South Africa: Africa's southernmost freshwater lake to expand Agulhas National Park
To commemorate World Wetlands Day 2023, South African National Parks (SANParks) announced the expansion of the Agulhas National Park with the inclusion of Soetendalsvlei, Africa's southernmost freshwater lake. Through a generous donation, the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) took ownership of the Vissersdrift property for incorporation into the Agulhas National Park in 2022. This move has secured 90% of the Soetendalsvlei wetland and added a further 2 345 hectares to the National Park.
The vlei is designated both a Critical Biodiversity Area and an Important Bird Area, supporting over 60 water bird species including several birds of concern such as the Damara tern, great white pelican and two flamingo species, along with over 21 000 migrant and resident birds that are recorded here annually.
Soetendalsvlei plays a critical role in recharging groundwater and supplying freshwater for local agriculture. It drains into the Heuningnes River which connects with the sea at De Mond Nature Reserve between Struisbaai and Arniston. Here, the Heuningnes estuary provides both a safe-haven for migrating birds and for breeding fish. By turning this area over to conservation and reducing alien plant infestation and other pressures, the hope is that Soetendalsvlei's ecological functions will be safeguarded into the future - in line with this year's World Wetlands Day theme of restoration. Wetlands internationally are among the most threatened ecosystems and often overlooked and degraded.
The management of Agulhas National Park will now assume a visible presence on the ground and begin planning and implementing veld and wetland rehabilitation through SANPark's Working for Water and Working on Wetlands programmes. SANParks will also plan towards improving area integrity, look at fences, access control and other uses on land. However, the main focus will be restoration of the natural habitat.
