Introducing the Soutpansberg Centre for Biodiversity and Conservation

Located in the Soutpansberg on the banks of the Sand River, the Soutpansberg Centre for Biodiversity and Conservation has founded in order to progressively change the trajectory of conservation in the Soutpansberg in the context of the greater Vhembe Biosphere Reserve; to catalogue the biodiversity of the Soutpansberg; to reconnect people with the natural world; and to develop proactive environmentalists who will impact their world.

 

View of the Sand River Gorge, home of the Soutpansberg Centre for Biodiversity and Conservation.

The Soutpansberg is a mountain range in the far north of South Africa and is close to the town of Louis Trichard. The mountains are renowned for their beauty and high species endemism. The role of the Soutpansberg Centre for Biodiversity and Conservation is to catalogue this biodiversity, collect data and be a conservational presence in the region. 

The endemic Soutpansberg Flat Lizard (Platysaurus relictus) one of the most colourful animals in the area.

The SCBC is an experimental and independent space for the exchange of ideas, biodiversity research and the practice of conservation. Through approaching conservation from an inclusive rather than exclusive position, our goal is to become a model for eco-tourism and conservation in the area In terms of research, our aim is to collect information on biodiversity in the Soutpansberg and contribute this knowledge to a greater scientific community.

A mountain stream; a hotspot for biodiversity.

Our primary objective in these early stages of development is to begin with research on ecosystems – cataloguing the biodiversity of reptiles, birds, plants, arachnids and insects, and monitoring the larger mammals in the area such as leopards, brown hyeanas, aardvarks and antelope. 

Giant Plated Lizard (Matabosaurus validus), a lizard which can grow to just under a metre in length.

Biodiversity research will be accomplished by actively searching for organisms and setting pit-fall and/or camera traps. All records and documentation will be uploaded to the South African National Biodiversity (SANBI) database, making them accessible to the general public and scientists alike. The SCBC will also engage with other conservationists within the area, sharing research and raising awareness of the project within a broader community.

A community of lichen growing on a rock on a mountain summit.

The Soutpansberg Centre For Biodiversity and Conservation is an independent, not-for-profit research and conservation organization based in the Soutpansberg range to the west of Louis Trichard, Limpopo Province, South Africa and we are currently looking for volunteers to assist us with our project.

Lygus Acraea (Acraea lygus) one of the many species of butterfly found in the Soutpansberg. 

Individuals from all walks of life are invited to participate, specifically those that have a strong link to the natural world and want to be part of a new venture (for more information see soutpansbergcbc.blogspot.com).

Winter in Welgevonden Private Game Reserve - Limpopo

Typical woodland in Welgevonden. The main trees are Burkea africana and Terminalia sericea.

I spent winter of this year in the Welgevonden Private Game Reserve, just outside of Vaalwater in the Limpopo Provence of South Africa. The job I was doing was working with researchers in the field collecting data for their university research. The data we were busy collecting was primarily concerned with elephant impact on the environment and also how that environmental impact effected birds. As far as jobs go this is one of the best jobs one can do, you are working with people who are switched on and enthusiastic about nature. There was a good energy and it was an excellent place to spend winter.

This carnivorous plant was a good find. It is amazing to see these plants, they are very strange. This is Shepard's Crook Sundew (Drosera aliciae).

Winged Wooden Pear (Schrebera alata). One of the many interesting plants found during habitat assesments.

Welgevonden is situated in the Waterberg Mountains and is an interesting mix of high plateau vegetation, grassland and woodland. The main trees dominating the landscape are Termenalia species, Faurea saligna and Burkea africana. All of these trees are adapted to survive the regular fires that burn through the grasslands every few years.

Faurea saligna, the Transvaal Beech. These mighty trees grow tall and superficially resemble Eucalyptus trees. 

Marico Sunbird flits around in a Cape Honey Suckle. The call of this little bird was often heard in the research camp.

