Steenkampsberg () is a South African mountain in the

Dullstroom Dullstroom, also known as Emnothweni, is a small town in Mpumalanga province, South Africa. The town lies north of Belfast and some south-west of Lydenburg on the R540 road. Along with Barkly East and Underberg, it is one of South Africa's p ...

Belfast Belfast (, , , ; from ) is the capital city and principal port of Northern Ireland, standing on the banks of the River Lagan and connected to the open sea through Belfast Lough and the North Channel (Great Britain and Ireland), North Channel ...

district of

Mpumalanga Mpumalanga () is one of the nine provinces of South Africa. The name means "East", or literally "The Place Where the Sun Rises" in the Nguni languages. Mpumalanga lies in eastern South Africa, bordering Eswatini and Mozambique. It shares bor ...

Province. The mountain ranges between 1,700 and 2,274 metres in altitude, and is covered largely by high-altitude

grassland A grassland is an area where the vegetation is dominance (ecology), dominated by grasses (Poaceae). However, sedge (Cyperaceae) and rush (Juncaceae) can also be found along with variable proportions of legumes such as clover, and other Herbaceo ...

, broken in places by rocky outcrops. The northern slope of the mountain is drained by the Groot-Dwarsrivier, which enters a deep linear valley, to eventually join the Steelpoort River. The mountain is traversed from west to east by the R577 road ( De Berg Pass).

Ecology

250px, The nominate subspecies of '' Protea roupelliae'' on the slopes of the mountain The mountain plateau retains extensive tracts of unspoilt habitat, supporting a large diversity of mammals, birds and plant life. The common tree fern '' Cyathea dregei'' occurs along watercourses and streams, while overgrazed mountain slopes and eroded ravines are often dominated by '' Leucosidea sericea'' shrubs. The area is home to more than 150 bird species, a fair number being endemic to South Africa. The wetlands of the region shelter all of the three endangered South African species of crane -

blue Blue is one of the three primary colours in the RYB color model, RYB colour model (traditional colour theory), as well as in the RGB color model, RGB (additive) colour model. It lies between Violet (color), violet and cyan on the optical spe ...

, crowned, and wattled. Two of the wetlands, Lakenvlei, 8 km north-east of

, and Verloren Valei, 9 km north of Dullstroom, are of particular importance for the survival of these species. Waterbirds, such as heron, rail, crake,

Egyptian goose The Egyptian goose (''Alopochen aegyptiaca'') is an African member of the Anatidae family including ducks, geese, and swans. Because of their popularity chiefly as an ornamental bird, the species has also been introduced to Europe, the United ...

spur-winged goose The spur-winged goose (''Plectropterus gambensis'') is a large, Sub-Saharan African waterbird in the family Anatidae, which includes geese and shelducks. However, ''P. gambensis'' developed unique environmental adaptations, which resulted in t ...

, kingfisher,

coot Coots are medium-sized water birds that are members of the rail family, Rallidae. They constitute the genus ''Fulica'', the name being the Latin term for "coot". Coots have predominantly black plumage, and—unlike many rails—they are usual ...

sacred ibis The African sacred ibis (''Threskiornis aethiopicus'') is a species of ibis, a wading bird of the family Threskiornithidae. It is native to much of Africa, as well as small parts of Iraq, Iran and Kuwait. It is especially known for its role in ...

and

whiskered tern The whiskered tern (''Chlidonias hybrida'') is a tern in the family Laridae. The genus name is from Ancient Greek ''khelidonios'', "swallow-like", from ''khelidon'', "swallow". The specific ''hybridus'' is Latin for ''hybrid''; Peter Simon Pall ...

, make up a large proportion of the birdlife. Open grassland species include lark, pipit, cisticola, finch, bustard,

bald ibis __NOTOC__ The small bird genus ''Geronticus'' belongs to the ibis subfamily Threskiornithinae. Its name is derived from the Greek ''gérontos'' (γέρωντος, "old man") in reference to the bald head of these dark-plumaged birds; in English, ...

and francolin. Raptors in the area include

steppe In physical geography, a steppe () is an ecoregion characterized by grassland plains without closed forests except near rivers and lakes. Steppe biomes may include: * the montane grasslands and shrublands biome * the tropical and subtropica ...

and jackal buzzard, snake eagle,

long-crested eagle The long-crested eagle (''Lophaetus occipitalis'') is an African bird of prey characterised by its shaggy crest of feathers. In the family Accipitridae which includes all the eagles, it is currently placed in a monotypic genus ''Lophaetus''. It ...

, fish eagle and secretary bird. Mammals include a few antelope species such as the oribi, grey duiker, mountain reedbuck, grey rhebuck and

steenbok The steenbok (''Raphicerus campestris'') is a common small antelope of southern and eastern Africa. It is sometimes known as the steinbuck or steinbok. Description Steenbok resemble small oribi, standing 45–60 cm (16"–24") at the ...

. Also occurring are

serval The serval (''Leptailurus serval'') is a wild small cat native to Africa. It is widespread in sub-Saharan countries, where it inhabits grasslands, wetlands, moorlands and bamboo thickets. Across its range, it occurs in protected areas, and ...

civet A civet () is a small, lean, mostly nocturnal mammal native to tropical Asia and Africa, especially the tropical forests. The term ''civet'' applies to over a dozen different species, mostly from the family Viverridae. Most of the species's div ...

, Southern African wildcat and

caracal The caracal (''Caracal caracal'') () is a medium-sized Felidae, wild cat native to Africa, the Middle East, Central Asia, and arid areas of Pakistan and northwestern India. It is characterised by a robust build, long legs, a short face, long ...

Black-backed jackal The black-backed jackal (''Lupulella mesomelas'') is a medium-sized Caninae, canine native to East Africa, eastern and southern Africa. These regions are separated by roughly . One region includes the southernmost tip of the continent, includin ...

brown hyena The brown hyena (''Parahyaena brunnea''), also called the strandwolf, is a species of hyena found in Namibia, Botswana, western and southern Zimbabwe, southern Mozambique and South Africa. It is the only extant species in the genus ''Parahyaena' ...

, aardwolf,

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

bushpig :''"Bush pig" may also refer to the red river hog.'' The bushpig (''Potamochoerus larvatus'') is a member of the pig family that inhabits forests, woodland, riverine vegetation and cultivated areas in East and Southern Africa. Probably introd ...

and

aardvark Aardvarks ( ; ''Orycteropus afer'') are medium-sized, burrowing, nocturnal mammals native to Africa. Aardvarks are the only living species of the family Orycteropodidae and the order Tubulidentata. They have a long proboscis, similar to a pi ...

are nocturnal and rarely seen. Both otter species, the Cape clawless otter, and the smaller spotted-necked otter are to be found throughout the plateau. Their diet includes the introduced

rainbow trout The rainbow trout (''Oncorhynchus mykiss'') is a species of trout native to cold-water tributary, tributaries of the Pacific Ocean in North America and Asia. The steelhead (sometimes called steelhead trout) is an Fish migration#Classification, ...

and accordingly they are regularly poisoned, trapped or hunted by trout fly-fishing resorts and trout hatcheries who feel their livelihood threatened. Rainbow trout have had a seriously detrimental impact on native fish species in the headwaters of streams draining the Steenkampsberg.Dullstroom

Land management

The area is covered by some 150 privately owned farms.

References

{{reflist

External links

Mpumalanga Tourism
Mountain ranges of South Africa Landforms of Mpumalanga

Ecology

Land management

See also

References

External links