Wildcliff Nature Reserve



Wildcliff is a mountain wilderness reserve consisting of 955 hectares (2350 acres), deep kloofs with afro-montane forest, rocky mountaintops and high meadows of fynbos. It is in the Langeberg mountain range of South Africa's Western Cape. It borders on the Boosmansbos Wilderness Area, a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Ian and Jennifer Giddy purchased the property in 2007 on behalf of the Wild Cape Nature Trust. It will be maintained as a nature reserve in perpetuity for purposes of conservation and research.
Access is limited to other conservation-minded people, and natural science researchers. The reserve has an active research program, and invites research proposals.



The Wildcliff team also needs help with restoration, and with clearing the invasive alien vegetation such as black wattles and pines.
Wildcliff has, in the past, had farming on a limited portion. It has a farmhouse and two other houses. The farmhouse, Talari, is used for visits by the Trustees and their families, and for other conservation-minded visitors. Two other houses are available for researchers, volunteers, and visiting conservationists.
We are developing hiking trails to reach places of beauty or significant natural interest.



South Africa has among the highest levels of biodiversity in the world, thanks in no small part to the Cape Floral Kingdom. The Table Mountain National Park alone has more plant species within its 22,000 hectares than the whole British Isles or New Zealand. A stretch of land and sea spanning 90,000 square kilometres, or 0.05% of the earth's land area, the Cape floristic region contains roughly 3% of the world's plant species. Of the 9,600 species of vascular plants found in the Cape floral kingdom, about 70% are endemic, ie occur nowhere else on earth.

The areas's freshwater and marine environments are similarly unique, with plants and animals adapted to highly specialised environments. On land and sea, the kingdom is rich: 11,000 identified marine animal species, 3,500 of which are endemic, and 560 vertebrate species, including 142 reptile species of which 27 are endemic.



Visitors who come to Wildcliff for wildlife observation or to help with the conservation effort may be invited to stay in the Weaver's Nest, a 2-bedroom wooden cottage built in July 2007.
From the deck, one looks north up the Wildekrantz valley; below the house is Talari meadow and in the distance, the majestic ridge of the Langeberg mountain range



We welcome comments, or enquiries from potential volunteers or researchers. Contact us for information or browse the research opportunities on our website.
For researchers: Wildcliff is 17km north-east of Heidelberg, Western Cape. It is centered at about 33º57'S, 21º2'E with elevations from 290m to 1130m. The boundaries lie between 20º58.9'E on the west to 21º3.0' on the eastern side, and 33º58.5'S on the south to 33º55.9' at the northernmost point.
www.wildcliff.org
To contact us:
Jenny Giddy
jenny@wildcliff.org.za
Peter Giddy
peter@wildcliff.org
Keith Riggle (Manager)
keith.riggle@wildcliff.org
Telephone (South Africa): 028.7222.633