Nylsvley Nature Reserve is a protected area, lying on the seasonally-inundated floodplain of the

Nyl River The Nyl River ( af, Nylrivier) is a watercourse in Limpopo Province, South Africa. It flows at the head of the Mogalakwena River, being its southernmost tributary or uppermost section. It is located near Mookgophong (Naboomspruit) in the northern ...

, the uppermost section of the

Mogalakwena River The Mogalakwena River ( af, Magalakwenarivier) is one of the main watercourses in Limpopo Province, South Africa. It is also a major tributary of the Limpopo River. Course file:Waterberg SPOT 1369.jpg, left, SPOT Satellite photograph of the north ...

which has a very shallow gradient. It is located near

Mookgophong Mookgophong, also known as Naboomspruit, is a town in the Limpopo province of South Africa. The town is located approximately 42 km north-east of Modimolle and 51 km south-west of Mokopane. History It was founded on the farm Vischgat in ...

in the

Limpopo Province Limpopo is the northernmost Provinces of South Africa, province of South Africa. It is named after the Limpopo River, which forms the province's western and northern borders. The capital and largest city in the province is Polokwane, while th ...

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

. This area has been declared a

Ramsar Ramsar may refer to: * Places so named: ** Ramsar, Mazandaran, city in Iran ** Ramsar, Rajasthan, village in India * Eponyms of the Iranian city: ** Ramsar Convention concerning wetlands, signed in Ramsar, Iran ** Ramsar site, wetland listed in a ...

wetland site because of its international conservation importance. The floodplain is made up of extensive reedbeds and grassveld surrounded by open woodland. Situated in the upper catchment area of the Nyl River, and covering about 20% of the floodplain, the area boasts some 370 bird species - of which more than 100 are waterfowl - and during peak floods, over 80,000 birds are to be seen. The reserve is also home to roan antelope and

tsessebe The common tsessebe or sassaby (''Damaliscus lunatus lunatus'') is the southern, nominate subspecies of ''Damaliscus lunatus'', although some authorities have recognised it as an independent species. It is most closely related to the Bangweulu ts ...

. The only stands of wild rice in South Africa, ''

Oryza longistaminata ''Oryza longistaminata'' is a perennial species of grass from the same genus as cultivated rice (''O. sativa''). It is native to most of sub-Saharan Africa and Madagascar. It has been introduced into the United States, where it is often regarded ...

'', are to be found here. The name 'Nylsvley' originated in vlei, a pan or seasonally flooded area, and in the word for "Nile". In the 1860s, a Voortrekker group of farmers saw a large flooded plain and a river flowing northwards and thought it might be the ''Nylrivier'' (

Nile river The Nile, , Bohairic , lg, Kiira , Nobiin: Áman Dawū is a major north-flowing river in northeastern Africa. It flows into the Mediterranean Sea. The Nile is the longest river in Africa and has historically been considered the longest rive ...

Pictures

File:Nylsvley Brochure pg 1.jpg, Nylsvley Brochure pg 1 File:Nylsvley Brochure pg 2.jpg, Nylsvley Brochure pg 2 File:Nylsvley Brochure pg 3.jpg, Nylsvley Brochure pg 3 File:Nylsvley Brochure pg 4.jpg, Nylsvley Brochure pg 4

References

External links

Friends of Nylsvley

Protected areas of Limpopo Nature reserves in South Africa Floodplains of Africa Mogalakwena River Ramsar sites in South Africa {{Africa-protected-area-stub