GARDEN ROUTE NEWS - From April 2021 to March 2022, CapeNature responded to 87 wildfires which burned nearly 30 000ha, while 76 fires burned just more than 31 000ha in the same period in 2020 and 2021.
CapeNature was able to contain 54% of fires where less than 10ha were burned and 24% where less than 100ha were burned.
"These results are only possible due to the collaborative effort of the Department of Local Government: Provincial Disaster Management, district and local municipalities, fire protection associations, the Working on Fire programme, volunteer wildfire services and other fire volunteers, neighbouring landowners and the general public," the organisation said.
CapeNature manages more than 800 000ha of protected areas in the Western Cape, of which most is part of the Cape Floral Region World Heritage Site.
The Cape Floral Region is recognised as one of the most special places in the world for plants due to the diversity, density and number of endemic plant and animal species.
Most fires do not start on areas protected by CapeNature. In 2021/22, only 26% of fires CapeNature responded to started in CapeNature-protected areas, largely due to lightning strikes.
A total of 55% of fires were started by people, either through negligence or on purpose, 14% started by mechanical means (power lines, trains or equipment such as chainsaws/brush cutters) and 5% through prescribed burning practices.
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