Raapenberg Bird Sanctuary is a protected area in

Cape Town Cape Town ( af, Kaapstad; , xh, iKapa) is one of South Africa's three capital cities, serving as the seat of the Parliament of South Africa. It is the legislative capital of the country, the oldest city in the country, and the second largest ...

, located on the

Liesbeek river The Liesbeek River (also spelt Liesbeeck) is a river in Cape Town in South Africa. It is named after a small river in the Netherlands. The first "free burghers" of the Dutch East India Company were granted land to farm along the river in 1657, sh ...

near the suburb of

Observatory An observatory is a location used for observing terrestrial, marine, or celestial events. Astronomy, climatology/meteorology, geophysical, oceanography and volcanology are examples of disciplines for which observatories have been constructed. His ...

. The sanctuary consists of a section of the

Liesbeek River The Liesbeek River (also spelt Liesbeeck) is a river in Cape Town in South Africa. It is named after a small river in the Netherlands. The first "free burghers" of the Dutch East India Company were granted land to farm along the river in 1657, sh ...

, with parkland, trees, lawn and picnic sites. It is an important breeding site for a variety of

water bird A water bird, alternatively waterbird or aquatic bird, is a bird that lives on or around water. In some definitions, the term ''water bird'' is especially applied to birds in freshwater ecosystems, although others make no distinction from seabi ...

species, such as Sacred Ibis (''

Threskiornis aethiopicus The African sacred ibis (''Threskiornis aethiopicus'') is a species of ibis, a wading bird of the family Threskiornithidae. It is native to much of Africa, as well as small parts of Iraq, Iran and Kuwait. It is especially known for its role in ...

''), Egyptian Geese (''

Alopochen aegyptiacus The Egyptian goose (''Alopochen aegyptiaca'') is a member of the duck, goose, and swan family Anatidae. It is native to Africa south of the Sahara and the Nile Valley. Egyptian geese were considered sacred by the Ancient Egyptians, and appeared ...

'') and many duck species. However, the sanctuary is badly overgrown with alien invasive plants which damage the river system and its

biodiversity Biodiversity or biological diversity is the variety and variability of life on Earth. Biodiversity is a measure of variation at the genetic (''genetic variability''), species (''species diversity''), and ecosystem (''ecosystem diversity'') l ...

. The river itself is polluted, but is being rehabilitated for recreational activities. The area is intended to form part of the Two Rivers Urban Park (TRUP), which will include many surrounding areas to form a large, integrated natural area in

. It will centre on the meeting point of the Liesbeek and Black River and will include several Provincial Heritage Sites, such as: * the

South African Astronomical Observatory South African Astronomical Observatory (SAAO) is the national centre for optical and infrared astronomy in South Africa. It was established in 1972. The observatory is run by the National Research Foundation of South Africa. The facility's funct ...

(1827), * Valkenberg Homestead (1830) *

Valkenberg Hospital The Valkenberg Hospital is a large, government-funded, tertiary psychiatric hospital in the city of Cape Town, South Africa. It is situated in the suburb of Observatory between the banks of the Liesbeek and Black Rivers, overlooking Devil's Pe ...

(1899) * The Nieuwe Molen Windmill * The Oude Molen Farmhouse complex

References

{{Cape Town, natural Nature reserves in Cape Town Protected areas of the Western Cape

See also

References