On Sunday 9 October, Fynbos Locally Indigenous Flora Education (LIFE) is hosting a celebration of all things fynbos.

Entry is free, and includes a film screening, guest speakers, and fynbos-related and-inspired wares. This will take place in addition to range of activities like foraged fynbos feasts accompanied by drinks ranging from fynbos-distilled or infused gin and rum, fynbos cocktail and mocktail creations as well as tastings by the barman extraordinaire Kurt Schlecter.

The event will also have botanical fynbos artwork such as photography and ceramics, buchu-scented candles, flower crowns, children’s activities, environmental groups and hacking gurus. As FynbosLIFE puts it, it’s the perfect event to get your “fynbos fix!”

The speakers list includes experts on a variety of fynbos topics:

  • Loubie Rusch on fynbos food
  • Dr Caitlin von Witt (FynbosLIFE) on fynbos restoration
  • Stellenbosch University PhD student on fynbos medicine
  • Dr Jeremy Shelton on fynbos freshwater conservation

The event hopes to showcase the beauty of fynbos and the value of its conservation value. FynbosLIFE aims to do this by displaying a very wide range of fynbos artisans and organisations at over 30 stands. These will be aimed at educating the public about fynbos.

The film screening will showcase Ghosts of Table Mountain. This is a new film about the Critically Endangered Table Mountain ghost frog. This is brought to you by the Endangered Wildlife Trust, South African National Parks, City of Cape Town, CapeNature, Table Mountain Fund, Freshwater Research Centre and South African National Biodiversity Institute.

Fynbos is only found in the Cape Floristic Region (CFR). As the capital of the CFR biodiversity and a bustling hotspot, Cape Town is the biodiversity and extinction capital for fynbos globally. Fynbos needs support and protection to ensure its rich and endemic species are around for generations to come.

Join in on the fynbos fun with FynbosLIFE and meet other fanatics. Networking with other environmental custodians and gardeners strengthens everyone’s ability to conserve and protect biodiversity. What better way to do so than a fynbos and fun-filled family day?

About FynbosLIFE

The NPO believes that supporting local biodiversity is best done through gardening. Planting locally indigenous flora is a secret weapon. LIFE gardens are dedicated to doing this, and even the smallest LIFE gardens contribute to urban conservation. LIFE gardeners become the custodians of ecological and educational assets and carers of the Fynbos biome on a wider scale.

This organisation has pioneered the indigenous greening movement in Cape Town. Through planting local flora and cultivating rehabilitation of disturbed green areas, they help to restore and protect biodiversity in urban places.

21 critically endangered national vegetation types are in Cape Town, with 3 endemic to the city. Over 1400 plant species are supported by the Cape Flats alone, with 203 of these being seriously endangered – 5 are already globally extinct in the wild.

Appreciating, protecting, growing and learning about fynbos is essential for the protection of thousands of species. Raising awareness and encouraging people to grow their own LIFE gardens is a way to contribute to fynbos conservation.

This fynbos fair will give you all the knowledge and inspiration to get you on your way – and kids are welcome too!

For more info, visit FynbosLIFE’s Facebook.
Where: Adjacent FynbosLIFE at Zandvlei Lookout, 57 Promenade Road, Lakeside, Cape Town
When: 9 October 2022, 10am-4pm
Price: FREE!