Cape Town is located in a global biodiversity hotspot and has both stark inequity and high levels of unemployment, all of which make equity, job creation and nature conservation key challenges for the city. There are 16 nature reserves within Cape Town that protect many endangered species and ecosystems, but threats to the staggering biodiversity of the area and the pressing needs of Cape Town’s citizens are difficult to reconcile. In addition, structural inequality due to the history of apartheid has prevented many disadvantaged and racialized communities from accessing recreation, economic, cultural and other opportunities within protected nature reserves.