Sandveld Nature Reserve is a

protected area Protected areas or conservation areas are locations which receive protection because of their recognized natural, ecological or cultural values. There are several kinds of protected areas, which vary by level of protection depending on the ena ...

, located on the border between the Free State and North West provinces.

Location

It is located on the Free State side of the

Bloemhof Dam Bloemhof Dam is a dam in South Africa. It was originally known as the Oppermansdrif Dam when under construction during the late 1960s. It is located at the confluence of the Vaal River and the Vet River, on the border between the provinces North W ...

. The Bloemhof Dam lies where the Vaal River and the Vet River meet on the border between the Free State and North West provinces. The complete area around the dam has been proclaimed a nature reserve. Since it is on the border between two provinces, two separate reserves were established. On the Free State side is the Sandveld Nature Reserve, while the protected area on the North West side is called Bloemhof Dam Nature Reserve.

Flora and fauna

The Sandveld Nature Reserve is about in size. It is named after its sandy sandveld area, although part of its surface consists of

thornveld Veld ( or ), also spelled veldt, is a type of wide open rural landscape in :Southern Africa. Particularly, it is a flat area covered in grass or low scrub, especially in the countries of South Africa, Lesotho, Eswatini, Zimbabwe and Botswa ...

savanna with

camelthorn tree ''Vachellia erioloba'', the camel thorn, giraffe thorn, or Kameeldoring in Afrikaans, still more commonly known as ''Acacia erioloba'', is a tree of southern Africa in the family Fabaceae. Its preferred habitat is the deep dry sandy soils in par ...

s.Sandveld Nature Reserve, Free State
/ref> Among the large mammals present in the reserve are the white rhino,

giraffe The giraffe is a large African hoofed mammal belonging to the genus ''Giraffa''. It is the tallest living terrestrial animal and the largest ruminant on Earth. Traditionally, giraffes were thought to be one species, ''Giraffa camelopardalis ...

, sable antelope, roan antelope, African buffalo, blue wildebeest, and zebra.

References

Protected areas of the Free State (province) {{FreeState-geo-stub