In the middle of Cape Town’s Kenilworth Race Course lies a surprising biodiversity hotspot: a 52-hectare wetland home to the endangered South African micro frog, or Microbatrachella capensis. Barely the size of an adult thumbnail, this frog is the smallest in South Africa and the only species in its genus, making it uniquely irreplaceable.

Environmental education organisation Nature Connect organises twilight guided tours twice each winter to this wetland, allowing visitors to observe species rarely expected in an urban setting. Julian Alex Nieto Lawrence, a herpetologist with the amphibian conservation group Anura Africa, emphasized the frog’s special status, noting it has no sister species.

Braden Ingram, Training Officer at Nature Connect, highlighted the wetland's rich biodiversity, stating, “We have about 11 different types of amphibians, about 27 different types of mammals, and about 110 or so different bird species that come and visit this site.” According to the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), the micro frog’s population is declining.

Ingram also remarked on the accessibility of this natural refuge, saying, “I think we’re really privileged in Cape Town where within 20 minutes you can get to a place like this where after a long day at work you can kind of just switch off.”

This urban conservation effort underscores the importance of protecting unique species and habitats even within city limits.

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