I am the chairperson of the Friends of Paardevlei Wetland, bird lover, a mother, and a photographer, often exploring the Paardevlei wetland, teaching my son about nature and the species that call it home, while capturing shots of its vibrant bird life.

This beautiful sanctuary in our city, a product of years of restoration work, now faces a major threat from new developments that are planned to surround it. The ownership, presently with the City of Cape Town, allows for construction projects which were approved without local environmental organisations or locals being properly notified and allowed to comment, despite putting the vlei's ecosystem at risk. The approved development of Precinct 2 in Paardevlei will not just confine the wetland but profoundly impact its wildlife habitat and disrupt the tranquility it offers us locals and tourists. 

It is vital that we voice our concern to protect our city's natural gem. The City of Cape Town is in the process of zoning the vlei after the subdivision of the land for development and there is the potential that the vlei could be zoned as a city park. We strongly feel that this would be a grave error and that it warrants the status of a conservation park/area to ensure that a conservation manager can be appointed to monitor and maintain the vlei for all to enjoy, as well as ensure any development is done in a minimally impactful way and that the environmental management plan for the vlei is followed.

Preserving our vlei is crucial; studies suggest that wetlands like this can absorb up to 1.5 million gallons of floodwater, making them natural flood barriers (source: Ramsar Convention on Wetlands). They should not be sites for development, especially given our areas issues with flooding and storm water management. They also serve as an important habitat for diversity of wildlife. 

Paardevlei is home to hundreds of bird species as counted by the Somerset West West Bird Club (https://sabap2.birdmap.africa/coverage/pentad/3405_1845 and https://cwac.birdmap.africa/sites.php?sitecode=34051849 Including several endangered and threatened species such as Maccoa Duck, Blue Crane, Greater and Lesser Flamingo, Cape Dwarf Chameleon, to name but a few. Please check out the statistics for sightings at the vlei and join our citizen science project on INaturalist https://www.inaturalist.org/projects/friends-of-paardevlei-wetland

We request the City of Cape Town to consider the ecological value of the Paardevlei, raise it’s status to a conservation area, to be managed as such and reconsider any imminent developments. Be a part of this cause to conserve our nature, ecosystem, and heritage. Please sign the petition and join our plea to protect the Paardevlei.