iSimangaliso Wetland Park is situated on the east coast of
KwaZulu-NatalKwaZulu-Natal is a province of South Africa. Prior to 1994 the territory now known as KwaZulu-Natal was made up of the province of Natal and all pieces of territory that made up the homeland of KwaZulu....
,
South AfricaThe Republic of South Africa is a country located at the southern tip of Africa, with a coastline on the Atlantic and Indian Oceans. To the north lie Namibia, Botswana and Zimbabwe, to the east are Mozambique and Swaziland, while Lesotho is an independent country surrounded by South Africa.Modern...
about 275 kilometres north of
DurbanDurban is the third most populous city in South Africa, forming part of the eThekwini metropolitan municipality. It is the largest city in KwaZulu-Natal and is famous as the busiest port in Africa. It is also a major centre of tourism due to the city's warm subtropical climate and...
. It is South Africa's third-largest protected area, spanning 280 km of coastline, from the
MozambicMozambique, officially the Republic of Mozambique , is a country in southeastern Africa bordered by the Indian Ocean to the east, Tanzania to the north, Malawi and Zambia to the northwest, Zimbabwe to the west and Swaziland and South Africa to the southwest. It was explored by Vasco da Gama in 1498...
an border in the north to Mapelane south of the St Lucia estuary, and made up of around 3,280 km² of pristine natural ecosystems, managed by
Ezemvelo KZN WildlifeEzemvelo KZN Wildlife is a governmental organisation responsible for maintaining wilderness areas and public nature reserves in KwaZulu-Natal Province, South Africa. Their headquarters is in Queen Elizabeth Park situated on the northern slopes of Pietermaritzburg the KwaZulu-Natal provincial capital...
. The park includes the St Lucia Game Reserve, False Bay Park, St Lucia Marine Reserve, Sodwana Bay National Park, Maputaland Marine Reserve, Cape Vidal, Ozabeni, Mfabeni, Tewate Wilderness Area and
Mkuze Game ReserveMkhuze Game Reserve is a game reserve in northern Zululand, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. It was proclaimed a protected area on 15 February 1912....
.
iSimangaliso Wetland Park is situated on the east coast of
KwaZulu-NatalKwaZulu-Natal is a province of South Africa. Prior to 1994 the territory now known as KwaZulu-Natal was made up of the province of Natal and all pieces of territory that made up the homeland of KwaZulu....
,
South AfricaThe Republic of South Africa is a country located at the southern tip of Africa, with a coastline on the Atlantic and Indian Oceans. To the north lie Namibia, Botswana and Zimbabwe, to the east are Mozambique and Swaziland, while Lesotho is an independent country surrounded by South Africa.Modern...
about 275 kilometres north of
DurbanDurban is the third most populous city in South Africa, forming part of the eThekwini metropolitan municipality. It is the largest city in KwaZulu-Natal and is famous as the busiest port in Africa. It is also a major centre of tourism due to the city's warm subtropical climate and...
. It is South Africa's third-largest protected area, spanning 280 km of coastline, from the
MozambicMozambique, officially the Republic of Mozambique , is a country in southeastern Africa bordered by the Indian Ocean to the east, Tanzania to the north, Malawi and Zambia to the northwest, Zimbabwe to the west and Swaziland and South Africa to the southwest. It was explored by Vasco da Gama in 1498...
an border in the north to Mapelane south of the St Lucia estuary, and made up of around 3,280 km² of pristine natural ecosystems, managed by
Ezemvelo KZN WildlifeEzemvelo KZN Wildlife is a governmental organisation responsible for maintaining wilderness areas and public nature reserves in KwaZulu-Natal Province, South Africa. Their headquarters is in Queen Elizabeth Park situated on the northern slopes of Pietermaritzburg the KwaZulu-Natal provincial capital...
. The park includes the St Lucia Game Reserve, False Bay Park, St Lucia Marine Reserve, Sodwana Bay National Park, Maputaland Marine Reserve, Cape Vidal, Ozabeni, Mfabeni, Tewate Wilderness Area and
Mkuze Game ReserveMkhuze Game Reserve is a game reserve in northern Zululand, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. It was proclaimed a protected area on 15 February 1912....
. The park was previously known as the
Greater St. Lucia Wetland Park, but was renamed effective from 1 November 2007. The word 'isimangaliso' is
ZuluZulu is the language of the Zulu people with about 10 million speakers, the vast majority of whom live in South Africa. Zulu is the most widely spoken home language in South Africa as well as being understood by over 50% of the population . It became one of South Africa's eleven official...
for 'a marvel'.
Ecosystems
Like many tidal
estuariesAn estuary is a semi-enclosed coastal body of water with one or more rivers or streams flowing into it, and with a free connection to the open sea. Estuaries are thus subject to both marine influences, such as tides, waves, and the influx of saline water; and riverine influences, such as flows of...
