Elephants and Aloes

Elephants and Aloes - the Eastern Cape revival

Few people know that the Eastern Cape used to be the stronghold of South Africa's Elephant population. It is a place even most South Africans associate with beach holidays and sheep farming and of course the tail-end of the famous ‘Garden Route' (the picturesque drive between Cape Town and Port Elizabeth). Those who are conservation inclined know that the Addo National Park was proclaimed in 1931 to preserve the last eleven Elephants of the ‘Addo Bush' and now protects one of the highest densities of Elephant in Africa. They may also have heard of the Mountain Zebra National Park, saviour of this eponymous species, the Andries Vosloo Kudu Reserve and the Sam Knott Nature Reserve, together important conservation areas for Kudu and Black Rhino. They may also have read that the hunting industry in the province brought in more than $80 million over 2001.

To cut a long story short, the Eastern Cape - former frontier between the British Colony of the Cape of Good Hope and the Xhosa nation - has a long and fascinating history, has retained some of its frontier character, and is the site of a huge boom in biodiversity conservation. Part of the reason for this boom is that is that six of South Africa's seven biomes - forest, woodland, grassland, fynbos, Nama karoo and desert - converge in the region.

Within these biomes there are also numerous vegetation types, all of which means that there is a huge diversity of plants, mammals, birds, insects and other organisms. The realisation of the importance of the protection of biodiversity in today's world has led to more ecologically friendly planning of reserves, hence the Greater Addo National Park. This ambitious project, stretching from beyond the Zuurberg Mountains in the northwest to Algoa Bay in the southeast, encompasses elements of all the above biomes as well as a proposed marine reserve and, aside from its conservation importance, is being hailed as the economic engine of a formerly depressed province. The high Elephant densities of Addo and the importance of the area for Black Rhino (this species is present at Addo, Andries Vosloo, Sam Knott, Mountain Zebra, Shamwari and Kwandwe) owe much to a particular plant: Portulacaria afra, or Spekboom as it is more commonly known, is a highly nutritious, moisture laden plant that features prominently in the diets of these species. It helps that it is abundant in the area and gives what appears to be a fairly arid region a high carrying capacity. The Greater Addo National Park is of course the focus of the region, but playing an equally important role are the independent private game reserves that will enable the tapestry to fit together.

CC Africa's Eastern Cape representation is Kwandwe Private Game Reserve, itself embodying the nascent spirit of the region. Kwandwe's 16 000 hectares straddling the Great Fish River was bought by an American philanthropist Carl DeSantis and has been comprehensively restocked with thousands of head of game. The most important of the reintroductions was that of a group of 6 Black Rhino that have adapted well to Kwandwe's ‘valley bushveld' and provided an important breeding nucleus for the species which numbers less than 2500 in Africa.

Viewing of other big game such as Lion, Cheetah, Elephant, Buffalo and White Rhino is also good, and another jewel in the crown for Kwandwe is the diversity of mammal species and in particular those smaller nocturnal creatures that are not often seen further north. The mythical Aardvark and Aardwolf are common here and species such as Bat-eared Fox, Cape Fox, Hedgehog and Striped Polecat are regularly seen. In addition to mammals, plant diversity is also high and with up to eighteen different Aloe species expected to occur at Kwandwe it is fitting that the car licence plates for the province feature both this plant and an Elephant.

-Chris Roche-

Posted: Other by CC Africa, Date: 21 November 2006