Soutpansberg Conservancy, also known as Western Soutpansberg Conservancy, 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 ...

situated in the northern part of the

Limpopo Limpopo is the northernmost 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 the provincial legislature is ...

province of

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 ...

. The reserve has an area of about 90,000 Ha and consists mostly in the mountainous terrain of the western part of the Soutpansberg Range. The

Brak River The Brak River ( af, Brakrivier) is a river located in northern Limpopo Province, South Africa. It is a tributary of the Polokwane River. Course The Brak River starts on the east of the Makgabeng Plateau and flows north-northeast until reaching ...

, a tributary of the Sand River, flows beyond the western end of the Soutpansberg Conservancy. The Waterpoort, the deep gorge cut by the Sand River across the range is located in the central part of the protected area. The Soutpansberg or “Tha vhani ya muno” (mountain of salt) is in the traditional area of the

Venda people The Venḓa (VhaVenḓa or Vhangona) are a Southern African Bantu people living mostly near the South African-Zimbabwean border. The history of the Venda starts from the Kingdom of Mapungubwe (9th Century) where King Shiriyadenga was the fi ...

. It is rich in plant diversity with yellowwood trees, twelve

acacia ''Acacia'', commonly known as the wattles or acacias, is a large genus of shrubs and trees in the subfamily Mimosoideae of the pea family Fabaceae. Initially, it comprised a group of plant species native to Africa and Australasia. The genus na ...

species, including

fever tree ''Vachellia xanthophloea'' is a tree in the family Fabaceae, commonly known in English as the fever tree. This species of ''Vachellia'' is native to eastern and southern Africa (Botswana, Kenya, Malawi, Mozambique, Somalia, South Africa, Eswat ...

giant cabbage tree ''Cussonia spicata'', known as spiked cabbage tree, lowveld cabbage tree or common cabbage tree, is a tree in the family Araliaceae, which is native to the moister regions of Sub-Saharan Africa. It is cultivated as a garden plant in areas withou ...

s, proteas and ancient

tree ferns The tree ferns are arborescent (tree-like) ferns that grow with a trunk elevating the fronds above ground level, making them trees. Many extant tree ferns are members of the order Cyatheales, to which belong the families Cyatheaceae (scaly tree ...

. The rocky summits are a haven for birds of prey and large mammals such as leopards are found in some areas.

References

External links

Soutpansberg Conservancy and surrounding areasSoutpansberg Conservancy Accommodation
Protected areas of Limpopo Nature conservation in South Africa {{Limpopo-geo-stub

See also

References

External links