Baviaanskloof Mega Reserve

Baviaanskloof Mega Reserve
Kouga River
Map showing the location of Baviaanskloof Mega Reserve
Map showing the location of Baviaanskloof Mega Reserve
Location in the Eastern Cape
LocationBaviaanskloof Valley
Nearest cityWillowmore
Coordinates33°30′S 24°8′E / 33.500°S 24.133°E / -33.500; 24.133
Area500,000 Ha
Governing bodyEastern Cape Parks

Baviaanskloof Mega Reserve is a protected area in the Eastern Cape Province, South Africa.

Characteristics

The Baviaanskloof (Dutch for "Valley of Baboons") lies between the Baviaanskloof and Kouga mountain ranges. The easternmost point of the valley is some 95 km NW of the coastal city of Port Elizabeth.

The Baviaanskloof area includes a cluster of formal protected areas managed by the Eastern Cape Parks Board totalling around 500,000 hectares (1,200,000 acres),[1] of which the most well-known is the 184 385 ha Baviaanskloof Nature Reserve - the third largest protected area in South Africa. The Baviaanskloof Forest Reserve was established in 1920.[2] It also includes the Groendal Nature Reserve and Formosa Nature Reserve,[3] and encompasses private land.

The Baviaanskloof area is one of outstanding natural beauty, owing to its spectacular land forms, a diverse array of plants and wide variety of animals.[4] The area is part of the Cape Floristic Region World Heritage Site as of 2004.[5]

Panorama of the Baviaanskloof range

References

  1. ^ "Conservation Strategy". The Wilderness Foundation. Retrieved 1 December 2009.
  2. ^ de Vries, J. R., Aarts, N., Lokhorst, A. M., Beunen, R., & Munnink, J. O. (2015). Trust related dynamics in contested land use: A longitudinal study towards trust and distrust in intergroup conflicts in the Baviaanskloof, South Africa. Forest Policy and Economics, 50, 302-310
  3. ^ Eastern Cape Management Plan Archived 5 October 2011 at the Wayback Machine
  4. ^ "TERU Report No. 52" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 18 July 2011. Retrieved 14 August 2010.
  5. ^ UNESCO - Cape Floral Region Protected Areas


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