De Berg designated South Africa’s 30th Ramsar site

De Berg’s spectacular landscapes (Photograph: Hannes Marais)

The big news is that De Berg Nature Reserve was designated a Ramsar site on 2 February 2024—World Wetlands Day. Northam Platinum created the reserve in fulfilment of some of the conditions of its mining licence.

Ramsar sites are so called because the International Convention on Wetlands was signed in the Iranian city of Ramsar in 197, and came into force in 1975. It’s an intergovernmental treaty that provides the framework for the conservation and wise use of wetlands and their resources. Read more about the Convention on Wetlands.

De Berg is the highest point in Mpumalanga and Limpopo, and is the country’s highest altitude wetland . According to the article published in TimesLive, the site has 878 indigenous plant species, 30 of which are at risk. A new species of bulbine, Bulbine decastroi, is found on the reserve.

In addition, 18 species of frog, 71 of reptiles, 432 of birds and 120 of mammals can be found at De Berg. Several of these species are rare and/or endangered, including the vulnerable southern bald ibis. These striking birds roost on the cliffs above Ibis Falls, one of the many waterfalls that characterise the reserve.

Waterfall at De Berg (Photograph: Hannes Marais)

Read the full TimesLive article.

Nearby Middelpunt Wetland was also declared a Ramsar site in 2023.

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