Cape Town: The City Council adopted the Cape Town Biodiversity Spatial Plan 2025 (CTBSP) as Council Policy last week on July 30, 2025. The plan provides details on the profile of Cape Town’s Biodiversity, the BioNet map and the associated land use guidelines for these areas and puts Biodiversity Priority Areas on the map.
Reportedly, the purpose of the policy is to inform and guide spatial planning, environmental assessment and natural resource management by a wide range of sectors whose policies and decisions impact on biodiversity.
Additionally, it provides a framework for all City line departments to align their environmental responsibilities. The CTBSP-2025 is of value to Cape Town, because:
- It provides up-to-date biodiversity information based on legislation, scientific data, best practice and expert input.
- It allows for better spatial planning and decision making to reduce conflict and risk and improve sustainability.
Deputy Mayor and Member of the Mayoral Committee for Spatial Planning and Environment – Alderman Eddie Andrews said that Cape Town is the first municipality in South Africa to develop and implement a spatial biodiversity plan. It is fitting since this beautiful city claims the title of the most biodiverse city in the world.
Cape Town BioNet is the least land-hungry option possible to meet the national biodiversity targets and the best option to keep Cape Town sustainable into the future. It positions the City as a role model and global leader in urban biodiversity spatial planning, and it aligns the City to provincial and national legislation, policy and recent sector advances.
The City of Cape Town, in partnership with various conservation organizations, can confirm that currently, conserved land in Cape Town covers 55,697 ha, which is 22.72% of the municipal area. The city manages a total of 20,039 ha in its 22 nature reserves and 16 Biodiversity Agreement Conservation Areas in this conservation estate, the majority of which are open to the public.
Cape Town’s conservation estate comprises Table Mountain National Park, nature reserves and conservation areas, as well as some private biodiversity stewardship sites.
The Cape Town BioNet 2024 map illustrates the biodiversity network and selects terrestrial and aquatic features that are critical for conserving native biodiversity and maintaining ecosystem function at the landscape level.
The Cape Town BioNet 2024 map includes the following categories of biodiversity priority areas:
• Protected Area
• Conservation Area
• Critical Biodiversity Area 1a (irreplaceable high and medium condition)
• Critical Biodiversity Area 1b (irreplaceable low condition, connectivity)
• Critical Biodiversity Area 1c (irreplaceable low condition)
• Critical Biodiversity Area 2 (optimal)
• Ecological Support Area 1 (natural or semi-natural ecological condition)
• Ecological Support Area 2 (intensively modified ecological condition)
• Other Natural Area (not required to meet biodiversity targets)