The Umtiza Nature Reserve is one of two forest nature reserves in the greater

East London Coast Nature Reserve East London Coast Nature Reserve is a protected area in Eastern Cape Province, South Africa that is managed by Eastern Cape Parks. It covers an area of 3,424 hectares and incorporates 12 smaller nature reserves and protected areas. The main rea ...

. It is named after '' Umtiza listeriana'', a rare and protected legume found within the reserve. The Buffalo River borders the northern part of the reserve, and includes the remaining Umtiza Forest on the southern banks of the river. The Buffalo Pass traverses the entirety of the reserve and the surrounding Controlled Forest Area.

History

The Fort Grey State forest which is found south of the current reserve, was proclaimed a protected forest prior to the

Union of South Africa The Union of South Africa ( nl, Unie van Zuid-Afrika; af, Unie van Suid-Afrika; ) was the historical predecessor to the present-day Republic of South Africa. It came into existence on 31 May 1910 with the unification of the Cape, Natal, Tran ...

. In 2020, an area of surrounding the reserve, which include the Grey Dell and Fort Grey forest areas, and private farmland, were declared a Controlled Forest Area to prevent deforestation and rehabilitate the remaining Umtiza Forest.

Biodiversity

A variety of wildlife is found within the reserve.

Birds

There are 30-40 bird species in the reserve, including: * African dusky flycatcher *

African finfoot The African finfoot (''Podica senegalensis'') is an aquatic bird from the family Heliornithidae (the finfoots and sungrebe). The species lives in the rivers and lakes of western, central, and southern Africa. Description The African finfoot is ...

* Brown scrub robin * Knysna woodpecker *

Narina trogon __NOTOC__ The Narina trogon (''Apaloderma narina'') is a largely green and red, medium-sized (32–34 cm long), bird of the family Trogonidae. It is native to forests and woodlands of the Afrotropics. Though it is the most widespread and ca ...

Lemon dove The lemon dove or cinnamon dove (''Columba larvata'') is a species of bird in the pigeon family (biology), family Columbidae found in montane forests of sub-Saharan Africa. The São Tomé lemon dove is usually treated as a subspecies. The lemon d ...

* Yellow-throated woodland warbler

Mammals

Samango monkeys along with

bushbuck The Cape bushbuck (''Tragelaphus sylvaticus'') is a common and a widespread species of antelope in sub-Saharan Africa.Wronski T, Moodley Y. (2009)Bushbuck, harnessed antelope or both? ''Gnusletter'', 28(1):18-19. Bushbuck are found in a wide ra ...

common duiker The common duiker (''Sylvicapra grimmia''), also known as the grey or bush duiker, is a small antelope and the only member of the genus ''Sylvicapra''. This species is found everywhere in Africa south of the Sahara, excluding the Horn of Africa ...

blue duiker The blue duiker (''Philantomba monticola'') is a small antelope found in central, southern and eastern Africa. It is the smallest duiker. The species was first described by Swedish naturalist Carl Peter Thunberg in 1789. 12 subspecies are i ...

, tree dassies and

porcupines Porcupines are large rodents with coats of sharp spines, or quills, that protect them against predation. The term covers two families of animals: the Old World porcupines of family Hystricidae, and the New World porcupines of family, Erethiz ...

can be found in the reserve.

Vegetation

The reserve is one of the last refuges of the vulnerable Umtiza listeriana.

References