List of Ezemvelo KZN Wildlife Protected Areas
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Ezemvelo KZN Wildlife (officially the KwaZulu-Natal Nature Conservation Board) manages over 120 protected areas in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa, including two UNESCO World Heritage Sites.[1] The organisation was formed through the merger of the former Natal Parks Board (established 1947) and the KwaZulu Directorate of Nature Conservation (established 1972) following the democratic elections of 1994.[2] This list organises the protected areas by geographic region.
Maloti-Drakensberg Park
The uKhahlamba Drakensberg Park is a UNESCO World Heritage Site forming part of the transboundary Maloti-Drakensberg Park shared with Lesotho. It was inscribed on the World Heritage List on 29 November 2000 under both natural and cultural criteria, becoming South Africa's first mixed World Heritage Site.[3] The park comprises multiple component reserves along the Drakensberg escarpment, covering 242,813 hectares and containing over 600 rock art sites with an estimated 35,000 individual San paintings.[4]
iSimangaliso Wetland Park
The iSimangaliso Wetland Park was declared South Africa's first UNESCO World Heritage Site on 1 December 1999.[5] The park encompasses 239,566 hectares of diverse ecosystems including coral reefs, beaches, coastal dunes, lake systems, swamps, and wetlands.[6] It contains four Ramsar wetland sites and is managed by the iSimangaliso Wetland Park Authority.[7] The word isimangaliso means "a miracle" or "something wondrous" in Zulu.[8]
| Section | Coordinates | Area (ha) | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cape Vidal | 28°23′00″S 32°25′00″E / 28.3833°S 32.4167°E | Snorkelling, fishing | |
| Charters Creek | 28°22′00″S 32°05′00″E / 28.3667°S 32.0833°E | Western shore bush camp | |
| Eastern Shores | 28°00′00″S 32°21′00″E / 28.0000°S 32.3500°E | Mission Rocks | |
| False Bay | 28°10′00″S 32°03′00″E / 28.1667°S 32.0500°E | Ramsar site since 2015 | |
| Fani's Island | 28°21′00″S 32°08′00″E / 28.3500°S 32.1333°E | Boat access only | |
| Kosi Bay | 26°55′00″S 32°49′00″E / 26.9167°S 32.8167°E | Traditional fish traps | |
| Maphelane | 28°32′00″S 32°27′00″E / 28.5333°S 32.4500°E | World's highest forested dunes | |
| uMkhuze | 27°37′00″S 32°14′00″E / 27.6167°S 32.2333°E | 40,000 | Big 5, birding hotspot |
| Ozabeni | 27°20′00″S 32°33′00″E / 27.3333°S 32.5500°E | Remote wilderness section | |
| Sodwana Bay | 27°33′00″S 32°33′00″E / 27.5500°S 32.5500°E | Southernmost coral reefs | |
| St Lucia Estuary | 28°23′00″S 32°24′00″E / 28.3833°S 32.4000°E | Largest estuarine system in Africa |
Major Game Reserves
Hluhluwe–iMfolozi Park
The Hluhluwe–iMfolozi Park is Africa's oldest proclaimed game reserve, established in 1895.[9] The park covers approximately 96,000 hectares and is renowned for saving the southern white rhinoceros from extinction through Operation Rhino in the 1950s and 1960s.[10] It is the only state-run park in KwaZulu-Natal where all of the Big Five occur and is the flagship park of Ezemvelo KZN Wildlife.[11]
| Section | Coordinates | Area (ha) | Established | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hluhluwe | 28°03′00″S 32°03′00″E / 28.0500°S 32.0500°E | 23,067 | 1895 | Northern section[12] |
| iMfolozi | 28°21′00″S 31°54′00″E / 28.3500°S 31.9000°E | 47,753 | 1895 | Southern section, wilderness trails[12] |
Zululand and Maputaland
The northern reaches of KwaZulu-Natal include several significant reserves protecting subtropical ecosystems and supporting communities of African elephant, Nyala, and other wildlife.
| Reserve | Coordinates | Area (ha) | Established | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Isandlwana | 28°21′00″S 30°39′00″E / 28.3500°S 30.6500°E | Anglo-Zulu War battlefield heritage site | ||
| Ithala | 27°30′00″S 31°15′00″E / 27.5000°S 31.2500°E | 29,653 | 1972 | Mountainous reserve, black & white rhino[13][14] |
| Ndumo | 26°54′00″S 32°19′00″E / 26.9000°S 32.3167°E | 10,117 | 1924 | Over 430 bird species[15][16] |
| Ophathe | 28°18′00″S 31°36′00″E / 28.3000°S 31.6000°E | 7,500 | Big 5 reserve | |
| Phongolo | 27°23′00″S 31°54′00″E / 27.3833°S 31.9000°E | Pongolapoort Dam surrounds | ||
| Tembe | 26°51′00″S 32°26′00″E / 26.8500°S 32.4333°E | 30,000 | 1983 | Largest elephants in South Africa |
Coastal Reserves
KwaZulu-Natal's coastline features numerous small to medium-sized reserves protecting coastal forest, mangroves, and dune ecosystems.
