Gauteng’s last mountain wildlife ecosystem is being decimated by urbanization. The proposed Urban Wildlife Reserve aims to protect fauna and flora currently threatened by development and to allow the restocking of the area with “big game,” to create a unique sanctuary within the Johannesburg Metropolitan Area. Located only 24km from the Joburg CBD, the proposed 2000ha Reserve will link the Walter Sisulu National Botanical Gardens to the Cradle of Humankind World Heritage Site. As the first of its kind in Africa, the Urban Wildlife Reserve will provide Gauteng’s citizens, including economically disadvantaged communities, with practical access to their wildlife heritage. Urgent support is needed to help make this Reserve a reality.

A unique opportunity exists for the creation of Africa’s first truly urban wildlife reserve. Linked to the Cradle of Humankind World Heritage Site, the envisaged Urban Wildlife Reserve (UWR) will be within easy reach of Gauteng’s city dwellers and international visitors.

As an undeveloped mountain ecosystem located close to the heart of the City, visitors will have the opportunity to see wildlife such as White rhino, Eland, Zebra and Klipspringer - in addition to existing attractions such as the Witpoortjie falls, the Walter Sisulu Botanical Gardens, and the world’s only urban-based breeding pair of Verreaux’s (Black) eagles. The URWR could become Gauteng’s premier tourist attraction and put Mogale City on the map as a ‘not-to-be-missed’ highlight for international visitors. Central Park in New York is a world-renowned example of how successful an ‘open space’ concept can be within a built-up urban environment.

The integrity of the Walter Sisulu National Botanical Gardens & Nature Reserve and remaining natural habitat along the Roodepoort-Paardekraal Ridge system, is under critical threat from the continued expansion of “residential estate” developments and human activity. On-going habitat loss and degradation of remaining habitats is undermining the survival of indigenous species - some of which are now extinct or extremely rare elsewhere in the Gauteng Metro Area.

Resident fauna and flora threatened by uncontrolled urban expansion include: Verreaux’s eagle, Leopard, Caracal, Black-backed jackal, Small-spotted genet, Cape clawless otter, Vervet monkey, Grey rhebok, Mountain reedbuck, Duiker, Porcupine, Aardvark, Jameson’s red rock rabbit, African hedgehog (endangered), Roodepoort copper butterfly (endangered), Protea roupelliae (near-threatened), Aloe peglerae (endangered), as well as several threatened Orchids. Numerous other endangered “red data” plant and invertebrate species are also under threat.

South Africa is a signatory of the International Convention on Biodiversity (ICB) and has its own Biodiversity Act which aims to protect our species diversity. Our constitution requires that sensitive ecological areas should be protected by Government. Currently less than 2% of the ‘Rocky highveld grassland’ or ‘Bankenveld’ vegetation type is formally conserved in Gauteng, falling far short of the proposed provincial conservation target of 24%. Floristically the Grassland biome of South Africa is amongst the richest in the world. The Bankenveld found in the proposed reserve is one of the most threatened vegetation types comprising the South African Grassland biome, and in most desperate need of protection.

Unless urgent action is taken to halt the current trend of habitat loss, many of the species found here will soon disappear from this area forever. Gauteng’s citizens – as well as future generations – stand to lose an important part of their natural heritage and to be further deprived of desperately needed “open space.”

In-line with South Africa’s national and international obligations to protect sensitive and threatened habitats, the South African National Biodiversity Institute (SANBI) will be commissioning the development of an Integrated Environmental Management and Development Plan for the proposed Reserve. This will be an essential first step in the implementation of a comprehensive strategy for the long-term protection and rehabilitation of remaining natural habitat in this area. It will also serve as a plan for the establishment of the proposed area as an ecologically viable wildlife reserve.

A priceless urban ecosystem on the brink of collapse

Spanning the boundary between the Johannesburg and Mogale City municipalities, the Roodepoort Ridge harbors an exceptionally species-rich “transitional” vegetation type comprising elements of both bushveld and highveld grassland. Less than 2% of all Gauteng’s “Rocky highveld grassland” - exceeded in floristic diversity only by Cape fynbos - is afforded any protection and it is disappearing at an alarming rate.

Possibly Gauteng’s largest remaining viable population of Protea roupelliae (Silver sugarbush) and probably the largest outside the Drakensberg, occurs on the southern ridge slope. Populations elsewhere in Gauteng are so small that they are no longer viable and the protection of this “gene-pool” is a conservation priority. The more abundant Protea caffra, blanketing the Protea Dal area, is rapidly disappearing from Gauteng and it too may one day join our Province’s growing ranks of threatened species. Other species under threat include the endangered Aloe peglerae and several Orchids.

The Roodepoort ridge is unique in that it is the last relatively intact wildlife ecosystem in the Gauteng metropolitan area. The world renowned urban-based breeding pair of Verreaux’s eagles continues to use this area as their core territory and have now become a major attraction for visitors to the WSNBG. The area also provides refuge for Leopard, Caracal and Grey rhebok – species not normally found in close proximity to humans. Other mammals such as Black-backed jackal, Duiker, Porcupine, Jameson’s red rock rabbit, Rock hyrax, Porcupine, Aardvark, Vervet monkey and Cape clawless otter are - remarkably - also still found here, as are a large variety of smaller mammals, birds (230 species recorded at WSNBG), reptiles, amphibians and insects. ‘Red Data’ fauna includes the Rock scorpion (Hadogenes gunningi), African hedgehog (Atelerix frontalis), Giant bullfrog (Pyxicephalus adspersus), Roodepoort copper butterfly (Aloeides dentatis).

The survival of all these species is inextricably linked to the condition and extent of remaining natural habitat in this area.

