The smallest of the six floristic regions of the world, the Cape Floristic Kingdom is the most diverse with over 9600 plant species having been recorded to date and with 69% of these being endemic.
The diversity and abundance of the fynbos, together with its important ecological processes, justifies this areas inclusion as a World Heritage Site. Large areas have been set aside under formal conservation protection, but the Cape Floristic Kingdom still faces a number of threats, especially in the lowland areas. Inappropriate and/or unsustainable developments and an increasing demand for viable agricultural land continue to encroach on the remaining remnant patches of critically endangered vegetation.
1 of 12: Leucospermum cordifolium flower detail. Heuningberg Nature Reserve, Western Cape, South Africa
2 of 12: Orange Pin-cushion flowers stand framed by purple pelargonium flowers. Kogelberg, Western Cape, South Africa
3 of 12: Red and yellow flower detail of Cotyledon orbiculata flowers. Namaqua National Park, Northern Cape, South Africa
4 of 12: A yellow daisy stands amongst smaller soft blue harebell flowers. Nieuwoudville, Western Cape, South Africa
5 of 12: A young Chacma Baboon feeds on newly sprouting bulbs. De Hoop Nature Reserve, Western Cape, South Africa
6 of 12: A Cape Mountain Zebra Foal observes its surroundings while the rest of the herd grazes near by. De Hoop Nature Reserve, Western Cape, South Africa
7 of 12: An endemic Cape Sugarbird peers through the flower heads of a Pic-cushion plant upon which it has been feeding. Table Mountain National Park, Western Cape, South Africa
8 of 12: A male Cape Canary feeds amongst the flowers of a white daisy plant. Table Mountain National Park, Western Cape, South Africa
9 of 12: A Cape Vulture that recovered from a poisoning event is released back into its breeding colony, De Hoop Nature Reserve, Western Cape, South Africa
10 of 12: A portrait of a range-restricted, rarely seen and little-known Southern Adder. De Hoop Nature Reserve, Western Cape, South Africa
11 of 12: Aerial view of the Cape Fold Mountains that run along the Agulhas National Park coastline. Agulhas National Park, Western Cape, South Africa
12 of 12: Alien invasive plants explode into a huge fireball of toweing flames during a controlled burn in the fynbos. De Hoop Nature Reserve, Western Cape, South Africa
Visit African Conservation Photography for a full gallery of Fynbos Images