The Robberg Coastal Corridor (RCC), which comprises a 20km stretch of unspoiled coastline between Robberg Nature Reserve and Harkerville State Forest, has been declared a protected area. Minister of Environmental Affairs and Development Planning of the Western Cape, Anton Bredell, signed the declaration on August 31.
Pam Booth, Founding Director of the Eden to Addo Corridor Initiative, who initiated the research into the possibility of implementing protected environments by landowners, said: “The preservation of the RCC from encroachment and development, and linking it to the two core protected areas, Robberg Nature Reserve in the east to the Garden Route National Park in the west will extend its length to over 35 kilometres from the tip of Robberg Peninsula to Noetzie – more than sufficient to sustain a hiking trail along a coastline equally as spectacular as the famous Otter Trail on the Tsitsikamma Coast. It will also protect and facilitate the natural movement of the flora and fauna along the Corridor, thereby preserving the diversity of genetic species and enabling better adaptation to the vagaries of climate change. Most important, it secures the last remaining ecological lifeline to the increasingly isolated Robberg Peninsula.”
Robbie Robinson, former Head of SA National Parks, and Chairman of the Eden to Addo Corridor Initiative, said: “Generations of conservation-sensitive landowners have struggled to keep the link between Robberg and the remaining coastal lowland fynbos viable. It is essential to maintain this vital corridor.”
