South African bushfires threaten ecological disaster

By bne IntelliNews January 12, 2010
South African bushfires in theWestern Cape Province wine producing region may have caused an ecologicaldisaster, after destroying 55,000ha (135, 850acres) of fynbos plants. Bloombergreported that the Cape Floral Kingdomcontains about 9,000 fynbos species, 70% of which occur nowhere else in theworld. Industry body, Wines of South Africa, also puts South Africa asthe ninth-largest wine producer in the world, with about 4,000 farmersproducing grapes. A winemaker was burned while helping to fight the fires,which are thought to have been started by arsonists.

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