| Bot - Kleinmond Estuarine System | |
|---|---|
| Botriviervlei | |
 | |
| Coordinates | 34°20′S 19°07′E / 34.34°S 19.12°E |
| Official name | Bot - Kleinmond Estuarine System |
| Designated | 31 January 2017 |
| Reference no. | 2291[1] |
The Bot River Estuary, also known as the Bot River Lagoon, is part of the Bot-Kleinmond Estuarine System in the Overberg region on the Western Cape of South Africa. It became a Ramsar site wetland in 2017.[2] It is within the Kogelberg Biosphere Reserve.
This wetland is the mouth of the Bot River, namesake of the town of Botrivier. The lagoon covers almost 13.6 km2 (5.3 sq mi)[3] between Kleinmond, Hawston, and Fisherhaven. The lagoon is one of the largest open-water areas along the Western Cape coast and discharges into a shallow, triangular shaped lagoon in a wide valley flanked by mountains known as Botrivier Vlei. The waters of the lagoon are separated from the ocean by a 100 to 200 m (330 to 660 ft) wide dune belt with a height of 3 to 6 m (9.8 to 19.7 ft) that is partly covered with coastal grasses and shrubs. The dunes have two narrow berms which are sometimes breached naturally or artificially. The main portion of the lagoon can have a length of up to 7 km (4.3 mi) and a width of around 2 km (1.2 mi).[4]
The Rooisand Nature Reserve occupies around 60% of the western frontage up to the lagoon. The nature reserve is managed by CapeNature and is a designated Provincial Nature Reserve. The eastern side of the lagoon is mostly occupied with residential development. The head of the lagoon on the inland side is surrounded by agricultural land.[3]
- ^ "Bot - Kleinmond Estuarine System". Ramsar Sites Information Service. Retrieved 25 April 2018.
- ^ "South Africa designates the Bot-Kleinmond Estuarine System as a Ramsar Site". Ramsar.org. 30 March 2017. Retrieved 10 November 2019.
- ^ a b "Eastuary Management Plan for the Bot/Kleinmand estuarine system Overberg region Western Cape" (PDF). Western Cape Nature Conservation Board. February 2009. Retrieved 10 November 2019.
- ^ "Cape whale coast and important bird and biodiversity area". Western Cape Birding. 25 November 2015. Retrieved 10 November 2019.