| Wolfgat Nature Reserve | |
|---|---|
 Aerial view of the Wolfgat Nature Reserve | |
  Map of GreaterCape Town | |
| Location | Mitchells Plain,South Africa |
| Coordinates | 34°04′11″S18°38′54″E / 34.0697°S 18.6482°E /-34.0697; 18.6482[1] |
| Area | 248 ha (610 acres) |
Wolfgat Nature Reserve is a coastalnature reserve inMitchells Plain onFalse Bay in theWestern Cape,South Africa.[2]
This conservation area consists of 248 ha (610 acres) of endangereddune vegetation and limestone cliffs, extending along a portion of the False Bay coastline. TheCape Flats Dune Strandveld vegetation in this reserve contains over 150 plant species. These include evergreen shrubs, flowering succulents, arum lilies and a variety of daisy species. Birds such askelp gulls andblack oystercatchers nest here.[3]
A major threat to the reserve is the invasive alienAcacia cyclops (“rooikrans”) tree. This weed has spread across large parts of the coastline, smothering and killing local vegetation and upsetting coastal ecosystems. Wolfgat Nature Reserve is managed by the city of Cape Town, in partnership with the local communities ofKhayelitsha andMitchell’s Plein.
The nameWolfgat means "wolf cave", and refers to thebrown hyena orstrandwolf which existed here until the 19th century. An ancient fossilised den of this species was discovered here in the 1960s and the stretch of coast was named after this discovery.[4]
