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Marutswa Forest is an indigenous mist-belt forest situated near Bulwer, within the Midlands of the KwaZulu-Natal region in South Africa. Characterized by its dense vegetation and misty conditions, the forest serves as a crucial habitat for a diverse range of flora and fauna.
The forest's ecosystem supports a variety of animal species, with bushbuck and reedbuck among the common herbivores frequenting the area. A herd of bush pigs is also known to forage within the forest boundaries. Notably, sightings of rock dassies have been reported, and the distinctive calls of tree dassies have been heard, indicating their presence. Additionally, recent observations include mongooses near the forest's boardwalk. The Natal dwarf chameleon and several butterfly species, such as the emperor swallowtail, are also inhabitants of the forest.
Birdlife within Marutswa Forest is particularly rich, making it a renowned site among birding tour operators in South Africa. It is home to numerous rare bird species, including the endangered Cape parrot, which is drawn to the forest by the abundance of yellow wood trees, offering both food and nesting opportunities. Flocks of up to 100 Cape parrots have been observed. Other notable bird species in the area include the orange ground-thrush, African crowned eagle, bush blackcap, and the Narina trogon, among others.
The forest boasts a significant number of large, old yellowwood trees, which have survived logging activities in the late 19th century due to their initially small size. The forest's flora also includes cabbage trees, white ironwood (Vepris lanceolata), knobthorn (Senegalia nigrescens), and other native species. The undergrowth is enriched with a wide array of ferns, wild lilies like the spectacular paintbrush lily (Scadoxus puniceus), and orchids.
The Marutswa Forest Trail & Boardwalk is a key attraction, developed through a partnership involving the SappiWWF TreeRoutes Partnership, the Bulwer Biosphere group, BirdLife South Africa, the Southern KZN Birding Route, and local conservation organizations. This initiative has facilitated job creation for local community members, who serve as custodians of the project, and has provided a venue for local artisans to showcase and sell their crafts.
The forest is equipped with a network of trails and boardwalks that feature lookout jetties, picnic sites, and viewpoints, enabling visitors to experience the forest's diverse layers, including the canopy. Additionally, an indigenous nursery offers plants and saplings for sale, while the Marutswa craft shop features a variety of handmade items from the local community.[ citation needed ]
Table Mountain is a flat-topped mountain forming a prominent landmark overlooking the city of Cape Town in South Africa. It is a significant tourist attraction, with many visitors using the cableway or hiking to the top. Table Mountain National Park is the most visited national park in South Africa, attracting 4.2 million people every year for various activities. The mountain has 8,200 plant species, of which around 80% are fynbos, meaning fine bush. It forms part of the Table Mountain National Park, and part of the lands formerly ranged by Khoe-speaking clans, such as the !Uriǁʼaes. It is home to a large array of mostly endemic fauna and flora.
Cape Arid National Park is a national park located in Western Australia, 731 kilometres (454 mi) southeast of Perth. The park is situated 120 kilometres (75 mi) east of Esperance and lies on the shore of the south coast from the eastern end of the Recherche Archipelago.
Yanchep is a national park in Western Australia, 42 kilometres (26 mi) north of Perth adjacent to the locality of the same name Yanchep.
The genus Poicephalus belongs to the subfamily Psittacinae of the true parrots (Psittacidae) and comprises ten species of parrots native to various regions of the Afrotropical realm, which encompasses Sub-Saharan Africa, ranging from Senegal in the west, Ethiopia in the east, and to South Africa in the south. Like lovebirds (Agapornis) and vasa parrots (Coracopsis), the latter being endemic to Madagascar, the Poicephalus parrots are typical specimens of Afrotropical zoogeography. Several of the species exist in slightly different forms, or subspecies.
Helderberg refers to a planning district of the City of Cape Town metropolitan municipality, the mountain after which it is named, a wine-producing area in the Western Cape province of South Africa, or a small census area in Somerset West.
Semuliki National Park is a national park in Bwamba County, a remote part of the Bundibugyo District in the Western Region of Uganda that was established in October 1993. It encompasses 219 km2 (85 sq mi) of East Africa's only lowland tropical rainforest. It is one of the richest areas of floral and faunal biodiversity in Africa, with bird and butterfly species being especially diverse. The park is managed by the Uganda Wildlife Authority.
The Cape parrot or Levaillant's parrot is a large, temperate forest dwelling parrot of the genus Poicephalus endemic to South Africa. It was formerly grouped as a subspecies along with the savanna-dwelling brown-necked parrot and grey-headed parrot, but is now considered a distinct species.
The wildlife of Zimbabwe occurs foremost in remote or rugged terrain, in national parks and private wildlife ranches, in miombo woodlands and thorny acacia or kopje. The prominent wild fauna includes African buffalo, African bush elephant, black rhinoceros, southern giraffe, African leopard, lion, plains zebra, and several antelope species.
The wildlife of Ghana is composed of its biodiversity of flora and fauna.
