Established in 1994, the oldest active conservancy in the Western Cape of South Africa. Conserving the coastline from Springerbay to Cape Vacca.
Fransmanshoek Conservancy was established in 1994, therefore being the oldest established conservancy within the Western Cape. It is also the first to appoint full-time rangers since December 2004. The main objectives of the Conservancy are the conservation, protection and rehabilitation of the 18.5 km stretch of coastline, from Cape Vacca in the west to Springerbaai Eco-estate in the east, and associated inland sections.
Location:
Fransmanshoek Conservancy is situated approximately 35 kilometers west of the town of Mossel Bay in the southern Cape, South Africa. It consists of various private properties stretching from Springerbaai Eco-estate in the east down towards the Fransmanshoek Peninsula which is the property of Eden District Municipality. To the west of the Fransmanshoek Peninsula is the farm of Misgunst, owned by Mr H J Janse van Rensburg, which also forms a large portion of the Conservancy. Misgunst is home to the nationally recognized Vleesbaai 4x4 Dune Route.
The peninsula:
The Conservancy has implemented many conservation projects over the years, one of the most noteworthy being the erosion control and management of the Fransmanshoek Peninsula. The results of all the hard work are clearly evident today when one drives around the peninsula. The visitor facilities have been improved with adequate toilets, ‘braai’ places, parking areas and refuse bins provided. The “Punt Huisie” has been converted into an information centre. Severely eroded footpaths leading to the main fishing areas have been replaced with wooden boardwalks and several areas have been rehabilitated with indigenous vegetation. Information boards have been erected and various signs indicate the presence of erosion control measures. Comfortable wooden benches have also been placed at various scenic points.
History at Fransmanshoek:
By 1730 colonists had started moving out of the white heartland in the south-western Cape to find more land for stock farming and hunting and they reached the vicinity of Grootbrak.
On 11 September 1763 the French warship Le Fortune was wrecked off Fonteintjies (named after small springs higher up on the beach). The last remaining three canons can still be seen at Kanon (hence the name). A copper plaque donated by the French Embassy in memory of the Le Fortune and its crew is mounted on the Fransmanshoek Peninsula next to the information hut.
Fransmanshoek Peninsula gets its name from the French people who were stranded there for a fair amount of time after the wrecking of the Le Fortune. No people were said to have died during the wrecking. Half of the eventual survivors settled at Swellendam (hence the French influence there) and the other half are said to have walked to Cape Town where they caught a boat home. Many of the local residents with ancestral backgrounds in the area have blue eyes which are said to possibly originate from the stranded Frenchmen.
Management Objectives:
- To conserve and protect the fauna and flora of the Fransmanshoek Conservancy
- To maintain the biodiversity of both the terrestrial and marine environments in and around Fransmanshoek Peninsula and to promote a clean and healthy environment to members of the public.
- To engage and create partnerships with Eden district Municipality, Mossel Bay Municipality, CapeNature, Marine and Coastal Management Mossel Bay, SAPS and other bodies and organisations that work in the area.
- To advertise and promote the value and importance of the natural environment to residents and local and international tourists.
- To improve law enforcement awareness in the area and to provide a visible law enforcement presence.
- To provide environmental education to the local schools, farming community, land owners and visitors to the area.
- To consolidate the conservation worthy land and to enhance the conservation status of the area by creating biological corridors along the coast in parallel with the Gouritz Initiative’s priority area plan.
- To strive for the eradication and/or control of alien invasive species (flora and fauna) from the area.
- To source funding for the implementation of the objectives of the conservancy.
- To continue with the rehabilitation of disturbed areas and to implement long term monitoring programmes for these areas and any new identified sensitive areas.
- To act as a watchdog for potential urban, and other developments, and to ensure that Fransmanshoek Conservancy is registered as an Interested or Affected Party in all Environmental Impact Assessments.
- To provide visitor facilities and services of an acceptable standard.
- To conserve sites of cultural and/or historical significance within the conservancy.
- To assist and contribute towards the goals of the Mossel Bay South Coast Fire Protection Association, the St Blaize Biodiversity Forum and the Rescue Vleesbaai Action Group (REVAG).