, the park has diverse wildlife reflecting the concentration of diverse
ecosystemAn ecosystem is a system of interdependent organisms which share the same habitat, in an area functioning together with all of the physical factors of the environment. Ecosystems can be permanent or temporary. Ecosystems usually form a number of food webs...
s created by variations in the degree of
salinitySalinity is the saltiness or dissolved salt content of a body of water. It is a general term used to describe the levels of different salts such as sodium chloride, magnesium and calcium sulfates, and bicarbonates...
from season to season, year to year, and location to location within the park. The estuary is the largest in Africa and boasts, among other attractions, the world's largest forested sand dunes, which reach up to 180 m (600 feet).
SwampA swamp is a wetland featuring temporary or permanent inundation of large areas of land by shallow bodies of water. A swamp generally has a substantial number of hammocks, or dry-land protrusions, covered by aquatic vegetation, or vegetation that tolerates periodical inundation. The two main types...
s along the border of the lake, and "sponge" areas are fed by water seeping through the dunes; these provide critical refuges to freshwater life when the lake salinity is particularly high.
The park consists of five individual ecosystems. These ecosystems function totally independent yet fully integrated with each other.
The five ecosystems in the park are:
Marine System : Characterised by the warm
Indian OceanThe Indian Ocean is the third largest of the world's oceanic divisions, covering about 20% of the water on the Earth's surface. It is bounded on the north by South Asia ; on the west by Africa; on the east by Indochina, the Sunda Islands, and Australia; and on the south by the Southern Ocean...
, containing the southernmost
coral reefCoral reefs are aragonite structures produced by living organisms, found in marine waters containing few nutrients. In most reefs, the predominant organisms are stony corals, colonial cnidarians that secrete an exoskeleton of calcium carbonate...
s in Africa, as well as sub-marine canyons and long sandy beaches.
Eastern Shores : A coastal
duneIn physical geography, a dune is a hill of sand built by aeolian processes. Dunes are subject to different forms and sizes based on their interaction with the wind. Most kinds of dune are longer on the windward side where the sand is pushed up the dune, and a shorter "slip face" in the lee of the...
system consisting of high linear dunes and sub-tropical forests, grassy plains and wetlands.
Lake System : Two estuary-linked lakes of St Lucia and
Kosi BayKosi Bay is a series of four interlinked lakes in the Maputuland area of KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa.The lakes form part of the Greater St. Lucia Wetland Park, a UNESCO World Heritage Site....
, plus the four large freshwater lakes of
Lake SibhayiLake Sibhayi is the largest natural freshwater lake in South Africa, with a surface area of 77km². The lake is also wrongly known as Sibaya or Sibayi....
, Ngobezeleni, Bhangazi north and Bhangazi south.
Mkhuze and Umfolozi Swamps : Swamp forests and extensive
reedPhragmites australis, the common reed, is a large perennial grass found in wetlands throughout temperate and tropical regions of the world. It is sometimes regarded as the sole species of the genus Phragmites, though some botanists divide Phragmites australis into three or four species and in...
s and
papyrusPapyrus is a thick paper-like material produced from the pith of the papyrus plant, Cyperus papyrus, a wetland sedge that was once abundant in the Nile Delta of Egypt....
marshes.
Western Shores : Ancient shoreline terraces and dry
savannaA savanna, or savannah, is a grassland ecosystem characterized by the trees being sufficiently small or widely spaced so that the canopy does not close...
woodlands.
Wildlife
Though less well known than larger southern African parks like
Kruger National ParkKruger National Park is the largest game reserve in South Africa. It covers 18,989 square km and extends 350 km from north to south and 60 km from east to west....
and the
Okavango DeltaThe Okavango Delta , in Botswana, is the world's largest inland delta where the Okavango River empties onto a swamp in an endorheic basin in the Kalahari Desert instead of draining into the sea...
, St. Lucia supports more species, and for some, St. Lucia is critical habitat. These include the White-backed and
Pink-backed PelicanThe Pink-backed Pelican is a member of the pelican family of birds. It is a resident breeder in Africa, southern Arabia and apparently extinct in Madagascar in swamps and shallow lakes....
,
GreaterThe Greater Flamingo is the most widespread species of the flamingo family. It is found in parts of Africa, southern Asia and southern Europe...
and
Lesser FlamingoThe Lesser Flamingo is a species in the flamingo family of birds that resides in Africa and in southern Asia...
s,
African Fish EagleThe African Fish Eagle or – to distinguish it from the true fish eagles , the African Sea Eagle – is a large species of eagle. It is the national bird of Zimbabwe and Zambia....
s, and some 530 other bird species. It is also home to the largest population of
hippopotamiThe hippopotamus or hippo is a large, mostly plant-eating mammal in sub-Saharan Africa, and one of only two extant species in the family Hippopotamidae...
in South African parks.
