| Harmony Flats Nature Reserve | |
|---|---|
 Critically endangeredLourensford Alluvium Fynbos growing at Harmony Flats | |
 Location of Harmony Flats Nature Reserve | |
| Location | Strand, South Africa |
| Coordinates | 34°08′18″S18°51′33″E / 34.13833°S 18.85917°E /-34.13833; 18.85917 |
| Area | 9 ha (22 acres) |
| Established | 7 July 1989; 36 years ago (1989-07-07) |
| City of Cape - Harmony Flats Nature Reserve | |
  Harmony Flats Nature Reserve (Western Cape) | |
Harmony Flats Nature Reserve is a 9-hectare (22-acre) piece of protected land, located betweenStrand andGordon's Bay,South Africa. It protects a surviving fragment ofcritically endangeredLourensford Alluvium Fynbos vegetation.[1]
Harmony Flats was originally established to preserve a habitat for the rare and declininggeometric tortoise (Psammobates geometricus). This tortoise is now locally extinct, but the reserve still protects about 220 species of plants (many of themendangered)[2] as well as a range of animal species, such as the tinyparrot-beaked tortoise (Homopus areolatus), various snakes and a large variety of birds. This is one of the few remaining spots of thecritically endangered vegetation typeLourensford Alluvium Fynbos.Local volunteers and community organisations are now heavily involved in protecting and managing the reserve.[3]