved in order to support the management intention. The prioritised objectives for Driftsands Nature Reserve are as follows: 1. To maintain ecosystem services and restore ecosystem integrity in a changing urban landscape, by acknowledging and understanding site specific requirements. 2. To implement and enforce legal mandates through trained capacitated staff and advocacy. 3. To develop innovative and flexible methods that ensures economic viability and contribution to society through the provision of defined benefits. 4. To facilitate connectivity and contribute to landscape conservation initiatives that build system resilience. 5. To identify, build and maintain partnerships that ensures the sustainability of conservation efforts in the urban landscape. 6. To influence change at all levels of society, internally and externally, through environmental education, awareness and the fostering of conservation stewards. D R I F T S A N D S NATURE RESERVE MANAGEMENT PLAN II The management plan then identifies the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats (SWOTs) for Driftsands Nature Reserve. A SWOT analysis involves specifying the objectives and identifying the internal and external factors that are favourable or averse to achieving those. Some of the strengths identified include the existence of support structures and programmes, and operational tools and systems that can be adapted to site specific needs. Natural assets exhibited such as wetland ecosystems and Dune Strandveld are intact and display a high level of ecosystem resilience; boundaries are defined and have been surveyed in part, while CapeNature’s Provincial mandate and legal tools facilitate protected area management. Furthermore, the location and proximity of the Nature Reserve to communities complements the ability to influence change. Some of the weaknesses identified are: uncontrolled access and abuse thereof; presence of small farmers and grazing by goats and cattle; frequent fires and arson; the proximity of communities and associated edge effects and a lack of a suitable buffer. Communication internally and with the public can cause challenges due to public expectations and the majority of CapeNature reserves with systems tailor made to suite the rural conservation context. Additional weaknesses include budgetary constraints and a shortage of capacitated staff to deal with regulatory aspects. The key opportunities identified through SWOT are as follows: strong partnerships with conservation agencies and government departments; access to external project funding through the Expanded Public Works Programme, the Natural Resource Management Branch, Environmental Affairs and Integrated Catchment Management, all of which contribute to ensuring ecosystem resilience; site location provides opportunity to influence behaviour and showcase relevance of the Driftsands Nature Reserve; the Nature reserve itself and challenges that are faced serve as an opportunity to develop case studies and document lessons learnt, which can be applied to other protected areas that experience similar challenges; wetland ecosystems offer ecosystem services in the form of flood attenuation, while environmental offsets offer an opportunity for expansion and formalisation of landscape conservation initiatives (conservation networks). Some of the threats identified were: poverty and the collateral effects thereof; biological invasion, land invasion, dumping and grazing by livestock; climate change and associated extreme weather events; population growth and a changing political environment with differing spheres of government, and communication structures related to Driftsands Nature Reserve purpose which is very site specific as opposed to other CapeNature reserves. Additionally, due to the threats, on site management is a requirement, however, office space is currently rented and thus not secure. Section three highlights the legal framework under which CapeNature and the Driftsands Nature Reserve operate and details the reserve’s history and legal status, D R I F T S A N D S NATURE RESERVE MANAGEMENT PLAN III ecological context and information, cultural heritage, socio-economic context and infrastructure development programs. Section four details the planning context for Driftsands Nature Reserve and relates it to regional and provincial planning processes. Driftsands falls within the boundaries of the City of Cape Town Metropolitan Municipality. The Khayelitsha, Mitchells Plain, and Greater Blue Downs District Spatial Development Plan and Environmental Management Framework is relevant to the Nature Reserve and consulted to guide decision making pertaining to the management of Driftsands Nature Reserve. This includes aspects related to the maintenance and improvement of existing public open space, protection of the Kuils River system, retaining the rural character of the area, promoting the Driftsands Nature Reserve as destination place and promoting City Park’s Khayelitsha Wetlands Park