The veld type in the area is considered sourveld. Sourveld is apposed to sweetveld and refers to the palatability of the veld, which is determined by the soil conditions which are broadly influenced by climate and geology. Sourveld generally occurs in regions where there is a lot of rainfall and very cold winters. The high rainfall tends to remove nutrients from the soil decreasing the pH value in the soil. Grasses growing in this veld are poor in nutrients and because of this are considered unpalatable, in addition to this the grasses, in an effort to prevent the loss of nutrients, withdraw nutrients from the leaves at the onset of the dry season making the grasses even more unpalatable and lacking in nutritional value.[i] During the dry season, Welgevonden management has to put out lick blocks in order to try and help animals get their vitamins and minerals.

Wildebeest that died of mange related complications. Wildebeest seemed to particularly suffer from mange on the reserve and I am sure this can be linked to the poor grazing of the sourveld.

From a biodiversity perspective the area is relatively rich considering its altitude and the veld type. The birding in the area was good and during the six weeks in the reserve, the group of researchers and I managed to compile a bird list that reached 126, which is not bad for winter. There were some notable sightings. Highlights for me include Cape Vultures, Black-chested Snake Eagles (we saw these birds a lot), Denham’s Bustard, Coqui and Shelly’s Francolin (these were also very vocal) and Lanner Falcons. [ii]

Ground-scraper Thrush. Very active little birds.

The Little Bee-eater. These are incredibly photogenic birds. They hawk insects from a perch and can often be seen in pairs.

An uncommon bird, Denham's Bustard. These birds are listed as near threatened due to habitat loss.

The Coqui Francolin. A beautiful little game bird.

Shelly's Francolin, another special little game bird that was heard and seen often at Welgevonden.

The Ant-eating Chat. This one has some mud on its feet and bill adding an interesting colouration to an otherwise drab bird.

There were many Familiar Chats on Welgevonden. Very interesting birds to watch as they are usually very active.

What tourists want to see. The lion, one of the big five.

Welgevonden Private Game Reserve exists in order to attract people to come on safari and enjoy seeing big game animals. Today seeing the ‘big five’ is one of the must do things in Africa and many of the private game reserves and their lodges cater to this need. Big five equals big money and that is the long and short of it. In a way it is unfortunate because lodge management really push this big five agenda on their nature guides and the entire experience becomes an artificial one. Guides are pressured into finding their guests the big five (this pressure does not necessarily come from the guests, but rather the management) and tend to neglect the smaller things that really make a bush experience magical. Radios tuned in, guides chase sightings often missing out on other sighting because of this tunnel vision. On one occasion in Welgevonden we had an incredible lion sighting at one of the central plains. Three lions stalked a baby rhino and then some warthogs. So many safari trucks must have driven past the plains and no one saw the lions until they saw us watching them because they were chasing sighting on the radio.

An interesting interaction. We watched these lions stalk a baby rhinoceros, the mother of the calf quickly showed them that she was not going to let it happen that easily.

Cheetah's are beautiful cats. Their sleek coats and slender build really are captivating.

Another aspect of the Game Reserve that struck me as artificial is the fertilization of the land to support more grazers and therefore more predators. There is also a constant restocking of game animals such as Wildebeest and Zebras. That said, Welgevonden Game Reserve is a good place for Game viewing. During the six weeks I was there, we had some very good game sightings. White Rhinoceros were especially easy to see and we had some incredible encounters with elephants. Welgevonden is also the first place I have seen Bushpigs from a vehicle in the day.

A view from the research camp. Typically on any day there would be plentiful game outside the research camp. In this picture there are Guinea Fowl in the foreground, Impala behind them and in the distance some White Rhinoceros.

Paper Wasps on their nest. These small colonies are dominated by a single female, her daughters help her gather food and raise a new generation of wasps.

A large Huntsman Spider (Sparassidae) found on a rocky outcrop.

These Darklings (Tenebrionidae) were sheltering under some bark that was being warmed by the sun.

One day some of the researchers caught this fish in a stream, I am not sure of the species, but I think the genus is likely to be Barbus.

In respect of smaller animals, Welgevonden Private Game Reserve has a lot to offer. There are many Klipspringers on the rocks, Rock Hyraxes and it was common to Black-backed Jackals. Banded Mongooses, Dwarf Mongooses and Slender Mongooses were regularly seen while out and about in the reserve. We also saw a surprising amount of reptiles. Surprising because it was winter and the work we were doing was not really conducive to reptile hunting.[iii]

A little female Klipspringer, these small antelope are at home in rocky areas, especially hill slopes that are inaccessible to other antelope.