The wildlife of South Africa consists of the flora and fauna of this country in southern Africa. The country has a range of different habitat types and an ecologically rich and diverse wildlife, vascular plants being particularly abundant, many of them endemic to the country. There are few forested areas, much savanna grassland, semi-arid Karoo vegetation and the fynbos of the Cape Floristic Region. Famed for its national parks and big game, 297 species of mammal have been recorded in South Africa, as well as 849 species of bird and over 20,000 species of vascular plants.
Mapungubwe National Park is a national park in the Limpopo Province, South Africa. The park protects the historical site of Mapungubwe Hill, which was the capital of the Kingdom of Mapungubwe, as well as the wildlife and riverine forests along the Limpopo River. The Mapungubwe Hill was the site of a community dating back to the Iron Age. Evidence has shown that it was a prosperous community. Archaeologists also uncovered the famous Golden Rhinoceros of Mapungubwe figurine from the site.
Areas of forest which grow in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa mostly on south facing slopes in higher rainfall areas, and along the humid coastal areas. Different types of forest can be identified by their species composition which depends mostly on the altitude, latitude and substrate in which they grow. South facing slopes are favourable for the development of forest as they are more shaded, and therefore cooler and retain more moisture than the northern slopes. The extra moisture on the south slopes is not only favoured by forest trees, but also helps to prevent or subdue wildfires. Fires can also be blocked by cliff faces and rocks or boulders on these slopes, and by streams or rivers at the base of the slopes. The coastal regions are conducive to forest formation, because of high rainfall and humidity which are favoured by forest trees and also help to prevent or subdue fires. The rivers of the coastal areas are also broader than further inland, which may often prevent fires from spreading long distances, and fires generally burn uphill and therefore more often away from areas at low altitude.
The Maputaland-Pondoland-Albany Hotspot (MPA) is a biodiversity hotspot, a biogeographic region with significant levels of biodiversity, in Southern Africa. It is situated near the south-eastern coast of Africa, occupying an area between the Great Escarpment and the Indian Ocean. The area is named after Maputaland, Pondoland and Albany. It stretches from the Albany Centre of Plant Endemism in the Eastern Cape Province of South Africa, through the Pondoland Centre of Plant Endemism and KwaZulu-Natal Province, the eastern side of Eswatini and into southern Mozambique and Mpumalanga. The Maputaland Centre of Plant Endemism is contained in northern KwaZulu-Natal and southern Mozambique.
Southern Afrotemperate Forest is a kind of tall, shady, multilayered indigenous South African forest. This is the main forest-type in the south-western part of South Africa, naturally extending from the Cape Peninsula in the west, as far as Port Elizabeth in the east. In this range, it usually occurs in small forest pockets, surrounded by fynbos vegetation.
Uitkamp Wetland Nature Reserve is a 32-hectare (79-acre) wetland reserve located in Durbanville in the Western Cape province of South Africa.
Helderberg Nature Reserve is a 398-hectare (980-acre) nature reserve in Somerset West, South Africa.
The Krantzkloof Nature Reserve, managed by Ezemvelo KZN Wildlife, conserves 668 ha of the Molweni and Nkutu River gorges that incise the sandstone Kloof plateau in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. The reserve conserves coastal scarp forest, sourveld grassland, a cliff face biotope, and aquatic environments along its rivers. Scarp forest is a threatened forest type, protected by South Africa's forests act of 1998, while the grassland is classified as KwaZulu-Natal sandstone sourveld, the most threatened terrestrial habitat in the Durban metropole. The reserve was established in 1950 and was augmented by land donations as late as 1999.
The Iphithi Nature Reserve conserves 12 ha of forest and wetland in the Molweni River's upper catchment in northern Gillitts, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. It was founded in 2001 by a group of nearby residents, and is managed by the Gillitts Conservancy, which also oversees the Minerva grassland.
Limeburners Creek National Park is a protected national park on the Mid North Coast of New South Wales, Australia. The 91.2 km national park is located 5 km (3.1 mi) to the north of Port Macquarie and exists across both the Kempsey Shire and Port Macquarie-Hastings Council local government areas, but is chiefly managed by National Parks and Wildlife Service. The area was originally erected as a nature reserve but this reservation was revoked when it became formally recognised as a national park in 2010 under the National Parks and Wildlife Act (1974). Many threatened ecological habitats and species of fauna and flora are found within this park, alongside several heritage sites of cultural significance, particularly to the local Birpai and Dunghutti people upon whose land the park exists. The protected status of this national park is largely owing to the ecological and cultural value of the area, in addition to the value of the ecosystems to further scientific research.
The Zimbali Coastal Forest is a pristine and biodiverse coastal forest located in the province of KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. Situated within the Zimbali Estate, the forest is a unique and vital ecosystem that showcases the region's rich natural heritage. The forest's proximity to the Indian Ocean, coupled with its diverse plant and animal life, makes it a significant area for ecological research, conservation, and eco-tourism.
