West Coast Biosphere Reserve
A
biosphere is not a fenced-in nature reserve, but an internationally proclaimed
area of exceptional importance for both Man and the Environment. The West Coast
biosphere was proclaimed by UNESCO in 2000 to acclaim not only the inherent
quality of the west coast’s beauty, but also the local community’s
approaches to life, and living.
A
world where man, and nature, needs to live in harmony in order to survive.
The
unforgiving and fragile natural West Coast environment is home to many truly
unique places and communities. A living testament both of man’s tenacity and
creativity. Many interesting places are scattered throughout the area, both in,
and out of the villages, which lie in a mainly rural environment.
Take
the opportunity to engage with the personalities of the West Coast, to
appreciate their culture, to enjoy their accents, and language! The west coast
truly is different! Its culture is unique.
Experience
also the vastness of the West Coast, the never-ending skies, the serene early
mornings, the glorious sunny days and perfect sunsets.
Soak up the openness of the countryside and the people. Enjoy the smell
of nature, the silence, or listen to the sound of the ocean on a perfect West
Coast day. Be it summer or spring, winter or autumn.
The
west coast remains a fascinating place to visit!
Rural, open and very real.
Do
come and visit. To appreciate the ‘Route 27 west coast experience’ within
the Cape West Coast Biosphere Reserve.
Biospheres
are sites of excellence in a global context. Some 393 biospheres in 93 countries
have been recognized
by UNESCO. Biospheres embody a practical approach to solving one of the
world’s most important questions the world faces today:
How
to reconcile the needs of man with sustainable use of an often-finite resource.
A
biosphere differs significantly from a nature reserve or national park. Within
our Cape West Coast Biosphere we have the West Coast National Park and several
proclaimed local, provincial and private nature reserves.
Proclaimed
reserves and parks are defined areas where conservation enjoys priority
attention and status. Human access is controlled, often in the form of
eco-tourism concessions.
Biospheres
do address the conservation issues, but importantly focus strongly on what
happens outside of the formally the protected parks and reserves.
To
ensure that future generations are able to live in an equal to better world as
we enjoy, we must live sustainable.
This means we must marry the economic needs of society with the harvest that
nature sustainable
can provide on the long-term. The quality of our lives, and the quality of our
environment within which we live, are factors not only of reserves and parks,
but of how we utilize
the resource we call nature and our immediate environment.
The west coast indeed is an area within which the population
have a historical capacity to live sustainable.
And the current generation has renewed this commitment through the biosphere
status application to UNESCO.
The
Cape West Coast Biosphere is a product of civil society expression with
consensus and assistance of Local, Provincial and National Government. The Cape
West Coast Biosphere domain comprises areas of Cape Town, Swartland, Saldanha
Bay and Berg River Municipalities, and a significant portion of the West Coast
District Municipality. It stretches from the mouth of the Diep River at
Milnerton, incorporating the entire coastal lowlands towel north of the Berg
River.
The
Cape West Coast Biosphere seeks to energize,
and achieve synergy across existing local authority domains, in order to
position the Cape West Coast as a tourism hotspot of tourism relevance. To
present the west coast to tourists as a coherent destination of consequence that
must be visited!
A
visit to the Cape to Good Hope is incomplete without also heading west.
For
a truly different and joyful experience!
Further
information available from <biosphere@wcaccess.co.za>