The BIG Thing about being small

Jill Peper visits the Renosterveld of Clara Anna Fontein | The Month April 2012

“What is Clara Anna Fontein all about?” I asked Justin Basson, the owner of the beautiful Clara Anna Fontein private game reserve and country lodge, situated just outside Durbanville, 20 minutes from Cape Town.

“Well, what do you think we are all about?” he countered.

I enthused about the scenic setting of the farm, the game drives,  the largest free roaming herd of Wildebeest in Cape Town, the five function venues,  the team-building events, the Tented Camp, the African Huts and popular film shoot location, the self-catering farm cottages and more.

As I spoke, I watched the light die in his eyes.  Clearly that was not the right answer!

I then found out what the true passion of his heart is, and what the driving force is behind all that is done at Clara Anna Fontein. It’s all about saving the Renosterveld!

Justin spoke about the fact that here in the Western Cape we are home to the smallest Plant Kingdom in the world that rather surprisingly also contains the largest variety of plants.  There are over 5 400 endemics (plants that are only found here), while the UK has only 51 - that really puts things in perspective.

Sadly, the Renosterveld has shrunk to small pockets of vegetation, found mainly on farms and in nature reserves.  “This is the most endangered habitat in Africa and probably in the world, with only 4% still remaining,” Justin explained.

Justin’s mission in life is to rehabilitate the Renosterveld on their land, allowing it to spread back into the areas previously farmed.  The agents of change for this long, slow process are the game on the farm, as well as birds and the wind, and as they carry the seeds from the endangered veld into the former farmlands, the Renosterveld is gradually starting to reappear and spread.

Along with the plants, come many creatures that only survive in this environment and that are now being given a new lease on life, and some, such as the Cape Dwarf Chameleon, the Geometric Tortoise and the Parrot Beak Tortoise, have literally been brought back from the brink of extinction. 

I wasn’t wrong about any of the delightful attractions of this interesting farm, but the heart of the matter is that Clara Anna Fontein is practising land restitution of a different kind, and giving back to Nature!
For more information go to www.claraannafontein.com or visit www.capecountrycalls.co.za for other places of interest to call on in the area.