Ezemvelo KZN Wildlife has announced the declaration of the iNkonjane Nature Reserve as the new protected area in KwaZulu-Natal, signaling renewed hope for some of South Africa’s most threatened wildlife.
The formal declaration of the iNkonjane Nature Reserve in the KZN Midlands by Economic Development, Tourism and Environmental Affairs MEC Musa Zondi, it said, marks a significant addition to KwaZulu-Natal’s growing network of protected areas. Spanning 181.7 hectares, the reserve provides a critical sanctuary for the Critically Endangered Blue Swallow.
It is located adjacent to the iMpendle Nature Reserve and currently hosts 4 (13%) of the country’s estimated 30 remaining breeding pairs of Blue Swallows, the iNkonjane Nature Reserve secures a vital foraging habitat for this small yet critically important population of swallows.
The entity said the proclamation of the iNkonjane Nature Reserve marks a meaningful step towards ensuring the survival of this bird species, said the organisation in a statement.
“The Blue Swallow is not the only conservation priority in the new reserve. The iNkonjane Nature Reserve is also home to the Critically Endangered Pennington’s Protea Butterfly (Capys penningtoni), a highly range-restricted species found only in the greater Mkhomazi River valley. This is now the third reserve in KwaZulu-Natal established specifically for the protection of threatened butterfly species, alongside the uMvemvane Nature Reserve and Wahroonga Farm.
“In addition to its role in butterfly conservation, the new reserve conserves valuable portions of Southern KwaZulu-Natal Moist Grassland and patches of Eastern Mistbelt Forest, both of which are under mounting pressure from afforestation, agriculture, and development. The grassland habitat is suitable for several other threatened species, including the Endangered oribi antelope (Ourebia ourebi ourebi), Endangered Mountain Reedbuck, and Near Threatened grey rhebok (Pelea capreolus),” it said.
Ezemvelo said the establishment of the iNkonjane Nature Reserve marks the successful conclusion of a carefully negotiated biodiversity offset agreement between Ezemvelo KZN Wildlife and uMngeni and uThukela Water. This agreement was initiated to compensate for the environmental impact of constructing a new wastewater pipeline through a portion of the Midmar Nature Reserve.
It said the iNkonjane Nature Reserve will be managed by Ezemvelo KZN Wildlife along with the neighbouring iMpendle Nature Reserve. There will be no fences separating these nature reserves, allowing for the free movement of wildlife and the integrated management of a larger conservation unit, which will enhance ecological resilience. The addition of the iNkonjane Nature Reserve to the protected area estate brings the area of land managed by Ezemvelo to 518,628 hectares—about 5.5% of the province—and the total protected area extent to 1,016,769 hectares, or 10.78% of the province.
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