Eight farms were selected for the Rooiberg project, representing approx. 65% of the total area of all farms belonging to the Winery. Some 6343 hectares or 57.3% of the total area were then identified as areas with natural vegetation. These are areas that have not been ploughed, wetlands, rivers and mountain regions.

The Breede River valley between Worcester and Robertson provides a remarkable meeting place for three major vegetation types, namely Succulent Karoo, Renosterveld and Cape Fynbos. The number of plant species found here is exceptionally high and cannot be matched anywhere in the world for a comparable dry area of the same size.

No less than 43 plants grow in this valley only and of those 83% have Red Data (highly threatened) status.

The threatened "Burchell's Red Fin"

Preliminary analyses of flora, fauna and avian species were made on all the farms in the project and due regard was given to both the occurrence and the future protection of highly threatened species. One such species is a beautiful 15cm long fish, Burchell’s Redfin, found in the deeper pools of the upper Noree River in the Vinkrivier area. This rare little fish is found only in a few untouched Western Cape rivers and is a superb indicator of river health.

The state of natural vegetation and possible threats to ecosystems were also investigated in the Rooiberg  BWI project. Considerable emphasis is now placed in meetings with farmers on the promotion of formal conservation status for natural areas and the development of Conservation Management Plans.

The removal of alien plants is accorded a high priority and attention is also given to general land management on farms, in particular the prevention and rehabilitation of soil erosion.