Area Conserved: 405 ha Wine District: Darling Owner / Contact Person: Peter Duckitt Phone: (022) 492 2839 Website: www.cloof.co.za Membership Date: 11 December 2006

The granting of Champion status under the Biodiversity & Wine Initiative cements the conservation conscious manner in which neighbouring Darling properties Cloof and Burghers Post have been farmed under the management of Peter Duckitt. While they are managed as a single unit, they have individually qualified on their own merits.

The property contains important fragments of Swartland Granite Bulb Veld, a vegetation type classified as Critically Endangered in the 2004 National Spatial Biodiversity Assessment. Swartland Granite Bulb veld originally covered originally 494 577 ha, but today only 45 587 ha remains which represents only 9% of its original extent. However, none of this vegetation type is under formal protection. Cloof and Burgherspost Wine Estate are now privately conserving 355ha of this dwindling vegetation type, and are formally registering the site as a Voluntary Conservation Site with CapeNature. The other vegetation type present on Burgherspost is 200ha of Atlantis Sand Fynbos, which is classified as “Vulnerable”. Large areas of this veld type are being systematically cleared of alien invasive plants on Burgherspost and restored to its former pristine condition.

The natural veld upon the properties was identified during the planning process of the Cape Lowlands Fine-Scale Plan as “core conservation areas”. The conservation value is increased by the way it is connected by means of natural corridors that extend between the lowlands and uplands of Riverlands Nature Reserve, Dassenberg Hills and Mamre.

During 1999-2000, a game camp of approximately 750 ha was fenced-off, and a number of game species have been successfully introduced including Eland, Gemsbok, Red Hartebeest, Springbok and the endangered Bontebok. Since cattle were removed from the area, the renosterveld biomass has increased by at least 45%! Together with members of the Darling Flora Project and CREW (Custodians for Rare & Endangered Wildflowers), rare and endangered Renosterveld species have been recorded and monitored annually since 2002, especially in the game camp, to ensure that these this endangered plant species are well conserved on the farm and that the stocking rates are acceptable to maintain veld condition.

During May 2006 a full-time conservation manager (Johmandie Giliomee) was employed on the farm to implement the conservation management plan for Cloof & Burgherspost, compiled by N.W. Hanekom, former Community Conservation Manager with CapeNature. Between May & Oct 2006 (5 months), at least R180 000 was spent to implement conservation management actions on the farm. The neighbouring communities have also benefited from conservation actions taken on the farm, as ten job opportunities have been created to undertake alien clearing activities & construct fire breaks. To further environmental education, guided walks will also be conducted on the farm as soon as the footpaths have been laid out on the “Renosterveld koppie section of the property. Guided game drives are available on request to make the general public, tourists and neighbouring communities aware of the importance of conservation and the unique natural heritage which the West Coast and Darling Hills area can boast about.