Mpofu Nature Reserve is a

nature reserve A nature reserve (also known as a wildlife refuge, wildlife sanctuary, biosphere reserve or bioreserve, natural or nature preserve, or nature conservation area) is a protected area of importance for flora, fauna, or features of geological or ...

in the Amatole district of the Eastern Cape Province,

South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the south by of coastline that stretch along the South Atlantic and Indian Oceans; to the north by the neighbouring countri ...

that is managed by

Eastern Cape Parks Eastern Cape Parks are the national parks, marine protected areas, nature reserves and other nature conservation areas in the Eastern Cape province of South Africa. Eastern Cape Parks and Tourism Agency (ECPTA) is the governmental organisation resp ...

. Mpofu is situated roughly 25 km (16 miles) northwest of Fort Beaufort and 20 km (12 miles) west of Balfour. It lies on the escarpment and lower valleys of the Katberg Mountains and covers 7,500 ha (19,000 acres) with altitudes varying from 550 to 1,384 metres (1,804 to 4,541 ft). The reserve was established in 1985 from land purchased from families who were descended from the

1820 settlers The 1820 Settlers were several groups of British colonists from England, Ireland, Scotland and Wales, settled by the government of the United Kingdom and the Cape Colony authorities in the Eastern Cape of South Africa in 1820. Origins After th ...

Geography and Climate

Mpofu occupies the valleys and escarpments between the Katberg and Amatole mountain ranges. Some areas of the reserve are on steep terrain as a result. The reserve experiences its rainy season between November and March and summers are hot and humid. Autumn and winter are mainly dry and cool, and snowfalls occasionally occur on the surrounding mountain ranges. The nature reserve, like the rest of the Eastern Cape, is a

malaria Malaria is a mosquito-borne infectious disease that affects humans and other animals. Malaria causes symptoms that typically include fever, tiredness, vomiting, and headaches. In severe cases, it can cause jaundice, seizures, coma, or death. S ...

-free zone.

Vegetation

The vegetation of the reserve comprises

Grassland A grassland is an area where the vegetation is dominated by grasses (Poaceae). However, sedge (Cyperaceae) and rush (Juncaceae) can also be found along with variable proportions of legumes, like clover, and other herbs. Grasslands occur natur ...

Forest A forest is an area of land dominated by trees. Hundreds of definitions of forest are used throughout the world, incorporating factors such as tree density, tree height, land use, legal standing, and ecological function. The United Nations' ...

, and

Albany Thicket The Albany thickets is an ecoregion of dense woodland in southern South Africa, which is concentrated around the Albany region of the Eastern Cape (whence the region's name originates). Geography The thickets grow on well-drained sandy soils i ...

biomes. Many species of

flora Flora is all the plant life present in a particular region or time, generally the naturally occurring (indigenous) native plants. Sometimes bacteria and fungi are also referred to as flora, as in the terms '' gut flora'' or '' skin flora''. E ...

found in these biomes are

endemic Endemism is the state of a species being found in a single defined geographic location, such as an island, state, nation, country or other defined zone; organisms that are indigenous to a place are not endemic to it if they are also found elsew ...

to South Africa. Bush encroachment by Acacia karoo is currently a threat to the biodiversity of Mpofu nature reserve.

Wildlife

There is a large variety of mammals found in the reserve including the endangered

White Rhino The white rhinoceros, white rhino or square-lipped rhinoceros (''Ceratotherium simum'') is the largest extant species of rhinoceros. It has a wide mouth used for grazing and is the most social of all rhino species. The white rhinoceros consists ...

. Other species include

Burchell's zebra Burchell's zebra (''Equus quagga burchellii'') is a southern subspecies of the plains zebra. It is named after the British explorer and naturalist William John Burchell. Common names include bontequagga, Damaraland zebra, and Zululand zebra (John ...

Giraffe The giraffe is a large African hoofed mammal belonging to the genus ''Giraffa''. It is the tallest living terrestrial animal and the largest ruminant on Earth. Traditionally, giraffes were thought to be one species, ''Giraffa camelopardalis ...

Bushbuck The Cape bushbuck (''Tragelaphus sylvaticus'') is a common and a widespread species of antelope in sub-Saharan Africa.Wronski T, Moodley Y. (2009)Bushbuck, harnessed antelope or both? ''Gnusletter'', 28(1):18-19. Bushbuck are found in a wide ra ...

, African Buffalo, Eland, and

Black-backed jackal The black-backed jackal (''Lupulella mesomelas),'' also called the silver-backed jackal, is a medium-sized canine native to eastern and southern Africa. These regions are separated by roughly 900 kilometers. One region includes the southe ...

. The bird life is also diverse, and there are many insect and reptile species found in the reserve. File:Neushoorngr.jpg, A White Rhino at the Mpofu Nature reserve File:Burchell's zebra (14801634917).jpg,

File:Cape Giraffe.jpg, Cape giraffe File:Bushbuck (Tragelaphus scriptus).jpg, Bushbuck File:Cape Buffalo (21116953495).jpg, Cape Buffalo File:Eland (Taurotragus oryx) male (32708655016).jpg, Common eland, Eland File:Southern Africa-Black backed jackal.jpg, Black backed jackal

Activities

The reserve hosts several hiking and walking trails, including the Katberg hiking trail. There is also bird watching, educational tours and game drives available. Nearby attractions include the mountain village, Hogsback, and Khoisan rock art in Waylands.

Mountain Passes

There are three passes which traverse between the Mpofu Nature reserve and the Fort Fordyce Nature Reserves:

Blinkwater Pass

The Blinkwater Pass is a 19 kilometre gravel pass which goes northward up the Amathola escarpment across the reserve. The entrance to this pass is free, however, there are gated control points. This is the longest of the three local passes that traverse the Mpofu and Fort Fordyce Nature Reserves.

Fullers Hoek Pass

Fuller's Hoek Pass lies off the R67 northwest of Fort Beaufort within the Fort Fordyce Nature Reserve. It is 8 km in length and has many curves and bends. The road passes rare afromontane forest. Snow often falls in this area during the winter.

Bosnek Pass

The Bosnek pass is a 9 km gravel pass. The altitude variance is 418 metres and the summit is at a height of 1121 metres. The road is engineered with a 1:8

gradient In vector calculus, the gradient of a scalar-valued differentiable function of several variables is the vector field (or vector-valued function) \nabla f whose value at a point p is the "direction and rate of fastest increase". If the gradi ...

. The road is subject to washaways and corrugation.

Mythology

The Blinkwater Monster is said to visit the reserve regularly. The Blinkwater Monster refers to a fossil of ''Pareiasaurus serridens'', a mammal-like reptile, which was named and discovered by Andrew Geddes Bain, a geologist and palaeontologist who discovered many fossils in the areas surrounding the reserve. He was awarded £200 by the British government in 1845 for his research.

Notes

References

External links

Eastern Cape Parks
*https://plak.co.za/moreinfo/414/mpofu-nature-reserve *http://www.saflii.org/za/cases/ZASCA/1997/84.html {{Eastern Cape Provincial Parks * Nature reserves in South Africa Protected areas of the Eastern Cape Eastern Cape Provincial Parks