Cecilia is a section of theTable Mountain National Park on the lower eastern slopes ofTable Mountain inCape Town, located just to the south ofKirstenbosch National Botanical Garden. It was previously used forcommercial logging and known as Cecilia Forest or Cecilia Plantation, but has now been given protected status and integrated into the National Park.[1][2]
It is not known what the originalKhoisan inhabitants called this particular piece of land, but the early Dutch settlers knew these slopes as"Boschenheuwel". The name"Cecilia" derives from the first name ofCecil Rhodes who at one point owned the land.
Cecilia lies on the eastern lower slopes ofTable Mountain, just to the south of Kirstenbosch National Botanical Garden and north ofConstantia Nek andDe Hel Nature Area, abutting the Cape Town suburb ofConstantia to the east. It is located in an area of granite, and the undulating hilly slopes were naturally covered inPeninsula Granite Fynbos, with patches ofSilvertree forest. The valleys that cut across the park would naturally have been filled withindigenous afro-temperate forest,[3] and some still partially are. Today, large parts of the park are still covered in uniform plantations of Pine and Gum trees, relicts from the days of commercial logging.[4][5]
The park itself stretches in a thick band, from the north-east to the south-west. The car-park and main entrance is located at the north-eastern corner near the border with Kirstenbosch. The buildings of the forest station are a bit further up the slope. From the main entrance, the most popular walk follows a circular road, along the length of the park towards the south-western corner (near the other entrance at Constantia Nek) and then turns back making a complete loop. This road was originally built for the management and harvesting of the commercial plantations.[6]
The high Contour Path (running in a loop around the whole mountain) can be accessed from the upper slopes, where there are impressive views out over Cape Town and the expanses of theCape Flats. TheDiep River has its origins in the mountain slopes above Cecilia, in a large gorge – replete with awaterfall – that is beginning to fill again withindigenous forest. The highest peak on the slopes above Cecilia is Klaasenkop (or Klassenkop).
The natural ecosystem of the area isPeninsula Granite Fynbos, acritically endangeredvegetation type that occurs nowhere else in the world. Mature Peninsula Granite Fynbos is dominated by large tree-Proteas, such as theSilvertree, theTree Pincushion-Protea and theWaboom, and a dense underlayer ofAsteraceous (daisy) species. Interspersed in the fynbos, rocky scree slopes are home to indigenous trees such asPock-Ironwood,Kiggelaria,Camphor trees,Maurocenia andCandlewood trees. There are a variety of plant species (some already extinct) which are naturally restricted to this specific vegetation type, occurring nowhere else in the world. The primary threat to this ecosystem is invasive alien plants, such as EuropeanPines and AustralianPort Jackson Acacia.
On the steep upper slopes and mountain-tops isPeninsula Sandstone Fynbos, a less severely endangered vegetation type with a different range of species, including a vast number ofendemics. This tinyecosystem (restricted to the upper slopes of Table Mountain) has an extraordinarily richbiodiversity, with roughly the same number of plant species as can be found in the whole of the United Kingdom.[7]
In addition, smaller patches of indigenousAfro-temperate forest survive in the river valleys. Such areas that are protected from the seasonal fires offynbos, become dominated by massive trees such asYellowwoods,Ironwoods,Assegai trees,Olinias,African Waterboom,Rooi-els,Boekenhout andSpoonwood trees.[8]
The original inhabitants of the area were undoubtedly theKhoi, who would have herded their cattle through the localforests andfynbos up until the arrival of the Dutch colonists in the 1700s and the beginning of the colonial era.
Cecil Rhodes bought this land in the 1890s resulting in him owning nearly the entire eastern flank of the Table Mountain range. Colonists such as Cecil John Rhodes often strove to change theCape landscape to make it more resemble that of Europe. This was done through the clearing of indigenousfynbos andafro-temperate forest, together with the introduction of European species such as deer and starlings, and the wholesale replanting of much of theCape Peninsula with European trees such as Oaks, Birches and Pines.[9]
Commercial logging took off across the Cape Peninsula in the 19th century, after most of the remaining indigenous forests were felled. Fast-growing tree species such asEucalyptus andPinus radiata were chosen, and imported for cultivation. However, in the 20th century these plantations became less profitable as far larger sources of lumber became available.[10]The company which owns the current and final crop of trees is due to harvest them in phases over the next few years, the original flora and fauna will be re-introduced and the park will be integrated into the main body of Table Mountain National Park.[11][12]
Since 2007, SANParks has undertaken to re-establish Cecilia as a conservation area integrated with the Table Mountain National Park. The indigenous and critically endangeredPeninsula Granite Fynbos have been restored over several years andSilvertrees allowed to return along with other largeProteas, and non-invasive indigenous trees will be replanted along the more popular paths and in the valleys, to provide shade to walkers.[13][14]
The plan is for a park with intermittent patches ofProtea-fynbos andshady indigenous forest. Pine and Gum trees remaining from the plantations will be kept in several patches – but will need to be regularly controlled from spreading, as they are highly invasive.[15]
34°00′05″S18°24′56″E / 34.00139°S 18.41556°E /-34.00139; 18.41556
