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Number 29: South Africa gets new Ramsar site

Middelpunt Nature Reserve in Mpumalanga has been named South Africa's 29th Ramsar site. Photo: @RockjumperTours / twitter

Middelpunt Nature Reserve in Mpumalanga has been named South Africa’s 29th Ramsar site. Here are the details…

Middelpunt Nature Reserve in Mpumalanga has been named South Africa’s 29th Ramsar site. Photo: @RockjumperTours / twitter

Another Site for SA

South Africa now proudly boasts 29 Ramsar sites, after Mpumalanga’s Middelpunt Nature Reserve was recently declared the newest addition.

The new site was named just under a year since the declaration of the Berg Estuary in the Western Cape as South Africa’s 28^th Ramsar Site, reports Travel News.

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The newest Ramsar site is a permanent freshwater valley bottom forming part of the broader Lakenvlei wetland system, most of which is located in the Greater Lakenvlei Protected Environment, and is home to one of the rarest and most threatened waterbirds in Africa, the White-winged Flufftail.

Middelpunt is also one of South Africa’s highest rainfall areas, and supports a variety of plants, animals, and microorganisms and plays a vital role in maintaining the genetic and ecological diversity of the Steenkampsberg Mountain Grasslands.

Besides all of its value for biodiversity, the site is also a source of drinking water for local communities and supports flood control and groundwater recharge and discharge.

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What is a Ramsar Site?

According to the official website, a Ramsar site is a wetland area designated by the Convention on Wetlands, which is a intergovernmental treaty that provides the framework for the conservation and wise use of wetlands and their resources.

Some of South Africa’s other sites include:

Barberspan, North West
Berg Estuary Ramsar Site, Western Cape
Blesbokspruit, Gauteng
Bot – Kleinmond Estuarine System, Western Cape
Dassen Island Nature Reserve, Western Cape
De Hoop Vlei, Western Cape
De Mond, Western Cape
Dyer Island Provincial Nature Reserve and Geyser Island Provincial Nature Reserve, Western Cape
False Bay Nature Reserve, Western Cape
Ingula Nature Reserve, KZN and Free State
Kgaswane Mountain Reserve, North West
Kosi Bay, KZN

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Sundeeka Mungroo

Sundeeka Mungroo is a content writer, foodie and all-round adventure-seeker. She's a graduate of the University of South Africa with a Bachelor of Arts degree in English Literature, and has worked as a copywriter and editor in the digital marketing industry. Sundeeka currently writes for I Love South Africa and The South African. She lives in the beautiful Mother City and loves exploring all that South Africa has to offer.