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Cape Town - As humans we often leave a negative impact on our environment but now South Africa has left an indelible impression with the first-ever UNESCO limited edition Man and the Biosphere coin series.
The South African Mint is playing its part in the planet’s biodiversity and sustainability with the launch of the commemorative Man and the Biosphere: Kogelberg Biosphere Reserve coin series by Tumi Tsehlo, the Managing Director of the South African Mint.
The unveiling took place at Waterkloof Wine Estate overlooking the Western Cape’s significant Kogelberg Biosphere Reserve – one of South Africa’s eight biosphere reserves.
The new series forms part of the UNESCO World Heritage International Coin Program, which was launched in 2012, and celebrates UNESCO’S activities and achievements through the production of coins and medallions in the organisation’s member states.
Following the Man and the Biosphere: Kogelberg Biosphere Reserve coin series, another seven biosphere series will be created by the South African Mint over the next seven years.
South Africa’s seven other biosphere reserve are:
1. Cape West Coast
2. Waterberg
3. The Cape Winelands
4. Kruger to Canyons
5. Vhembe
6. Gouritz cluster
7. The Magaliesberg.
The South African Mint’s new series consists of two R2 (1/4 oz) pure-gold coins and two R2 sterling-silver coins, with each one reflecting different aspects of the Kogelberg Biosphere Reserve which is situated about 40 km from Cape Town.
The first gold coin shows the unspoiled mountains of the Kogelberg Nature Reserve – the heart of the Cape Floral Kingdom, the world’s most diverse and abundant floral area. The Marsh Rose (Orothamnus zeyheri) and the Cape Mountain Leopard (Panthera pardus) appear on the coin, as does a cabin of the Oudebosch Mountain Camp, an eco-friendly tourism facility with minimal impact on the sensitive environment.
The second gold coin focuses on the iconic species living on the shoreline of the Kogelberg Marine Park. The African Black Oystercatcher (Haematopus moquini) forages for mussels in the rocky intertidal zone, while the African Penguin (Spheniscus demersus) glides through the Atlantic Ocean before returning to the breeding colony at Stony Point. The Cape Clawless Otter (Aonyx capensis) makes its home in freshwater rivers, estuaries and lakes.
READ: From whaling station to eco centre - Stony Point gets new life
The first sterling-silver coin depicts the Elgin Valley, once a wildlife haven for large herds of antelope and a home to San hunters and Khoi pastoralists. Early pioneers established farms in this area, from which the largest fresh-produce export industry in southern Africa developed. The valley is best known for its apples and pears, depicted on the coin by an African Honey Bee (Apis mellifera subsp. scutellata). Hills covered in orchards appear in the background.
READ: The secret is out at Elgin's Old Mac Daddy
The second sterling-silver coin represents the importance of responsible marine management. The 1800s and 1900s saw the development of the fishing industry in the area. The high demand for whale products had brought the Southern Right Whale (Eubalaena australis) to the brink of extinction. Today, South Africa enforces the ban on whaling and supports the growing whale-watching ecotourism. The survival of the Abalone (Haliotis midae) depends on the protection of breeding communities and the strict control of its harvesting.
WATCH: The importance of the Kogelberg Biosphere Reserve
“Ensuring the survival of the natural environment while sustaining our use of this asset is a complex balancing act – and it’s one that we are involved in on a daily basis in the Kogelberg Biosphere Reserve,” says Johan West, Chairperson of the Kogelberg Biosphere Reserve Company.
“We are thrilled that the South African Mint is shining a spotlight on our reserve at a time when we are in need of further investment and support for one of the most beautiful biosphere reserves in the world.”
The South African Mint’s Man and the Biosphere: Kogelberg Biosphere Reserve coin series is available in South Africa through the South African Mint, as well as globally through the partnership between UNESCO and PAMP SA [Produits Artistiques Métaux Précieux], which oversees the coordination and distribution of the UNESCO World Heritage International Coin Program.
20 Interesting facts about the Kogelberg Biosphere Reserve:
1. Kogelberg Biosphere Reserve is situated in the Western Cape Province, within 40 km from Cape Town
2. The Kogelberg Biosphere Reserve is the first South African biosphere reserve and covers 103,629 hectares.
3. More than 80% consist of mountainous landscape with high mountain peaks and deep valleys to gentle hills and lower mountain slopes. The remaining area is made up of a gently rolling coastal plain as well as a marine part that covers some 24,500 hectares.
4. Core area is 31,629 hectares in size (of which 1,629 is marine)
5. The Buffer zone(s) is ~40,000 hectares (of which ~ 23,000 is marine)
6. Transition area(s) when given is ~32,000 hectares
7. The Kogelberg Biosphere Reserve incorporates the Kogelberg Nature reserve as part of its "core conservation area" which is exceptionally untouched.
8. The Kogelberg nature reserve is surrounded by buffer zones of natural vegetation and environmentally friendly recreational areas, as well as transitional zones of environmentally aware farms and towns making up the Kogelberg Biosphere Reserve.
9. The mountain slopes within the nature reserve are closed to the public and strictly protected. However, there is a portion that is open for hiking, along the valleys and waterfalls of the Steenbras River Gorge.
10. It has the floral diversity per unit area that is greater than anywhere else in the world
11. The Kogelberg mountains are known as the heart of the Fynbos
12. It has 1600 taxa or species per square meter. 150 taxa are endemic to the area and characteristic of the Fynbos biome.
13. About 37,900 permanent residents live in the biosphere reserve and approximately 50 000 non-permanent inhabitants
14. Main economic activities in the area include apple farming, commercial plantations of pines, and tourism.
15. Tourism, specifically eco-tourism, has the potential of becoming one of the major economic activities in the region, with some 60 000 people visiting the area during the holiday season.
16. The private non-profit company, that is steered by a board of directors, manages the biosphere reserve.
17. Major ecosystem types include Evergreen sclerophyllous forest, woodlands or scrub; marine/coastal zone
18. Major habitats & land cover types are Coastal plain and Fynbos vegetation; riparian vegetation; coastal lakes, marshes and bogs; rivers, lagoons and estuaries; sand dunes; marine habitats; agricultural land; pasture land; plantations; residential areas; reservoirs
19. The R44 road is a famously scenic road that skirts the mountainous coast of the Kogelberg reserve. Whales and dolphins can also regularly be seen from this road.
20. Kogelberg is the highest coastal peak on the African Continent.
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