Cape Water Lily returns to Cape Town wetlands

The Cape Water Lily, absent from the lowland wetlands of Cape Town since the mid-1900s, has been reintroduced to its native habitat, coinciding with the culmination of the prestigious Earthshot Week in the city.

Mayor Geordin Hill-Lewis, at the Ramsar-listed False Bay Nature Reserve in Rondevlei, reintroduced the lily, now known as the Earthshot Lily, in a significant gesture to mark the first time the Earthshot Prize is hosted on the African continent.

The Earthshot Prize, founded by Britain's Prince William in 2020, serves as a global platform for discovering innovative climate and environmental solutions. This year's celebration in South Africa follows previous events in London in 2021, Boston in 2022, and Singapore.

Chairperson of mayoral advisory committee on Inland Water Quality on waterways and Coastal Environment in Cape Town, Alex Lansdowne, saying:

“This water lily has been extinct on the lowlands of Cape Town for about seventy five years, and we are at Rondevlei Nature Reserve, which is a Ramsar wetland and this species would have occurred here and we know that because we've got historical photographic evidence, we've got written records of these water lilies from the area it would have been significant culturally and to the cut flower trade many years ago in Cape Town.”

The reintroduction of the water lily aligns with Cape Town's status as the world's most biodiverse city. With 20 vegetation types, 11 of which are critically endangered and seven unique to the area, the city's rich biodiversity is both its natural heritage and an irreplaceable asset.

The city’s sustainability and resilience are bolstered by its network of nature reserves, which provide vital ecosystem services through nature. As the Earthshot Lily blooms once again in the Cape Flats, it serves as a symbol of the city's commitment to conservation and a celebration of the Earthshot Prize's mission.