| Waterberg | |
|---|---|
| Thaba Meetse | |
 River gorge in the Lapalala Wilderness of the Waterberg showing horizontalsandstone layering | |
| Highest point | |
| Peak | Geelhoutkop[1] |
| Elevation | 1,830 m (6,000 ft) |
| Listing | List of mountain ranges of South Africa |
| Coordinates | 24°4′30″S28°8′30″E / 24.07500°S 28.14167°E /-24.07500; 28.14167 |
| Dimensions | |
| Length | 170 km (110 mi) NE/SW |
| Width | 80 km (50 mi) NW/SE |
| Geography | |
  Waterberg nearVaalwater | |
| Country | South Africa |
| Province | Limpopo |
| Geology | |
| Orogeny | Kaapvaal craton |
| Rock age | Neoarchean to earlyPaleoproterozoic |
| Rock type(s) | Bushveld Igneous Complex,sandstone |
| Climbing | |
| Easiest route | From the towns ofVaalwater orBela-Bela |
TheWaterberg (Northern Sotho:Thaba Meetse) is a mountainousmassif of approximately 654,033 hectare in northLimpopo Province,South Africa. The average height of the mountain range is 600 m with a few peaks rising up to 2,000 m above sea level.Vaalwater town is located just north of the mountain range. The extensive rock formation was shaped by hundreds of millions of years of riverine erosion to yield diverse bluff andbuttelandform.[2] The ecosystem can be characterised as adry deciduous forest orBushveld. Within the Waterberg there arearchaeological finds dating to theStone Age, and nearby are earlyevolutionary finds related to the origin ofhumans.
Waterberg (Thaba Meetse) is the first region in the northern part of South Africa to be named as aBiosphere Reserve byUNESCO.
The underlying rock formation derives from theKaapvaal craton, formed as a precursor island roughly 2.7 billion years ago. This crustal formation became the base of the Waterberg, which was further transformed by upward extrusion ofigneous rocks.[3] These extruded rocks, containingminerals such asvanadium andplatinum, are called theBushveld Igneous Complex. The original extent of this rockupthrust involved about 250,000 square kilometres, and is sometimes called the WaterbergSupergroup.
Sedimentary deposition from rivers cutting through Waterberg endured until roughly 1.5 billion years ago. In more recent time (around 250 million years ago) the Kaapvaal craton collided with the supercontinentGondwana, and split Gondwana into its modern-day continents.[citation needed] Waterberg today containsmesas,buttes and somekopje outcrops. Some of cliffs stand up to 550 meters above the plains, with exposed multi-coloured sandstone.
Thesandstone formations could retaingroundwater sufficient to make a suitable environment for primitive man. The cliff overhangs offered natural shelters for these early humans. The first human ancestors may have been at Waterberg as early as three million years ago, sinceMakapansgat, 40 kilometres distant, has yielded skeletons ofAustralopithecus africanus.[2] Hogan suggests thatHomo erectus, whose evidence remains were also discovered inMakapansgat, "may have purposefully moved into the higher areas of the Waterberg for summer (December to March) game".
Bushmen entered Waterberg around two thousand years ago. They producedrock paintings at Lapalala within the Waterberg, including depictions ofrhinoceros andantelope. EarlyIron Age settlers in Waterberg wereBantu, who had broughtcattle to the region. The Bantu created a problem in Waterberg, since cattle reducedgrassland caused invasion of brush species leading to an outbreak of thetsetse fly. The ensuingepidemic ofsleeping sickness depopulated the plains, but at higher elevations man survived, because the fly cannot survive above 600 meters.
Later people left the first Stone Age artefacts recovered in northernSouth Africa. Starting about the year 1300 AD,Nguni settlers arrived with new technologies, including the ability to build dry-stone walls, which techniques were then used to add defensive works to theirIron Age forts, some of which walls survive to today.Archaeologists continue to excavate Waterberg to shed light on the Nguni culture and the associateddry-stone architecture.
The first white settlers arrived in Waterberg in 1808 and the first naturalist aSwede appeared just before mid 19th century. Around the mid 19th century, a group ofAfrikaner travellers set out fromCape Town in search ofJerusalem. Arriving in Waterberg, they mis-estimated their distance and thought they had reachedEgypt.
