Fynbos Forever: Advancing Protected Area Expansion in the Cape Floristic Region

Fynbos Forever: Advancing Protected Area Expansion in the Cape Floristic Region

At the heart of every effective conservation strategy lies the formal protection of priority biodiversity areas, those rare places that give nature the space to thrive. Since its inception, the Table Mountain Fund (TMF) has been dedicated to safeguarding these critical land and seascapes that serve as vital refuges for South Africa’s unique and threatened biodiversity.

In 2019, when we redesigned the TMF conservation strategy, the Fynbos Forever Programme was placed at the forefront of our four-pronged approach. A strategy designed not only to protect the CFR, but also to ensure that conservation efforts deliver lasting benefits to the people of the region, both now and for generations to come.

The Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework (KM-GBF), adopted at COP15 and to which South Africa is a signatory, sets out a global plan to halt and reverse biodiversity loss by 2030. Target 3 of the framework calls for 30% of the planet’s land and sea areas to be effectively conserved by 2030, widely recognised as the “30×30” goal.

In alignment with this global target, TMF’s Fynbos Forever Programme is driving the expansion and formal protection of critical biodiversity areas within the CFR. In early 2025, we invited concept proposals supporting this vision and received an exceptional response from conservation partners across the region. Through these new collaborations, TMF aims to contribute 40,000 – 45,000 hectares of formally protected land within the CFR by 2030.

Over the coming weeks, we will be sharing more about each of these projects, highlighting how they are collectively helping to make this ambitious target a reality and strengthening the long-term resilience of the CFR’s globally significant biodiversity.

While this represents only a fraction of the global 30×30 goal, TMF’s public commitment to this bold ambition reflects our role as an independent, catalytic micro-grantor in the protected area expansion and biodiversity stewardship space. By setting ambitious targets and leading from the front, we hope to inspire others to act with equal courage and urgency, driving collective progress within South Africa towards the global 30×30 vision.