Since 1996, more than 35% of the remaining natural habitat between the R28 and the Crocodile River has been destroyed by residential development. Only 275ha is currently protected within the WSNBG nature reserve and the remaining approximately 500ha (owned by Mogale City and private landholders) is unprotected and under threat from proposed “Estate Developments.” Should these areas continue to be degraded and further shrink in size, it is likely that many species, including the Verreaux’s Eagles, will disappear, as the area will simply be too small and disturbed to sustain them.

Human activities are also placing tremendous pressure on this flora and fauna. Much of the area – including portions of the WSNBG – is subject to the uncontrolled intrusion of humans, off-road vehicles and feral cats and dogs. Soil erosion, dumping, littering, shooting, trapping and chasing of wildlife, cutting of vegetation, collection of firewood as well as uncontrolled veld burning, continues unabated. These activities make it extremely difficult for the more sensitive plant and animal species to survive and reproduce successfully.

An Urban Wildlife Reserve: a unique solution and opportunity

The establishment of a fenced wildlife reserve, encompassing as much remaining natural habitat as possible, is a practical means of ensuring that the area will be afforded long-term protection. This will also create suitable conditions for the rehabilitation of the entire area towards its optimum ecological condition through, for example, the removal of alien vegetation and the reintroduction of wildlife species that have long since disappeared from the region. Zebra, Eland, Kudu, Blesbok, Black wildebeest, Springbok, Klipspringer and even White rhino are examples of species known to have occurred here in the past that could potentially be supported.

The feasibility of re-establishing a viable and diverse population of large mammals will depend to a large extent on the availability of suitable habitat (e.g. grasslands, palatable browse areas), the size of the reserve area and the creation of linkages to other conservation areas by means of ‘wildlife corridors.’ The creation of a tunnel or ‘land bridge’ will allow wildlife to move freely between habitats located east and west of the R28. This will help to improve the wildlife ‘carrying capacity’ of the reserve and therefore the feasibility of sustaining a larger number of wild animals.

The establishment of an urban wildlife reserve could become a model for other urban areas. It will essentially bring South Africa’s wildlife heritage within practical access range of Gauteng’s city dwellers, including disadvantaged communities, many of whom have no means of affording the expense of traveling to game reserves located far from urban areas. Residents of communities such as Kagiso, Munsieville, Honeydew, Cosmo City, Zandspruit and many more will for the first time ever have the opportunity to enjoy access to a rich natural heritage that normally only affluent city dwellers have the privilege of experiencing. Yet this is undeniably the constitutional right of every South African, regardless of their economic status.
The development of an integrated plan for the wise future development and management of remaining natural habitat – in accordance with the urban wildlife reserve concept – will soon be carried out as an important first step. Under the auspices of SANBI, this process will be coordinated by appointed consultants in consultation with landowners, local / provincial authorities, NGO’s and other interested and affected parties. If ultimately adopted as policy by all stakeholders, the future development and management of the area will be governed by the plan.

As follows are the primary objectives:

:: To ensure the long-term survival of existing fauna and flora:
The survival of indigenous fauna and flora will be achieved through the protection of remaining habitats and the supplementation of critically low populations with new individuals to improve population viability.

:: To rehabilitate the area towards its optimum ecological and economic potential:
Alien vegetation will be replaced over time with indigenous plants, thus improving biodiversity and wildlife “carrying capacity.” Wildlife occurring in this region in the past will be re-introduced, thus enhancing the aesthetic appeal, and therefore the marketability, of the Reserve and surrounding areas.

:: To ensure continued and sustainable use of the reserve area by local communities:
As an attractive sanctuary within the City limits, the Reserve will provide Gauteng residents with much-needed open space and a convenient ‘escape’ from the pressures of city living. It can contribute towards educational, recreational and spiritual needs, provided that such activities are properly planned and do not undermine conservation objectives.

:: To promote broader community access to and enjoyment of their natural heritage:
The Reserve will be located within easy access of Gauteng’s city dwellers. A subsidized entrance fee structure will also make the reserve accessible to those normally deprived of access to nature/wildlife areas on account of their economic status. An environmental education program will add significant value to each visitor’s experience.

:: To promote the long-term viability of WSNBG as a nationally important heritage asset and tourism resource:
The WSNBG has a limited visitor carrying capacity. There is a need to encourage increasing numbers of people to enjoy its facilities but visitor impacts are substantial and ways must be found to minimize impacts. By spreading people out over a larger area, a higher visitor capacity can be sustained.

:: To comply with South Africa’s national & international obligations to protect threatened habitats:
The Reserve will protect sensitive habitats as well as threatened fauna and flora, thus furthering South Africa’s goals of meeting the nation’s obligations in terms of its environmental policies and guidelines such as the National Environmental Management Act and the Gauteng Ridges Policy.

Anticipated benefits of proposed initiative:

:: The long-term viability of the WSNBG and Roodepoort-Paardekraal Ridge ecosystem will be ensured, as well as the continued survival of threatened plants and animals.

:: Continued community use of the area will be ensured through carefully planned and managed activities.

:: The development and management of the reserve will create employment opportunities for local communities.

:: The region will be internationally marketed, thus stimulating the local economy and increasing investment in the Mogale City area. Associated enterprises and service industries will provide further employment opportunities.

:: The Reserve will provide disadvantaged communities, without the financial resources to travel to game reserves, with the opportunity to have practical and affordable access to their own wildlife heritage.

It is the philosophy of the Urban Wildlife Reserve that if the conservation of our natural heritage is to have any bearing on the quality of lives of the South African people, then it must be accessible to every citizen.