After battles between Boer settlers and tribesmen, the races co-existed until around 1900. The Boers brought further cattlegrazing, multiplying the impacts of indigenous tribes. By the beginning of the 20th century there were an estimated 200 western inhabitants of the Waterberg,[4] and grassland loss began to have a severe impact upon native wildlife populations.
There are several sub-habitats within the Waterberg Biosphere, which is fundamentally a dry deciduous forest; according to Hogan: "These sub-habitats includehigh plateausavanna,specialized shaded cliffvegetation system andriparian zone habitat with associatedmarshes".[2]
The savanna consists of rolling grasslands and a semi-deciduous forest, with trees such asmountain syringa,silver cluster-leaf andlavender tree. The canopy is mostly leafless during the dry winter. Native grasses includesignal grass,goose grass andheather-topped grass. Indigenous grasses provide graze to support nativespecies includingimpala,kudu,klipspringer andblue wildebeest. SomePachypodium habitats are found especially in isolatedkopje formations.
Other indigenous mammals includegiraffe,white rhinoceros andwarthog.Snakes include theblack mamba andspitting cobra. In 1905Eugene Marais studied these snakes of the Waterberg.[5] Some birds seen are theblack-headed oriole and thewhite-backed vulture.[6] Predators include theleopard,hyena andlion.
Vegetative cliff habitats are abundant in the Waterberg due to the extensive historic riverineerosion. TheAfrican porcupine uses the protection of these cliffside caves. Some trees cling to the cliff areas, including thepaperbark false-thorn, that have flaking bark hanging from their thick trunks. Another tree in this habitat is thefever tree, thought byBushmen to have special power to allow communication with the dead. It is found on cliffs above thePalala River including one site used for prehistoric ceremonies, which is also a location of some intact rock paintings.
Riparian zones are associated with variousrivers that cut through Waterberg. These surface waters all drain to theLimpopo River which flows easterly to discharge into theIndian Ocean. Theriver bushwillow is a riparian tree in this habitat. These riparian zones offer habitat for birds,reptiles andmammals that require more water thanplateau species. The riverine areas are inhabited by theapex predatorNile crocodile and thehippopotamus. These wet habitats have reduced numbers of water-living insects, and the Waterberg is thus considered an almostmalaria-free region.
As of 2006 about 80,000 people lived on the Waterberg plateau, which is part of the Bushveld district of Limpopo Province of South Africa. Aftercattlegrazing wrought ecological havoc in the mid 1900s, the land owners of the region became aware of the benefits of restoring habitat to attract and protect the original species of antelope,white rhino,giraffe,hippopotami, and other species whose numbers dropped in the era of intense cattle grazing.
The rise ineco-tourism has stimulated interest insoil conservation practices to restore original grass species to the Waterberg. The land management practises required are expensive, but repay the landowner with added value inwildlife habitat. There is also a trend for larger farms and open space areas with the resultant advantage of fence removal. This outcome not only benefits large mammal migration, but yields an improvedgene pool.[1]
| Waterberg Biosphere Reserve | |
|---|---|
 Waterberg Biosphere Reserve | |
| Location | Limpopo,South Africa |
| Nearest city | Lephalale |
| Coordinates | 23°55′S28°05′E / 23.917°S 28.083°E /-23.917; 28.083 |
| Area | 654,033 ha (1,616,150 acres) |
| Established | 2001; 25 years ago (2001) |
| Governing body | Waterberg Biosphere Reserve |
| waterbergbiosphere | |
  Waterberg Biosphere (Limpopo) Show map of LimpopoWaterberg Biosphere (South Africa) Show map of South Africa | |
The Waterberg Biosphere Reserve was designated in 2001. It has a total area of 654 033 hectares.[7]Marakele National Park is found on the western edge of the biosphere reserve.
TheWelgevonden Game Reserve covers 37,500 hectares of the plateau.[8] TheKololo Game Reserve covers 3000 hectares, part of which is in the Welgevonden Private Game Reserve, and part of which is completely protected.[9]
TheLapalala Wilderness Nature Reserve, just north of Melkrivier covers approximately 48’000 hectares and is the largest private game reserve in the Waterberg and the Limpopo province.
UNESCOBiosphere reserves in South Africa | ||
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