Black-backed Jackals are commonly seen during the day in Welgevonden. Their nightly chorus of melancholy wailing is one of the most distinctly African bush sounds.

Foxy Charaxes (Charaxes jasius subsp. saturnus).

The Nile Crocodile affectionately know as the Flat Dog in Southern Africa.

Spotted Sand Lizard (Pedioplanis lineoocellata subsp. lineoocellata). The lizards are fast.

Trachlepis varia, the Variable Skink. This species is my favourite skink. They have a very large distribution and quickly become used to human presence.

A juvenile Transvaal Gecko (Pachydactylus affinis).

The Herald Snake, Crotaphopeltis hotamboeia. An amphibian specialist.

Bibron's Blind Snake (Afrotyphlops bibronii). A snake well adapted to a life underground. Scales have grown over the eyes which can be seen as dark points on the side of the head. The snake preys on termites and their larvae.

The Cape Centipede-eater (Aparallactus capensis) preys on centipedes. Not many snakes are invertebrate specialists, making it a good niche to exploit. 

Short-snouted Grass Snake (Psammophis brevirostris). A fast diurnal snake.

This Speckled Rock Skink (Trachylepis punctatissima) was trying to overcome a Carpenter Bee (Xylocopa). I am not sure what the result of this struggle was, but the lizard was committed.

 Overall it was a beautiful winter. The icy mornings with accompanying frost tangibly demonstrated the power of winter and its brutal nature: killing the weak and weakening the strong. As the morning progresses and the sun ascends, the warmth of that star becomes very noticeable. The fawn colour of the landscape and the atmosphere of starkness that is created by the leafless trees was arresting. I distinctly remember standing in the open one morning watching the grass moving with the wind. The motion struck me as fluid and for a moment I could see he air itself. These incommunicable experiences where one feels a powerful connection to the earth and nature are what motivate me to continue a lifestyle that is tied as closely to nature as possible.

View of one of the central plains early one morning.

  

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[i] F. van Oudtshoorn. 2012. Guide to Grasses of southern Africa. Briza Publications: Pretoria. pg 28.

[ii] List of Birds seen at Welgevonden:

Shelly’s Francolin, Coqui Francolin, Natal Spurfowl, Helmeted Guineafowl, Egyptian Goose, African Black Duck, Greater Honeyguide, Lesser Honeyguide, Bearded Woodpecker, Cardinal Woodpecker, Black-collared Barbet, Crested Barbet, Southern Yellow-billed Hornbill, African Grey Hornbill, African Hoopoe, Green Wood-hoopoe, Lilac-breasted Roller, Malachite Kingfisher, Brown-hooded Kingfisher, Giant Kingfisher, Pied Kingfisher, Little Bee-eater, White-fronted Bee-eater, Speckled Mousebird, Klaas’s Cuckoo, Burchell’s Coucal, Grey Go-away Bird, Barn Owl, Grass Owl, Pearl-spotted Owlett, Spotted Eagle Owl, Fiery-necked Nightjar, Freckled Nightjar, Speckled Pigeon, African Green Pigeon, Laughing Dove, Cape Turtle-Dove, Red-eyed Dove, Emerald-spotted Wood-dove, Denham’s Bustard, African Jacana, Blacksmith Lapwing, African Wattled Lapwing, Crowned Lapwing, Black-shouldered Kite, African Fish-Eagle, Cape Vulture, Brown Snake-Eagle, Black-chested Snake-Eagle, Black Sparrowhawk, Gabar Goshawk, Jackal Buzzard, African Harrier-Hawk, African Hawk-Eagle, Martial Eagle, Rock Kestrel, Lanner Falcon, African Darter, White-breasted Cormorant,  Little Grebe, Grey Heron, Hammerkop, Hadeda Ibis, Black Stork, Black-headed Oriole, Fork-tailed Drongo, Brubru, Black-backed Puffback, Black-crowned Tchagra, Southern Boubou, Orange-breasted Bush-Shrike, Grey-headed Bush-Shrike, White-crested Helmet-Shrike, Chinspot Batis, Pied Crow, Common Fiscal, Southern Black Tit, Rock Martin, Brown-throated Martin, Pearl-breasted Swallow, Lesser Striped Swallow, Dark-capped Bulbul, Cape Grassbird, Long-billed Crombec, Arrow-marked Babbler, Cape White-eye, Croaking Cisticola, Rattling Cisticola, Neddicky, Tawny-flanked Prinia, Bar-throated Apalis, Grey-backed Camaroptera, Rufous-naped Lark, Kurrichane Thrush, Groundscraper Thrush, Southern Black Flycatcher, White-throated Robin-Chat, White-browed Scrub-Robin, African Stonechat, Familiar Chat, Capped Wheatear, Ant-eating Chat, Red-winged Starling, Cape Glossy Starling, Red-billed Oxpecker, Amethyst Sunbird, White-bellied Sunbird, Marico Sunbird, Red-headed Weaver, Southern Masked Weaver, Red-billed Quelea, Long-tailed Widowbird, Red-collared Widowbird, Common Waxbill, Blue Waxbill, African Firefinch, Jameson’s Firefinch, Southern Grey-headed Sparrow, Cape Wagtail, Cape Longclaw, African Pipit, Yellow-fronted Canary, Streaky-headed Seedeater, Cinnamon-breasted Bunting, Golden-breasted Bunting

