The Anysberg Nature Reserve of 62,500 ha, is situated in the western

Little Karoo The Karoo ( ; from the Afrikaans borrowing of the South Khoekhoe !Orakobab or Khoemana word ''ǃ’Aukarob'' "Hard veld") is a semi- desert natural region of South Africa. No exact definition of what constitutes the Karoo is available, so its ...

region of the

Gouritz Cluster Biosphere Reserve The Gouritz Cluster Biosphere Reserve is located in the Western Cape of South Africa. It is the 7th and largest of South Africa’s biosphere reserves; divided into four connected sectors ranging from sea level to 2,240 metres. The area is the ...

in the

Western Cape The Western Cape is a province of South Africa, situated on the south-western coast of the country. It is the fourth largest of the nine provinces with an area of , and the third most populous, with an estimated 7 million inhabitants in 2020 ...

province,

South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the Southern Africa, southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the south by of coastline that stretch along the Atlantic Ocean, South Atlantic and Indian Oceans; to the ...

. The central mountain is named after Anise, ''Pimpinella anisum'', which is found in the reserve. The reserve was established in 1984, to conserve succulent and fynbos flora in the

Cape Fold Belt The Cape Fold Belt is a fold and thrust belt of late Paleozoic age, which affected the sequence of sedimentary rock layers of the Cape Supergroup in the southwestern corner of South Africa. It was originally continuous with the Ventana Moun ...

, and to reintroduce game which formerly occurred here. The nearest towns are Laingsburg and

Ladismith Ladismith is a town and agricultural centre in the western Little Karoo region of South Africa's Western Cape province. Geography It is situated adjacent to a series of fertile, irrigated valleys, at an elevation of 550 m above sea level, at ...

, which are both about 55 km from the main reserve entrance.

History

Land for the reserve was first set aside in 1984 below the Anysberg Mountain Catchment Area (designated in 1978). This was further extended multiple times to its current area of .

Biodiversity

Fed by three rivers, the diversity of life is supported here amidst mountain feathers and the characteristic Klein Karoo veil. About 180 species of birds are regularly spotted in the reserve, making it a popular choice for bird watchers. In addition to the enchanting landscape and rich plant and animal life, the reserve is also home to San rock art, painted thousands of years ago.

Gallery

Image:Landschaft AnysbergPICT1454.JPG, Landscape, Anysberg Nature Reserve Image:Gibbaeum pubescens AnysbergPICT1438.jpg, Succulents '' Gibbaeum pubescens'', Anysberg Nature Reserve Image:Succulente AnysbergPICT1457.JPG, Succulents (Aizoaceae), Anysberg Nature Reserve Image:Succulente AnysbergPICT1452.JPG, Succulents, Anysberg Nature Reserve

References

External reference

Official website
Nature reserves in South Africa Provincial nature reserves of the Western Cape Protected areas established in 1988 {{Africa-protected-area-stub