A pillar of conservation

Ntsikeni Nature Reserve

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Located between Underberg and Kokstad in the south of KwaZulu-Natal, Ntsikeni Nature Reserve protects an area of 9500 hectares and is home to a high-altitude wetland that is not only one of the largest in South Africa, but has also been declared a Ramsar site. The reserve falls within the Umzimkhulu Local Authority, which was transferred from the Eastern Cape to KwaZulu-Natal in 2006, and it is now managed by Ezemvelo KZN Wildlife (EKZNW).

Spanning as it does an entire local catchment, Ntsikeni supplies water resources to many downstream users. The reserve is also a key component of the protected areas system and is highlighted as a crucial node in both national and provincial protected area expansion strategies because of its proximity to Tuduma Forest, uKhahlamba Drakensberg Park and iGxalingenwa, Kwa Yili and Coleford nature reserves. It is bordered to the south and east by many villages within the Harry Gwala District Municipality. The name ‘Ntsikeni’ was given to a mountain on the reserve’s eastern boundary and derives from intsika, which means ‘pillar’, referring to the roof support structure in most traditional huts.

Ntsikeni is special for many reasons, including that it is one of a few sites in South Africa that protect the Critically Endangered White-winged Flufftail, a species that was heard there by Kyle Lloyd during recent acoustic surveys. Other records exist, including sightings in recent years by the then local Community Bird Guide and EKZNW employee, Dalu Ngcobo. It is for the presence of this elusive species, and other threatened and endemic birds, that BirdLife South Africa has developed a specific interest in the long-term conservation of the reserve and surrounding communities.