NEWS
A newly proclaimed private nature reserve in Zululand has secured the potential to restore an ancient wildlife corridor , while also protecting critical habitats and building resilience to climate change
Wildlife corridor South Africa - Press release
There is no shortage of privately owned game reserves in South Africa but what makes the Greater Ukuwela Nature Reserve different from most , is that its main purpose is not tourism , but to save habitat for wildlife conservation . The Reserve is the outcome of an agreement between Wild Tomorrow Fund , an NPO that owns 85 % of the reserve , and several private landowners to work together to protect the region ’ s exceptional biodiversity . Spanning 1283.1 ha , the reserve directly borders iSimangaliso Wetland Park World Heritage Site to the east . Its northern neighbour , the Mun-ya-wana Conservancy , in which & Beyond ’ s Phinda Private Game Reserve is located , lies across the Msineni River that edges sections of Ukuwela and flows into the False Bay section of iSimangaliso . Being thus positioned , Ukuwela , which in isiZulu means ‘ to cross over ’, is well placed to substantially reduce habitat fragmentation through linking existing wildernesses and restoring a wildlife corridor , which could contribute significantly to securing the survival of endangered species .
The ecological value of the new reserve is enhanced by its location within the Maputaland Centre of Endemism , which is part of the Maputaland-Pondoland-Albany Biodiversity Hotspot , one of 36 hotspots covering just 2.4 % of the earth ’ s land surface - arguably the most important 2.4 % of places on Earth to protect . According to Conservation
International , to qualify as a biodiversity hotspot , a region must have a high percentage of plant life found nowhere else on the planet and , at the same time , its continuing existence must be threatened . The Maputaland-Pondoland-Albany Hotspot , which is the second richest floristic region in southern Africa with an estimated 8,100 species , at least 23 % of which are endemic , is the most densely populated region in SA , characterised by high levels of poverty , severe land degradation and transformation , and uncontrolled development . Yet it retains corridors of pristine habitat that must be protected at all costs if rare and endemic species are to survive .
Given its full protected status , Ukuwela Nature Reserve is set to play a pivotal role in guarding pristine habitats as well as rehabilitating degraded areas . Containing three habitats – Dry Sand Forest ( endangered ), Subtropical Freshwater Wetland ( vulnerable ), and Western Maputaland Clay Bushveld ( also vulnerable ) the reserve supports over 1000 species , nearly 50 of which are threatened with extinction . These include African Wild Dog , Leopard , Suni , the critically endangered White-backed Vulture , Southern Banded Snake Eagle – also critically endangered , and the vulnerable Eastern Hinged-back tortoise . The 235 tree species identified to date include the threatened , near-endemic Carissa tetramera ( Sand forest Num-num ), and the magnificent giant of the Sand Forest , Newtonia hildebrandtii commonly known as the Lebombo Wattle , a protected species that ’ s in decline . More than 160 wild flower species have been identified , among them the critically rare Sanseviera metallica and the endemic , near threatened Crinum acaule .
Ukuwela ’ s ecological importance is further amplified when considered in the context of the global figures for the International Union for the Conservation of Nature ’ s ( IUCN ) 2121-22 Red List of Threatened Species , that was presented at the Union ’ s World Conservation Congress in Marseille in September 2021 . Of the 138,374 species assessed 38,543 ( or about 29 %) are threatened .
These figures are only for species that have been assessed for the IUCN Red List to date , which means that not all species on Earth have been evaluated . Nevertheless , the list provides useful and sobering insight into what is happening and highlights the urgent need for rigorous action to conserve biodiversity .
Such action is what defines Wild Tomorrow Fund . Founded in 2O15 , the NPO is registered as a charity both in the United States , where the major donor base is established , and South Africa , where a dedicated team is responsible for the day-to-day rewilding and ecological management of the reserve . The organisation ’ s initial goal was to support under-resourced reserves in northern KwaZulu-Natal , supplying park manag-
27 Grassroots Vol 22 No 1 March 2022