| Reserve | Coordinates | Area (ha) | Established | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Amatikulu | 29°07′00″S 31°27′00″E / 29.1167°S 31.4500°E | 2,020 | 1922 | Coastal forest, reedbuck |
| Beachwood Mangroves | 29°47′00″S 31°03′00″E / 29.7833°S 31.0500°E | 76 | 1951 | Mangrove ecosystem |
| Bluff | 29°55′00″S 31°00′00″E / 29.9167°S 31.0000°E | 45 | Durban coastal forest | |
| Harold Johnson | 29°13′00″S 31°28′00″E / 29.2167°S 31.4667°E | 100 | 1956 | Tugela River mouth |
| Mpenjati | 30°58′00″S 30°17′00″E / 30.9667°S 30.2833°E | 66 | 1988 | South Coast, Blue Flag beach |
| Skyline | 29°51′00″S 31°03′00″E / 29.8500°S 31.0500°E | 90 | 1979 | Coastal grassland |
| Umhlanga Lagoon | 29°44′00″S 31°05′00″E / 29.7333°S 31.0833°E | 26 | 1971 | Coastal forest & mangroves |
| Umlalazi | 28°57′00″S 31°46′00″E / 28.9500°S 31.7667°E | 1,028 | 1948 | Mangrove boardwalk, raffia palms |
South Coast
The South Coast region features dramatic landscapes including the Oribi Gorge and Umtamvuna river gorges.
| Reserve | Coordinates | Area (ha) | Established | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oribi Gorge | 30°43′00″S 30°16′00″E / 30.7167°S 30.2667°E | 1,837 | 1950 | Deep gorge, oribi, samango monkey |
| Umtamvuna | 31°04′00″S 30°10′00″E / 31.0667°S 30.1667°E | 3,257 | 1971 | Pondoland endemic centre |
| Vernon Crookes | 30°17′00″S 30°36′00″E / 30.2833°S 30.6000°E | 2,189 | 1973 | Coastal scarp forest |
Durban Metropolitan
Several reserves are located within or adjacent to the eThekwini Metropolitan Municipality, providing green spaces and biodiversity conservation within the urban environment.
| Reserve | Coordinates | Area (ha) | Established | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kenneth Stainbank | 29°54′00″S 30°53′00″E / 29.9000°S 30.8833°E | 253 | 1966 | Zebra, impala, bushbuck |
| Krantzkloof | 29°47′00″S 30°49′00″E / 29.7833°S 30.8167°E | 600 | 1950 | Krantzkloof Gorge trails |
| North Park | 29°46′00″S 30°51′00″E / 29.7667°S 30.8500°E | 52 | Urban nature reserve |
Midlands and Interior
The KwaZulu-Natal Midlands and interior regions feature grassland, wetland, and mistbelt forest reserves at higher elevations.
Forest Reserves
KwaZulu-Natal contains significant patches of indigenous forest, including rare scarp and mist-belt forests.
| Reserve | Coordinates | Area (ha) | Established | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bulwer Forest Complex | 29°44′00″S 29°45′00″E / 29.7333°S 29.7500°E | Southern KZN mistbelt | ||
| Dlinza | 28°53′00″S 31°27′00″E / 28.8833°S 31.4500°E | 250 | Aerial boardwalk, spotted thrush | |
| Entumeni | 28°54′00″S 31°20′00″E / 28.9000°S 31.3333°E | 560 | 1910 | Rare trees, samango monkey |
| Hlathikhulu | 29°03′00″S 31°16′00″E / 29.0500°S 31.2667°E | 1,655 | Scarp forest | |
| Karkloof | 29°21′00″S 30°17′00″E / 29.3500°S 30.2833°E | 1,900 | Blue duiker, samango monkey | |
| Nkandla | 28°44′00″S 31°08′00″E / 28.7333°S 31.1333°E | 1,500 | Mistbelt & scarp forest | |
| Ongoye | 28°49′00″S 31°42′00″E / 28.8167°S 31.7000°E | 4,000 | Green barbet endemic |
Other Protected Areas
Additional reserves managed by Ezemvelo KZN Wildlife:
| Reserve | Coordinates | Area (ha) | Established | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Blinkwater | 28°29′00″S 29°39′00″E / 28.4833°S 29.6500°E | 2,800 | Grassland reserve | |
| Coleford | 29°54′00″S 29°43′00″E / 29.9000°S 29.7167°E | 1,293 | Wetland, oribi | |
| Mbumbazi | 29°30′00″S 30°48′00″E / 29.5000°S 30.8000°E | Valley bushveld | ||
| Ncandu | 27°32′00″S 29°54′00″E / 27.5333°S 29.9000°E | 800 | Highveld grassland | |
| Sileza | 27°15′00″S 31°53′00″E / 27.2500°S 31.8833°E | 800 | Sand forest | |
| uMngeni Vlei | 29°30′00″S 30°00′00″E / 29.5000°S 30.0000°E | 876 | Wetland, wattled crane |