[iii] List of Reptiles: 
Bibron’s Blind Snake, Cape Centipede-eater, Short-snouted Grass Snake, Western Stripe-bellied Sand Snake, Herald Snake, Distant’s Ground Agama, Southern Tree Agama, Variable Skink, Rainbow Skink, Speckled Rock Skink, Waterberg Flat Lizard, Giant Plated Lizard, Transvaal Girdled Lizard, Spotted Sand Lizard, Common Rough Scaled Lizard, Tropical House Gecko, Transvaal Gecko, Common Dwarf Gecko, Nile Crocodile

 

Zululand Rhino Reserve – My time as a Safari Guide

The coastal dune forest at Sodwana at dusk.

Sometimes in life things are too good to be true. I experienced a version of this particular platitude earlier this year. During April I applied for what was the perfect job. The job was a field guide based in a reserve close to Mkuze and they were not too worried about my experience. I first traveled to Mkuze in northern Zululand in 2005 and fell in love with the area. I spent some time camping in Mkuze Game Reserve and had my first encounter with the incredible biodiversity of the region. I remember many finding many frogs I had never seen before and insects that I had no idea what they were. Back then my repertoire of species and biodiversity was narrower than it is now, but even then the naturalist in me was patrolling the dark camp for hours at night looking for crawlers. Visiting the region changed something in me and when I was there all those years ago I knew that I was going to be steering my life towards the natural world in some way. I have always thought that if I could get back to the area to work I would be happy. This happened and I got the job at a lodge in Zululand Rhino Reserve, which is very close to Mkuze. 

Thelotornis capensis, aptly named the Twig Snake or Vine Snake.

I went on a very steep learning curve and had to learn the ropes of guiding and the road network as fast as possible. I managed this and with a few bumps along the way I eventually was doing good game drives and getting good feed back. The job was intense and high energy. I would get up 4:15 am everyday and start getting ready. Before my drive I had to be looking sharp, have the vehicle ready (all checks done) and have the coffee station ready for my guests arrival. After a quick coffee we would depart on game drive at about six. After a three hour or so game drive I would have breakfast with my guests and then either wash my car or do another activity. Then at 14:30 I would be back at the lodge to eat quick and begin the preparations for the afternoon/night game drive. The game drive would get back at about seven and then I would still have to host the guests for a while before going back to my room to sleep, usually around ten. I would work like that for three weeks straight.

The Eastern Tiger Snake, Telescopus semiannulatus, a beautiful, nocturnal hunter.

 The Leopard Tortoise, Stigmochelys pardalis.

