Nata Bird Sanctuary
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| Nata Bird Sanctuary | |
|---|---|
 Pelicans in the Nata Bird Sanctuary | |
  | |
| Location |  Botswana |
| Nearest city | Nata |
| Coordinates | 20°20′08.48″S 26°15′12.33″E / 20.3356889°S 26.2534250°E |
| Area | 230 |
| Established | 1993 |
The Nata Bird Sanctuary, the only protected reserve in the northeastern periphery of Sowa Pan in Botswana, is a community-managed project, with assistance from the Nata Conservation Committee and national and international organizations. Founded in 1988, it opened for operations in 1993; it encompasses an area of 230 square kilometres (89 sq mi), with the objective of conservation of wildlife. The community project is managed by a Trust titled the "Kalahari Conservation Society", which has members drawn from the four villages of Nata, Sepako, Maposa and Manxotae in the vicinity of the sanctuary.[1][2][3][4]
The prominent wildlife species in the sanctuary are reported to number 165 bird species.[4] The sanctuary is of international importance due to its population of 250,000 lesser flamingo (Phoenicopterus minor) and greater flamingos (Phoenicopterus roseus), which visit the sanctuary every year during the winter period to breed, after the rainy season, when the water sources are full.[5][6]
The community-initiated sanctuary received the coveted "Tourism for Tomorrow" award for the Southern Hemisphere in the first year it opened, in 1993.[3]
The Nata sanctuary is situated at the mouth of the Nata River delta, about 15 kilometres (9.3 mi) from the Nata village at the northeastern border of the Sua Pan (salt pan) within the larger Makgadikgadi.[1][7] The Makgadikgadi Pans Landscape, located in the Central Kalahari Game Reserve to the southeast of the Okavango Delta, is the most important of natural habitats. It covers wild life conservation parks such as the Makgadikgadi National Park and the Nxai Pan National Park, apart from the Nata Bird Sanctuary, which is "one of the largest breeding sites of Lesser and Greater flamingo in the world."[8]
This region was inhabited by the Nata, Sepako, Maposa and Manxotae communities, who grazed their 3500 and odd cattle in the area. The villagers were persuaded to move their cattle so that a securely fenced sanctuary could be established covering an area of 230 square kilometres (89 sq mi); 45% of the sanctuary lies in the Sua Pan.[2][6]
A raised wooden platform within the sanctuary provides vistas of the Sua salt pan and the rich bird life of the sanctuary.[2] The roads within the sanctuary are now well maintained. Some areas of the park, where black "cotton" soils are found, can pose problems for road transport during the rainy season.[1]
