Featherbed Nature Reserve

Featherbed Nature Reserve is a privately owned nature reserve on the Western Headland of the Knysna River Estuary on South Africa’s Garden Route. [1][2]

Featherbed Nature Reserve
LocationKnysna, Western Cape Province, South Africa
Nearest townKnysna
Coordinates34°04′33″S 23°03′20″E
Opened1984
FounderWilliam Smith
Owned byFeatherbed Co
Websitehttp://www.knysnafeatherbed.com/
Knysna Western Head

It was founded by South African television teacher, William Smith, on land that was bought in the 1950s by his father, the chemist and ichthyologist Professor JLB Smith, with the proceeds of his best selling book, ‘Old Fourlegs The Story of the Coelacanth,’ published in 1956.[3]

The reserve opened to visitors in 1984, and is only accessible to the public by ferry.[4] Smith sold the reserve to Eastern-Cape-based businessman Kobus Smit in 2008.[5]

Fauna & Flora

Featherbed Nature Reserve is situated within the Cape Floristic Region. Its vegetation is characterised by Knysna Sand Fynbos and coastal dune thicket. Large portions of the fynbos, and large stands of invasive alien vegetation[6] (particularly rooikrans - Acacia cyclops), which once infested the Reserve, were decimated by fires in the 2017 Cape storm and Kynsna fires.[7] Following the fires, the reserve management instituted a systematic eradication programme in an attempt to contain the resurgence of the rooikrans.

Fauna observed on the reserve includes Cape bushbuck, blue duiker, African clawless otter, and many smaller mammals.[8] Birdlife includes the Knysna turaco (Knysna loerie[9]) and African Black Oystercatcher.

References
  1. "Featherbed Co". Knysna Featherbed. Knysna Featherbed. Archived from the original on 24 April 2022. Retrieved 12 June 2022.
  2. "Knysna Featherbed Nature Reserve". GardenRoute.com. GardenRoute.com. Archived from the original on 30 January 2022. Retrieved 12 June 2022.
  3. Bruton, Mike (2017). The Annotated Old Four Legs The Updated Story of the Coelacanth. Cape Town: Struik Nature. ISBN 9781775844990.
  4. Hatchuel, Martin. "Featherbed Nature Reserve, Knysna: the origins story". TourismContent.co.za. TourismContent.co.za. Archived from the original on 24 April 2022. Retrieved 12 June 2022.
  5. "Maths boffin sells the heads". IOL. IOL. Archived from the original on 27 February 2021. Retrieved 12 June 2022.
  6. Expert, Your Garden Route (7 December 2018). "Featherbed's iconic Nature Reserve reopens after 18 months". Destination Garden Route. Retrieved 18 June 2022.
  7. "Featherbed Private Nature Reserve reopens following Knysna fires". Southern & East African Tourism Update. 6 September 2018. Retrieved 18 June 2022.
  8. Begg, Angus (15 February 2022). "INFERNAL FOOTPRINT: Boomslang or bust: After the fires, Knysna battles rampant mice and lingering alien vegetation". Daily Maverick. Retrieved 18 June 2022.
  9. "Knysna loeries return to Featherbed Nature Reserve". Getaway Magazine. 16 September 2019. Retrieved 18 June 2022.
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