A protocol for plant conservation by translocation in threatened lowland Fynbos

A form of lowland, sandplain Fynbos restricted to the Cape Flats near the c ity of Cape Town is the South African vegetation type most threatened by ur ban and agricultural development. Cape Flats Fynbos remnants, totaling 4.8 km(2), contain 14 plant species endemic to the Cape Flats scattered through four protected areas and 11 unprotected vegetation fragments on public lan d. Despite their small size and management problems, the remaining protecte d areas are underpressure from the public and developers to function as "li feboats," or places of safety, for attractive indigenous plant species from the unprotected areas destined for development because the popular percept ion is that any indigenous plant population threatened by habitat destructi on should be saved by being transplanted into a protected area. The urgency for dealing with the issue of plant rescue in the Cape Town metropolitan a rea was the catalyst for a workshop held at the University of Cape Town in 1998 to develop protocols for Fynbos plant species translocations. We repor t on points raised by managers and academics at the workshop including the selection of target taxa, individuals and establishment sites, and methods for introduction, and present case histories illustrating possible solution s to the problems encountered.