Western Cape: Agulhas Plain gains Ramsar status, boosting nature-based tourism!

South Africa has designated the Agulhas Plain as its 32nd Wetland of International Importance (Ramsar Site No. 2587), reinforcing the tourism and conservation value of this distinctive coastal landscape at the southernmost tip of Africa, near Cape Agulhas in the Western Cape.

Formed on an ancient wave-cut platform where the Atlantic and Indian Oceans meet, the largely flat plain is shaped by dunes, limestone hills and coastal cliffs that support a rich mosaic of wetlands. These include Soetendalsvlei, the country’s second-largest freshwater lake, after Lake Sibaya in KwaZulu-Natal, as well as marshes, floodplains, salt pans and estuaries - making the area especially appealing for birdwatching, photography and slow travel.

Situated within the Cape Floral Region UNESCO World Heritage Site, the Agulhas Plain forms part of the fynbos biome and supports outstanding biodiversity, including rare plants, abundant birdlife and threatened species such as the maccoa duck, the critically endangered Rose’s mountain toadlet and the Cape flats frog.

With a dedicated management plan in place, the new Ramsar status supports responsible eco-tourism and further enhances the appeal of the Overberg region, particularly for travellers exploring Cape Agulhas, Struisbaai and surrounding coastal routes.

About the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands
The Ramsar Convention on Wetlands is an international agreement adopted in 1971 in the Iranian city of Ramsar, aimed at conserving and promoting the wise use of wetlands worldwide. Wetlands listed as Ramsar Sites are recognised for their global ecological importance, particularly for waterbirds, biodiversity and ecosystem services, and the designation encourages long-term protection while supporting education, research and responsible nature-based tourism. 

 

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Cape Town is South Africa' first Ramsar Wetland City!

Cape Town is South Africa’s first city, and one of only 43 around the world, to be accredited as a Ramsar Wetland City. The announcement was made at the 14th Conference of Parties to the UN Convention on Wetlands, known as the Ramsar Convention, being held in Geneva, Switzerland from 05 to 13 November 2022
The Wetland City Accreditation program provides international recognition for cities that uphold a solid and favourable relationship with wetlands through creating public awareness on wetland benefits, incorporating wetland protection into municipal planning and decision-making, and promoting wetland benefits for local people.

"We are truly honoured to be bestowed with this new status, and are committed to keep on carrying out the responsibilities this requires in protecting our precious wetlands. The preservation of our natural assets is a key priority for the City, not only because it is the right thing to do, but also because our natural environment protects us from natural disasters and ensure our future resilience to climate change", said Lorraine Gerrans, the City of Cape Town's Director: Environmental Management.

Cape Town is home to over 11 000 hectares of wetlands which provide essential services such as disaster risk reduction and contribute to climate change adaptation and mitigation. The city is recognised as a global hotspot of biodiversity and thus has a corresponding number of rare and threatened wetlands supporting many endemic fauna and flora species. These wetlands include the Rietvlei and Milnerton Lagoon (part of the Table Bay Nature Reserve), the Zandvlei Estuary, Edith Stephens Wetlands, False Bay Nature Reserve (a wetland of international importance), the Noordhoek wetlands and many others.

Malawi declares the "Elephant Marsh" its second Ramsar site!

Malawi has declared the Elephant Marsh, situated in the lower Shire valley in the south of the country, its second Wetland of International Importance*. The marsh, which forms part of the flood plain of the River Shire, is a mosaic of rooted swamp vegetation, floating flora and open water with grassy margins and reed beds, interspersed with islands containing reeds, shrubs and palm trees. In some places, floating mats of vegetation are so thick boat travel is nearly impossible. The size of the Elephant Marsh is depending on the flow of the Shire river and the Ruo river and varies from season to season and year to year - it ranges usually between 400km² to 1200km². 


Malawi's second Ramsar site* was named "Elephant Marsh" by the explorer David Livingstone in 1859, who counted as many as 800 elephants in one sighting. Nowadays the elephants are largely gone, but the marsh supports over 20,000 waterbirds. Around 26 waterbird species have been found breeding in the Elephant Marsh, including fish eagles, storks, kingfishers, herons, as well as the threatened Madagascar squacco heron, wattled crane and grey crowned crane.

The Ramsar Convention on Wetlands, adopted in the Iranian city of Ramsar in 1971, is an intergovernmental treaty that embodies the commitments of its member countries to maintain the ecological character of their wetlands by providing a framework for national action and international cooperation for the conservation and wise use of these fragile ecosystems and their resources. 



*Lake Chilwa, second-largest lake in Malawi, was declared a Ramsar site in 1996.

Namibia has designated its fifth Ramsar Site!

update (14 Feb 2014): The official launch of Namibia's 5th Ramsar Site will take place today (14 Feb 2014). 

Namibia has designated its fifth Ramsar Site. The Lower Okavango River and its associated woodlands in the Bwabwata National Park, known as Bwabwata–Okavango, is the country's fifth Ramsar Site. Located in Namibia's northern Kavango region, parts of the southern boundary of the 46,964 ha site are contiguous with the northern boundary of the Okavango Delta Ramsar Site in Botswana.
The Bwabwata–Okavango, home to IUCN Red-Listed species such as elephants, hippos, lions as well as slaty egrets and the endangered grey crowned cranes, supports one of the highest diversities of species in the Zambezian Flooded Savannas ecoregion. Over 400 species of birds have been recorded, the highest number of any site in Namibia. Namibia's other four Ramsar Sites include the Orange River Mouth, the Sandwich Harbour, Walvis Bay Lagoon and the Etosha Pan.


View Namibia's 5th Ramsar site: Bwabwata – Okavango in a larger map

The Ramsar Convention on Wetlands, adopted in the Iranian city of Ramsar in 1971, is an intergovernmental treaty that embodies the commitments of its member countries to maintain the ecological character of their wetlands by providing a framework for national action and international cooperation for the conservation and wise use of these fragile ecosystems and their resources.

Kenya: Tana River Delta recognised as a Ramsar site

The Tana River Delta in Kenya's Coast Province has been officially recognised as the world's latest Ramsar site. In a statement from the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands' Secretariat, the Assistant Advisor for Africa, Ms. Ako Charlotte Eyong described the Tana River Delta as is the second most important estuarine and deltaic ecosystem in Eastern Africa, comprising a variety of freshwater, floodplain, estuarine and coastal habitats with extensive and diverse mangrove systems, marine brackish and freshwater intertidal areas, pristine beaches and shallow marine areas, forming productive and functionally interconnected ecosystems. The rich biodiversity of the delta includes coastal and marine prawns, shrimps, bivalves and fish, five species of threatened marine turtles and IUCN red-listed African elephant, Tana Mangabey, Tana River Red Colobus and White-collared Monkey.
Kenya presently has six Ramsar Sites, covering an area of 265,449 hectares.


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The Ramsar Convention on Wetlands, adopted in the Iranian city of Ramsar in 1971, is an intergovernmental treaty that embodies the commitments of its member countries to maintain the ecological character of their wetlands by providing a framework for national action and international cooperation for the conservation and wise use of these fragile ecosystems and their resources.