ElephantElephants are large land mammals in two genera of the family Elephantidae: Elephas and Loxodonta. Three species of elephant are living today: the African Bush Elephant, the African Forest Elephant and the Asian Elephant...
s were reintroduced in 2001. Two
sea turtleSea Turtles inhabit all the world's oceans except the Arctic.-Distribution:The superfamily Chelonioidea has a worldwide distribution; sea turtles can be found in all oceans except for the polar regions. Some species travel between oceans...
species use the beaches for laying eggs. The coastal reserve includes not only beaches but offshore coral reefs, and
Humpback WhaleThe humpback whale is a baleen whale. One of the larger rorqual species, adults range in length from and weigh approximately . The humpback has a distinctive body shape, with unusually long pectoral fins and a knobbly head. It is an acrobatic animal, often breaching and slapping the water...
s migrate along this section of the coast. It is the one park in Africa where hippopotami, crocodiles, and sharks can be found all in the same area.
The park is also famous as a home to
coelacanthCoelacanth is the common name for an order of fish that includes the oldest living lineage of gnathostomata known to date...
, a fish species from millions of years ago that was known to scientists from fossil records and presumed to have been extinct until a live specimen was found in a trawler net in 1938 just off the African coast. Scientists have since found a number of these fish in very deep, rocky, marine environments, but it is still a very rare fish and protected under international law. On November 27, 2000, three living specimens of coelacanth were found and photographed in a submarine canyon off the coast near
Sodwana BaySodwana Bay is located on the east coast of South Africa, between St. Lucia and Lake Sibhayi.Sodwana Bay National Park is a narrow strip of forested sand dunes located along the KwaZulu Natal coast...
inside the St. Lucia Reserve.
History
In the northern part of the iSimangaliso Wetland Park you will find Kosi Bay. It has an interesting history and even today it is unique.
o Kosi Bay, Manguzi, eManguzi, KwaNgwanase are all different names for the same place. Manguzi is the community in which the town is settled and KwaNgwanase is the district name.
o The name Kosi is said to be derived from the word Nkosi which means king. Ngwanase is the name for the Thonga King who fled from the Portuguese Colonists in Mozambique. The original king was Mabhudu which the Portuguese and English colonists mispronounced and misspelled respectively to Maputo and Maputa. The region is still known as
Maputaland.
o The region is also known as Thonga Tembe Land. Historically this region was the orphan of South Africa and none of the previous governments made any effort to develop this region.
Maputaland was/is completely self-governed by the Thonga people. The current king is Mabhudu Israel Tembe. Even today the Tembe Tribal Authority retains power and oversees everything regarding everyday life.
o The fact that the region have a King and chiefs, Local government, various other state bodies who have interests here and that large parts of
Maputaland are national borders, world heritage area, state forest land, marine sanctuary and conservation areas do not make it easier to manage and purposefully develop
Maputaland.
o In
Maputaland first world dreams are conflicting with third world tranquillity and existence more than anywhere else. The stage was set when the Portuguese and English colonists clashed in these regions during 1875 and asked the French prime Minister to arbitrate. With typical heavy handedness he drew a line on a map that divided the Thonga tribe in two.
St. Lucia was first named in 1554 as
"Rio de la Medaos do Oura" ("River of the Dows of Gold") by the survivors of the
PortuguesePortugal , officially the Portuguese Republic , is a country located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. Portugal is the westernmost country of mainland Europe and is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the west and south and by Spain to the north and east...
ship
Saint Benedict. At this stage, only the
Tugela RiverThe Tugela River is the largest river in KwaZulu-Natal Province, South Africa. The river originates in the Drakensberg Mountains, Mont-aux-Sources, and plunges 947 metres down the Tugela Falls...
mouth was known as St. Lucia. Later, in 1575, the Tugela River was named Tugela. On 13 December 1575, the day of the feast of
Saint LucySaint Lucy, also known as Saint Lucia, was a wealthy young Christian martyr who is venerated as a saint by both Catholic and Orthodox Christians. Her feast day in the West is 13 December, by the unreformed Julian calendar the longest night of the year; with a name derived from lux, lucis "light",...
, Manuel Peresterello renamed the mouth area to Santa Lucia.
- In 1822, St. Lucia was proclaimed by the British
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is a sovereign state located off the northwestern coast of continental Europe. It is an island country, spanning an archipelago including Great Britain, the northeastern part of Ireland, and many small islands...
as a township.
- In 1895, St. Lucia Game Reserve, 30 km north of the town was proclaimed.
- In 1971, St. Lucia Lake and the turtle beaches and coral reefs of Maputaland have been listed by the Convention on Wetlands of International Importance (Ramsar Convention
The Ramsar Convention is an international treaty for the conservation and sustainable utilization of wetlands, i.e., to stem the progressive encroachment on and loss of wetlands now and in the future, recognizing the fundamental ecological functions of wetlands and their economic, cultural,...
).
- In December 1999, the park was declared a UNESCO
The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations established on 16 November 1945...
World Heritage SiteA UNESCO World Heritage Site is a site that is on the list that is maintained by the international World Heritage Programme administered by the UNESCO World Heritage Committee, composed of 21 state parties which are elected by their General Assembly for a four-year term.A World Heritage Site is a...
.
External links