REGIONAL FOCUS BY RAINE ST.CLAIRE
Mpumalanga Place of the rising sun
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nown for its stunning natural landscapes with waterfalls, wetlands, forests, and Savannahs teeming with wildlife, Mpumalanga is considered one of South Africa’s most geographically diverse regions. Renowned for its breathtaking natural scenery characterised by the convergence of cascading waterfalls, wetlands, dense forests and Savannahs filled with roaming wildlife, this province is considered as one of the most geographically diverse places in South Africa.
It comes as no surprise then that the De Berg Nature Reserve, situated over 2 300 metres above sea level, the highest-altitude wetlands in the region, was recently crowned as South Africa’s 30th Ramsar site, a wetland site of international importance under the Ramsar Convention, administered by UNESCO. Within this grassland biome, the reserve features pristine valleys, wetlands, and mountain streams, supporting a rich variety of plant and animal life, including numerous
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threatened and endangered species. The reserve hosts 878 indigenous plant species, 30 of which are threatened. Among these is a new species of bulbine discovered in the reserve’s valleys; home to 18 frog species, 71 reptile species, 432 bird species, and 120 mammal species, including unique wildlife like Vandam’s girdled lizard, various cranes, and the mountain reedbuck. Rare and vulnerable species, such as flocks of up to 30 southern bald ibis, can be found roosting near Ibis Falls,
