Introduction
The Waterberg Project has been developed to investigate and collect information about Wildlife, habitats, and to promote the natural biodiversity and scientific understanding of the Waterberg region's understudied flora and fauna. This is of great importance as human populations are expanding in the region and there is much development planned for the future. Volunteers will play a vital role by gathering crucial biological data as well as carrying out maintenance within a private Conservation Reserve. Data collected from the reserve will be used and shared with other conservation instituations to develop a greater ecological understanding of the Waterberg Biome, thereby protecting wildlife and adhering to the research aims of the Waterberg Bioshphere Reserve.
Location
This project is based in a 100Ha Private Conservation Reserve situated within the Magnificent Waterberg Mountain Range in the Limpopo province of South Africa. This beautiful area is designated as a biosphere Reserve and wiht its 14,500 sq km of mountain ranges, undulating plateaus and breath-taking scenery, it is regarded as "one of the last remaining wildernesses in South Africa".
80,000 people live within the Waterberg Biosphere, which covers an area of approximately 400,00Ha. The area is not only renowned for its rich biodiversity and high number of endemic speices, but alos its Cultural Heritage, having been inhabited for hundreds of thousands of years.
Species
Savannah game species, such as zabra, blue wildebeest, kudu, oryx, eland, waterbuck, impala, and klipspringer reside on the reserve. There are also predator species roaming free in the area, such as leopard, caracal, jackal, hyena, plus species of mongoose, genet, and civet. Aardvark, porcupine, clawless otter, baboon, and vervet monkeys are also residents on the reserve. As well as mammals, there is prolific bird life with over 290 species, from magnificent steppe eafges, tawny eagles, gymnogenes, giant eagle owls, goliath herons, brightly coloured bushshrikes, rollers and bee-eaters, to the small, exquisite and rare pygmy kingsfisher, to mention a few.
Reptiles are frequently seen, including the highly protected giant plated lizard, amphibians such as the amazing foam nest tree frog, and a whole host of truly spectacular insect life such as the white-ringed atlas moth. Furthermore, the waterberg range is home to a whole host of wildlife, including the African Big Five.
Habitat
The Waterberg Mountain Range is characterised by savannah bushveld. Bushveld habitats are largely unique to Southern Africa and are typically dominated by small trees and bushes. The Waterberg area is said to hold its own unique mountain bushveld habitat and includes tree species such as paperbark comiphora, red bushwillow, wild teak, and candelabras. It is also famous as a water catchment area and contains numerous aquatic habitats such as rivers and streams, dams and lakes.
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