Good news for leopard toads: anonymous donor buys crucial habitat in Cape Town

The overgrown Erf 4741 at the intersection of Noordhoek Main Road and Silvermine Road contains a wetland crucial for the Western Leopard Toad. Photo: John Yeld.

• An anonymous local donor has purchased a Noordhoek property in order to protect the breeding habitat of the endangered Western Leopard Toad.
• The Noordhoek Ratepayers Association had launched a successful community fundraising effort which inspired the benefactor.
• Local conservation group ToadNUTS says the land serves as a crucial “buffer zone” for toads and includes various species like mongoose, porcupines and chameleons.

An anonymous benefactor has stepped in to purchase a small but environmentally crucial wedge-shaped strip of property in the heart of Noordhoek. This generous act secures a signficant local breeding habitat for the endangered Western Leopard Toad.

Erf 4741, or No. 2 Silvermine Road, at the intersection of busy Noordhoek Main Road and Silvermine Road, is just 716m². Half of the overgrown property is a wetland.

When the property was offered for sale by auction earlier this year, concerned residents of Noordhoek feared the destruction of this significant toad habitat.

“It’s a toad central buzz-point,” said Suzie Phillips, co-founder of the ToadNUTS conservation group that has been rescuing and protecting the endangered Western Leopard Toad in Noordhoek and elsewhere on the Cape Peninsula since 2007.

Phillips, who was alerted to the upcoming auction in the second half of February, explains that the Western Leopard Toad is a flagship species and an indicator of biodiversity.

“We’ve been fighting so many developments here in Noordhoek in recent years and they’re all having an impact on the toads. We’ve managed to delay some of the big development proposals, like the Houmoed Avenue extension, for seven or eight years now, but we’ve also taken so many knocks in that time, and suddenly we’re near a tipping point.”

The group has been doing toad patrols – removing breeding toads from roads at night – for 17 years. “But now there are so many cars and they’re travelling so fast that it’s become too dangerous for them to operate on Noordhoek Main Road now,” she said.

“It’s just crazy. But we do still patrol Silvermine Road, though, and we can move as many as a hundred a night off the road during breeding season. And this property is right in the core of the breeding area, so at least it’s somewhere that we can put them when we take them off the road. Even though it’s small, it’s a critical buffer zone for them to go and hang out.

“So to cut a long story short, even though this is a very small piece of land, it’s quite crucial piece for the toads. And if you’re saving toads, you’re saving other biodiversity as well ­– mongoose, porcupine, Arum lily frogs, chameleons … I think saving toads brings the community together, and lots of good things can happen.”

The Western Leopard Toad. Archive photo: John Yeld

Prompted by the concerns of Phillips and other residents of Noordhoek, chairperson of the Noordhoek Ratepayers Association Bas Zuidberg set up a meeting with the owners of the land ­– also Noordhoek residents. During an amicable discussion, they expressed a preference for community ownership of the property if possible.

“The amount is not being disclosed, but suffice to say that although the owners had received an offer above the council valuation, they had indicated they preferred to sell it to the community,” said Zuidberg.

“I would like to stress that they really went out of their way to try and make this work, agreeing not to go to auction but instead giving us time to raise the required funds. There were some comments on our Facebook post that criticised them for selling it in the first place, but we should realise that without their efforts it might have ended differently for the community. They really do deserve credit for this.”

On 3 March, the association posted an alert on its Facebook page, appealing for pledges of financial contributions to acquire the property to preserve it as a green open space. The auction had been scheduled for 12 March.

After just one day, about 25% of the required amount had been pledged.

“Noordhoek, You Are Amazing! The outpouring of generosity and community spirit has been incredible, and we are truly grateful,” the association posted.

Ultimately, there were 80-odd pledges from people across Noordhoek. While generous, they did not add up to the amount required to buy the property, Zuidberg said.

“But fortunately at that moment an anonymous donor who is also a Noordhoek resident saved the day by coming forward and offering to buy the property outright, with the intention of rezoning it to Public Open Space and managing it in accordance with the community’s wishes.

“It will be registered in the donor’s name. The donor has requested to remain anonymous for the moment, that may change in the future.”

Calling the event “an inspiring story”, he adds, “Noordhoekers are very passionate about maintaining the laid-back rural feel of our village, despite all the pressures that we face to densify and urbanise, and have proved that they are willing to act on their principles.

“Being able to come together and avoiding a property development in the heart of Noordhoek that is against the wishes of the community, gives a huge boost to morale.”

Support independent journalism
Donate using Payfast