A bird flies overhead, its long white neck extends elegantly forward, its grey legs straight out behind, and its giant body is carried by swooping wings. Below it, a hundred different grasses sway in a gentle breeze over rolling hills between patches of lush forest. A thick mist hovers in the valley and there is a slight chill in the air.
This is the Karkloof, in the KwaZulu-Natal Midlands, and its under threat. In fact, the bird you just saw flying overhead would have had twitchers scrambling for their binoculars, mouths ajar, and counting their lucky stars. Wattled Crane populations have declined dramatically in South Africa over the last 20 years and are in danger of disappearing from the country altogether, there are only 235 birds left. The reason these birds are so critically endangered is largely due to the loss of their habitat. The grasslands of the Karkloof are their ideal breeding grounds and these grasslands are being lost to development and agriculture.
But it’s not all bad news. As part of their Stewardship programme, Ezemvelo KZN Wildlife are working hard to conserve this area and with funding from the Wildlands Conservation Trust recently purchased a portion of land which consolidates a large portion of the area. The Dartmoor farm consolidates another 1000 ha of land. “Our intention is ultimately to support the establishment of a consolidated reserve that effectively protects the grasslands and forests associated with the upper Karkloof valley including key species, such as Wattled crane and key water sources, [there are three rivers that arise in the Dartmoor area]”, said Wildlands Conservation Trust CEO, Dr Andrew Venter.
The next step will be to get the land that Ezemvelo KZN Wildlife is currently managing, together with the Dartmoor property and the Karkloof Nature Reserve, formally proclaimed as a nature reserves. This status would ensure the long-term future protection of the land. Wildlands will further support Ezemvelo KZN Wildlife with this process by supporting the proclamation of the reserve and development and implementation of management plans for the reserve.
To aid with raising funds and awareness for the plight of the Karkloof, Wildlands recently held the Three Cranes Challenge, a three-day trail run through the Karkloof valley supported by Bonitas Medical Fund and Sunday Tribune. “We initiated the Three Cranes Challenge with the intention of establishing an event that will both profile the Karkloof area and raise money, sustainably and for the long term, to continue to help with underwriting its management”, said the CEO. Wildlands partners with Ezemvelo KZN Wildlife and the Karkloof Conservancy around the event, both of which will receive 25% of the nett profits from the event.
The funds that accrue to the Karkloof Conservancy from the event will go towards the cost of running the Karkloof Conservation Centre and other projects the conservancy will be rolling out in the valley over time, primarily environmental education projects. The centre is a vital educational touch point for the region and another initiative supported by Wildlands Conservation Trust. The 25% that accrues to Ezemvelo KZN Wildlife and the remaining 50% nett income generated for the Wildlands Conservation Trust will be used to support the organisation’s respective conservation efforts in the area.
The gruelling event was held for the first time in February this year and the winning male and female runners won something better than prize money. They were given the honour of naming two rather cute and fluffy, healthy Wattled Crane chicks who have recently joined the ‘Adopt a Crane’ programme which funds the rehabilitation and upkeep of orphaned and injured cranes. Danni and Bella are being captive bred in an attempt to resuscitate the declining numbers of these majestic birds. “The real significance of naming the chicks is that it draws attention to the plight of the birds and how seriously threatened they are. Their single biggest challenge is habitat and nesting sites in particular. That’s why Dartmoor is important. Securing it means creating more nesting sites in years to come”, said Dr Venter.
For more information on the Karkloof Conservancy and the Karkloof Conservation Centre call (033) 330 4590 or e-mail karkloofcentre@telkomsa.net.
For more information on the Stewardship Programme visit www.kznwildlife.com (under conservation planning)
For more information on the Three Cranes Challenge visit www.3craneschallenge.co.za
For more information on the Crane Foundation and the Wattled Crane visit: www.kzncrane.co.za
WILDTRUST (registered as the Wildlands Conservation Trust - IT No: 4329/1991/PMB)