Retired aeronautical engineer Mike Harrison, who passed away in 2022, lived out his days in relative seclusion in a croft-like house on a 22-hectare smallholding on the edge of the sea on the outskirts of the small seaside village of Rooiels.

He was known for his love of nature, excellent command of English, a remarkable collection of Africana and botanical books and the gatherings for a select few who were invited to join his whisky tastings on his sheltered stoep overlooking the sea.

While he had taken early retirement at the age of 55, he remained active in civic life as  a founding member of the Rooiels Conservancy and an executive member of the local ratepayers’ organisation.

He also played a key role in the Save Klein Hangklip Association in the 1990s, when a property developer was seeking permission to subdivide the mountain slopes for development. A seven-year battle ensued, resulting in successful court action in favour of the campaigners.

Mr Harrison did not let matters rest there. In the last few years of his life, he approached fellow campaigner and attorney Frank Raymond to help him make a will that would ensure that his own land would be protected into perpetuity. After some consideration, he decided to make it over to WWF South Africa – based on the example of Brodie Link in Pringle Bay which WWF had bought with donated funds to safeguard it against development.

Bequests such as this one and others have allowed WWF South Africa to make many critical contributions to protecting our country’s rich biodiversity, and is a wonderful way for individuals to give back to environmental protection.

In his title deed, Mr Harrison stipulated that his smallholding  (Portion 137 Hangklip Farm No 559) may never be subdivided or used for commercial purposes but should be used exclusively for the protection of biodiversity.

An environmental assessment found that the property qualified for full nature reserve status and formed  “a critical lowland/coastal/inland link” within the Kogelberg Biosphere Reserve, featuring 600m of coastline and four hectares of Endangered coastal depression wetlands along with Critically Endangered Kogelberg Sandstone Fynbos.

There are at least 13 plant species of conservation concern on the property, among them the Kogelberg silkypuff (Diastella thymelaeoides) and Endangered Erica pattersonii (also known as mielie heath) which faces ongoing threats from coastal development. The Cape rockjumper breeds on these slopes attracting birders from around the world while leopard, otters and klipspringers are among the mammals that pass through.

At a small ceremonial handing over of the title deed on the Harrison property in November 2024, Dr Morné du Plessis, CEO of WWF South Africa, said that WWF was originally founded in South Africa to hold “the nature of South Africa in its trust” and worked with organisations such as CapeNature to fulfil this mandate. As with Brodie Link, WWF has asked CapeNature to act as the management authority. In turn, CapeNature will have the area declared a nature reserve.

CapeNature, the City of Cape Town City, WWF South Africa, the Kogelberg Biosphere Reserve and many concerned individuals have been working hard to secure this area for conservation. Now, with the Harrison bequest as an anchor property for conservation in this area, the hope is that more landowners in this fragile coastal landscape will be willing to sign stewardship agreements to secure more of the Kogelberg's botanical wealth.