Lapalala Wilderness

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Lapalala Wilderness
Lapalala Nature Reserve
Lapalala Wilderness.jpg
Lapalala Wilderness, South Africa
South Africa adm location map.svg
Red pog.svg
Location in South Africa
Location Limpopo
Nearest city Polokwane, South Africa
Coordinates 23°50′32″S28°21′59″E / 23.8422°S 28.3663°E / -23.8422; 28.3663
Area48,000 ha (190 sq mi)
Established1981
OperatorLapalala Wilderness Foundation

Lapalala Wilderness is a 48,000 hectare Big 5 conservation area situated within the UNESCO [1] declared Waterberg Biosphere and protected under the National Environmental Management Protected Areas Act of 57 of 2003.

Contents

The Palala and Blocklands rivers flow through Lapalala for over 60 km and are identified as National Freshwater Ecosystem Priority Areas. The landscape forms part of the Central Bushveld Biome. [2]

Eight different types of land have been identified in the reserve, which is an indicator of heterogeneity, and thus the diversity of Lapalala habitats. The diversity of habitats and long-term conservation is attractive to a large number of birds and wildlife. [3] It was the first privately protected area in South Africa to reintroduce black rhinoceros in 1981.

Lapalala Wilderness School was established in 1985 with the aim of promoting wildlife conservation among young people – often from historically disadvantaged communities. The school is today widely recognised as a centre of excellence for its environmental education programmes, which include teacher training, internships, and outreach programmes. Brand-new, eco-friendly facilities were officially opened in 2022.

See also

Related Research Articles

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Perissodactyla is an order of ungulates. The order includes about 17 living species divided into three families: Equidae, Rhinocerotidae (rhinoceroses), and Tapiridae (tapirs). They typically have reduced the weight-bearing toes to three or one of the five original toes, though tapirs retain four toes on their front feet. The nonweight-bearing toes are either present, absent, vestigial, or positioned posteriorly. By contrast, artiodactyls bear most of their weight equally on four or two of the five toes: their third and fourth toes. Another difference between the two is that odd-toed ungulates digest plant cellulose in their intestines, rather than in one or more stomach chambers as even-toed ungulates, with the exception of Suina, do.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rhinoceros</span> Family of mammals

A rhinoceros, commonly abbreviated to rhino, is a member of any of the five extant species of odd-toed ungulates in the family Rhinocerotidae; it can also refer to a member of any of the extinct species of the superfamily Rhinocerotoidea. Two of the extant species are native to Africa, and three to South and Southeast Asia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Roan antelope</span> Species of mammal

The roan antelope is a large savanna-dwelling antelope found in western, central, and southern Africa. Named for its roan colour, it has lighter underbellies, white eyebrows and cheeks and black faces, lighter in females. It has short, erect manes, very light beards and prominent red nostrils. It is one of the largest antelope, measuring 190–240 cm (75–94 in) from head to the base of the tail, and a 37–48 cm (15–19 in) long tail. Males weigh 242–300 kg (534–661 lb) and females 223–280 kg (492–617 lb). Its shoulder height is around 130–140 cm (51–55 in).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sable antelope</span> Species of mammal

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Ceratotherium mauritanicum is a species of fossil African rhinoceros found in the Late Pliocene to early Late Pleistocene of Morocco, Tunisia, and Algeria. It is disputed as to whether remains from the Pliocene of East Africa belong to this species, and if so, whether C. mauritanicum is ancestral to the modern white rhinoceros. During the early Late Pleistocene, sometime between 120-57,000 years ago, it was replaced in North Africa by the modern white rhinoceros.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Southern white rhinoceros</span> Subspecies of rhinoceros

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