Landowners, local governments and civil society working together are taking positive steps towards improved land management. (Leisa Tyler/LightRocket via Getty Images)
A new 6,500-hectare nature reserve is set to open in South Africa's Drakensberg Mountains.
The North Drakensberg Nature Reserve will work in partnership with local communities to protect ancient rock art, important grasslands and water sources for millions of people, linking neighbouring World Heritage Sites and other nature reserves and extending the vast transboundary conservation area from South Africa to neighbouring Lesotho.
Most importantly, new and important wildlife migration corridors will be opened up – migratory animal populations will be able to recover because they will no longer be isolated and fragmented.
It took landowners and conservationists six years to officially designate the new park – much less time than it typically takes to designate land as a protected area – and only possible because there was a high level of agreement among landowners that a conservation approach was the best way to manage the land for future generations.
I study how land and ecosystems are managed across borders, and I see this new protected area as a step forward for South Africa's commitment made at the COP15 Biodiversity Conference in 2022 to protect 30% of its land (including mountains) and oceans by 2030.
So far, only 9.2% of South Africa's land is protected and biodiversity loss is increasing, which is why strategic additions to protected areas are particularly important.
Around 20% of the water in the Vaal River system originates in the North Drakensberg. In turn, the North Drakensberg provides water for around 4 million people. How we manage water at its source is important to everyone who ultimately uses it.
A magical place far away
The Greater Drakensberg Conservation Area includes a vast mountainous region stretching along the eastern border of South Africa and Lesotho, from its northernmost point near Puttadighaba in the Golden Gate Highlands National Park to its southern end near Mount Fletcher.
It also contains wetlands, grasslands and some of the world's finest rock art, with over 600 archaeological sites dating back to 3000 BC.
The area is home to many historic sites yet to be explored by archaeologists, including an iron smelter and where tools have been found dating back more than 25,000 years. It is sparsely populated, with farms often exceeding 2,000 hectares in size.
Much of the North Drakensberg is inaccessible except by foot. It is home to many dramatic rock formations and wildlife, including populations of endangered vultures, herds of eland and other grassland animals that benefit from expanded migratory routes. It is an attractive destination for hikers, birdwatchers and those seeking wildlife experiences.
Why were new protected areas declared?
water: This is an important highland catchment. It straddles the boundary between the Orange River Basin, South Africa's largest water source, and smaller catchments that drain into the Indian Ocean. Protecting the Drakensberg water sources gives people access to clean tap water. Maintaining clean water quality in this region is crucial.
Grassland: They cover the Drakensberg mountain range and perform many important functions, such as absorbing water during heavy rainfall and releasing it slowly throughout the year. Grasslands are also carbon sinks in the ecosystem. In South Africa, only 2% of grasslands are formally protected.
The grasslands of the new nature reserve, including the Income Sands and Mabela Sands, contain some of the country's most threatened plant species. Nearly half of South Africa's native mammal species live on the grasslands. Four species are endemic to this site: the black wildebeest, rough-haired golden mole, Natal red hare and sloggett's mouse. The area is also home to many endangered bird species found nowhere else.
community: The reserve is taking a new approach to conservation by integrating environmental protection with ongoing economic activity – working with communities rather than excluding them from the reserve. It is hoped that the new park will stimulate local economic activities such as agriculture, tourism and the efficient use of natural resources, such as making mats and baskets from reeds and grasses.
The creation of the new reserve was driven by committed, conservation-minded landowners who shared a vision of conservation and economic development. They saw corporations buying up farms and commercializing them into forestry. Most of the region’s residents were committed to finding a more sustainable model of development.
Transboundary conservation corridors: The North Drakensberg Nature Reserve connects the Maluti Drakensberg Border Reserve with the rangelands in the south, and conservationists hope that in the near future there will be a continuous reserve across the entire Drakensberg mountain range.
Why is this important?
South Africa has so many unique ecological resources that require different kinds of engagement and protection, be it urban green spaces, threatened individual species that could benefit from citizen science and awareness-raising, or the governance of a just energy transition.
The new North Drakensberg Nature Reserve is a small but important step forward. Landowners, local governments and civil society are working together to take a positive step towards improved land management.
Caitlin Blaser Mapitsa is Associate Professor in the School of Governance at the University of the Witwatersrand. This article was first published on The Conversation