The job I was doing out there was vehicle based nature guiding. It was a very different job to what I am used to and a nature experience from a vehicle is very different to one on foot. One covers a lot ground, about 25km per drive and the focus is on the bigger animals, such as mammals and birds. The area I was working in was part of the Black Rhino Expansion Project, led by Ezemvelo Wildlife, World Wildlife Fund and other role players. To regularly see these animals, which are suffering so much from human pressure, was a privilege. The Black Rhinoceros is going extinct at a rate, which indicates that it will soon be completely obliterated from our world.

 A beautiful sight, a Black Rhinoceros (Diceros bicornis) out in the open. The Zululand Rhino Reserve is playing a role in the preservation of this species.

 Doing this job I learned a lot about people and myself and of course my self in relation to other people. I also learned a lot about the lodge industry, private game reserves, conservation and the role of money in all of it. It is an interesting system and I will definitely be writing about it in detail in the future. I was able to see the workings of the private game reserve as a game farm from the inside. It is a closed system and in many ways it is artificial. That aside, I did have some incredible experiences, I saw some very interesting animals encounters and witnessed magical interactions, I also met some amazing people.

A powerful predator. This female lioness was often seen down in the river bed. This is what tourists want to see.

Impalas are one of the most graceful antelope. Due to the excellent grazing on the reserve these animals were in very good condition.

Another animal under immense human pressure, the White Rhinocerous (Ceratotherium simum).

Birding in the reserve is excellent. The Burchell's Coucal (Centropus burchellii) is abundant in the area.

The Nile Crocodile (Crocodylus niloticus). These ancient reptiles are not very common in the reserve, but a few of the water bodies have one or two. 

The Giraffe (Giraffa camelopardalis) a truly bizarre looking animal.

The Reed Buck (Redunca arundinum). A beautiful and shy antelope.

Marsh Owl (Asio capensis capensis).

A morning scene with White-backed Vultures (Gyps africanus).

The beautiful Cheetah (Acinonyx jubatus).

The Moon and Venus before sunrise.

One of the most significantexperiences I had while working in Zululand was going scuba diving for the first time. I was fortunate enough to get sponsored to go Sodwana Bay and consider life from the bottom of the ocean. There are such strange organisms under there and it was a life changing experience to see them and swim in that environment. After my first dives in the ocean I took a long walk and sitting on the beach I got thinking about my life and the way it had led me to that singular moment sitting there considering my experiences, I was moved and could see where I am going and I could see that everything that was happening to me in the last two months, a job, doing nature guiding, the money I got, the way I felt in relation to all of it:

The moon has risen. Bright. Reflecting. A dead lump of rock ejected from our world in a distant time. Coldly shining. The shadow of the earth slowly creeps, soon darkness will reign. Vision changes: blue, blackgrey. A calmness pervades everything. The solar system slowly begins to reveal itself.

Mars, our brother. Dying, dead or at rest? Jupiter, strange gas world. Embryonic. Titanic. Alpha Centauri, the closest star system to our sun. Sirius, the bright one. Indifferent. Incomprehensible.

"In some remote corner of the sprawling universe, twinkling among the countless solar systems there was once a star on which some clever animals invented knowledge. It was the most arrogant, most mendacious minute in "world history," but it was only a minute. After nature caught its breath a little the star froze and the clever animals had to die."*

Sitting alone in the darkness, nameless and for a moment detached. Desolation emanates from deep inside my brain. For a moment I feel that I have connected on some level with the rest of the universe. I quickly realise the mistake. The sensation is an illusion. I am alone. I am part of a great nothingness.

I have never been born. I have never lived. I have never died. I am born. I live. I will die and I will become nothing as I am now. Nothing changing, nothing staying the same. Eternity becomes physical, the universe – time itself.

The vast emptiness fills my head and makes me drunk. I am alone and I have no problem.

Looking up at the stars, my brain shivered and I could see it was all just a dream.

Soon after that I resigned my job. My future is different now.

Tandy's Sandfrog (Tomopterna tandyi).

Mozambique Rain Frog (Breviceps mossambicus).

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* Nietzche, F. ‘On truth and lie in a nonmoral sense’. In, On Truth and Untruth. Edited by T. Carman. 2007. Harper Perennial: New York. (pg 17–18)