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The Blaauwkrantz Nature Reserve is a small
The Blaauwkrantz Nature Reserve is a small protected area
Protected areas or conservation areas are locations which receive protection because of their recognized natural or cultural values. Protected areas are those areas in which human presence or the exploitation of natural resources (e.g. firewood ...
near Makhanda (Grahamstown) designated for the purpose of conserving the endangered Eastern Province rocky. Nearby are the Waters Meeting Nature Reserve and Buffalo Kloof Protected Environment. The Blaauwkrantz Pass ( R67) runs along the length of the reserve, while the Bloukrans River bisects it horizontally.
History
In 1985, 198.31 ha of land was proclaimed for the conservation of the endangered Eastern Province rocky.Biodiversity
The reserve, consisting ofveld
Veld ( or , Afrikaans language, Afrikaans and Dutch language, Dutch: ''veld'', field), also spelled veldt, is a type of wide-open, rural landscape in Southern Africa. Particularly, it is a flat area covered in grass or low scrubland, scrub, ...
vegetation, has over 200 plant species including aloe and tree euphorbia. The Blaauwkrantz Pool in the reserve is one of the last refuges of the endemic Eastern Province rocky (rocky kurper). Birds found on the reserve are fish eagle and kingfisher
Kingfishers are a family, the Alcedinidae, of small to medium-sized, brightly coloured birds in the order Coraciiformes. They have a cosmopolitan distribution, with most species living in the tropical regions of Africa, Asia, and Oceania, ...
. Otters can also be found in the reserve.
Threats
The Blaauwkrantz Pool, containing the rocky kurper, faces a number of threats fromsewage treatment
Sewage treatment is a type of wastewater treatment which aims to remove contaminants from sewage to produce an effluent that is suitable to discharge to the surrounding environment or an intended reuse application, thereby preventing water p ...
to agricultural practises like the leaching of fertilisers upstream into the river which lead to the excessive growth of the invasive red water fern that cover the water. This prevents plankton (which require sunlight in order to survive) from growing which is a source of food for young rocky kurpers.
See also
*List of protected areas of South Africa
The protected areas of South Africa include national parks and marine protected areas managed by the national government, public nature reserves managed by provincial and local governments, and private nature reserves managed by private lando ...
References
{{reflist Nature reserves in South Africa Eastern Cape Provincial Parks