Baviaanskloof Mega Reserve

Baviaanskloof Mega Reserve
Map showing the location of Baviaanskloof Mega Reserve

Location in the Eastern Cape

Location Baviaanskloof Valley
Nearest city Willowmore
Coordinates 33°30′S 24°8′E / 33.500°S 24.133°E / -33.500; 24.133Coordinates: 33°30′S 24°8′E / 33.500°S 24.133°E / -33.500; 24.133
Area 500,000 Ha
Governing body Eastern 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
  4. TERU Report No. 52
  5. UNESCO - Cape Floral Region Protected Areas

External links


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