KwaZulu Natal: Beaumont Nature Reserve has been declared a protected area!

The Beaumont Nature Reserve in the Swartberg region of KwaZulu Natal has been declared a protected area. The reserve is 1050 ha in size and stretches into the upper catchment of the Umzimvubu River. It consists mostly of grasslands, steep slopes and rocky sections. The reserve provides foraging grounds to a number of endangered and endemic species such as Grey Crowned Crane, Cape Vulture, Drakensberg Rock Jumper, Secretary Bird and Southern Bald Ibis. With the majestic Drakensberg towering in the background, the Beaumont Nature Reserve presents a special opportunity to conserve watershed services  that needs the mighty Umzimvubu River that sustains countless communities all the way through to Port St Johns in the Eastern Cape where the river eventually meets the ocean. The Beaumont Nature Reserve is the first of a number of privately owned properties in the region that will have protected area status bestowed upon them.