General description

Kruger to Canyons Biosphere Region, covering 2,474,700 hectares, is located in the north-east of South Africa. It encompasses the Kruger National Park as well as other National and Provincial Nature Reserves such as the Blyde River Canyon Nature Reserve. Three of the Southern African biomes are incorporated into the biosphere reserve, including the grasslands and Afro-montane forests, and the savanna of the lowveld. There is a high level of biodiversity, especially plant endemism on mountain tops.

Approximately 1,5 – 1,6 million people live in the area (1996). Alongside the extensive tracts of conservation areas there are large, rural developing communities living on tribal land, where many of the natural resources have been over-utilized. There are a number of different land use practices in the region including mining for gold, phosphate and copper, the plantation of exotic species and the extensive cultivation of subtropical fruits and vegetables. It is hoped that through the establishment of the biosphere reserve framework and the establishment of partnerships, the quality of life can be improved for the majority of the people and that the integrity of the conservation areas will be secured. Local communities and authorities already have rallied together under the biosphere reserve framework to promote eco-tourism and the maintenance of cultural values.

Major ecosystem type

Tropical grasslands and savanna; Temperate grasslands; Mixed mountain and highland systems; Tropical dry and deciduous forest.

Research and monitoring

Brief description

Abiotic:

• Weather
• Biomonitoring of rivers including biological state of rivers, hydrology and geomorphology
• Save the Sand river project (WRF's AWARD programme)
• Development of monitoring protocols for Instream Flow Requirements (IFR) with the aim to establish biomonitoring methods (initial and long-term) for rivers
• Research on the role of fire
• Copper pollution
• Ecotoxicological effect of airborne C2 chlorohydrocarbons and the deposition to the vegetation
• Fire as a management tool

Biotic:

• Vegetation monitoring
• Impact of alien vegetation
• Animal population counts including trends
• Behavioural and ecological studies on animals
• Impacts of elephants on woody plant diversity
• Bird studies
• Fish studies
• Diseases in lion and buffalo populations
• Effects of the closing of artificial water points
• Predator-prey relationships
• Herbaceous layer monitoring
• Crocodile monitoring
• National survey of medicinal qualities in plants
• Reintroduction of species historically occurring in the reserve (giraffe, sable and roan)
• Rare and endangered species monitoring
• National frog atlas
• Monitoring of the influence of different levels of grazing utilization
• Long-term monitoring site
• Impact of plant harvesting in communal lands
• Sustainable yields of natural resources in communal lands

Socio-economic:

• Community participation
• Sustainable tourism development
• Direct-use values of natural resources in communal lands
• Human health (HIV/TB/stroke/mental disability/physical disability)
• Human population demographics
• Household income and wealth status (Agincourt)
• Status of Mozambican refugees