Cape Town: Staff and Partners of the Biodiversity Management Branch of City of Cape Town will be conducting ecological burns at various nature reserves in February, March and April 2025. The actual dates for the burns will be mainly dependent on weather conditions.
Reportedly, the ecological burns are vital to the ecological functioning and preservation of natural vegetation as well as reducing the fire risk. The officials have carefully managed the burns that are necessary to maintain the maximum species diversity.
However, there are numerous benefits to burns, such as by removing the canopy created by the mature vegetation, sunlight is allowed to reach the ground, that helps with seed germination.

Deputy Mayor and Member of the Mayoral Committee for Spatial Planning and Environment – Alderman Eddie Andrews said that the heat and smoke has generated by fires that also provide the critical stimulation which many of the unique fire-dependent plant species require to germinate.
There are many short-lived species which complete their life cycles shortly after a fire event, that are known as fire ephemerals. Many species included the majority or Erica species and the highly threatened Serruria aemula, have their seeds stored in the soil which are stimulated to germinate by the fire.
Andrews added further that other species such as Protea byrchellii and Protes scolymocephala have stored their seeds on the plant in cones (serotiny). These seeds are then released asap after the fire and can germinate in the open habitat with little competition.
The recommended potential ecological burn areas, for the 2025 season are as follows:
- Meadowridge Common Conservation Area of 1.5 ha northern block
- Muizenberg East Private Conservation Area of 3ha
- Westlake Conservation Centre of 1.66 ha
- Uitkamp Wetland Nature Reserve of 8.12 ha
- Camphill Village Conservation Area of 6.1 ha
- Blaauwberg Nature Reserve: Hill Section of 19 ha
- Camdebo Conservation Area of 2.92 ha

According to Deputy Mayor Eddie Andrews, the competent and well-trained staff from the Environment Management Department (EMD) will work with Cape Town Fire and Rescue Service and other major partners. All of the ecological burns are scheduled for the month of February to April 2025.
While the fires that occur too frequently can lead to a decline in slow growing species and reduced seed production, withholding the fire for a long time that will lead to bush encroachment and the local extinction of species.
Andrews added that it is also imperative to ensure that there is a mosaic of different veld ages, where possible. Another advantage of burning the old vegetation is that it reduces fuel loads, which in turn reduces the risk of wild fires.
Additionally, the fynbos and renosterveld regeneration, ecological burns are also used as a tool for restoration. As a first treatment for invasive plant clearing and to restore habitat for critically endangered species such as the Ranger butterflies.