The Western Soutpansberg Nature Reserve (WSNR), covering 14 properties (eight landowners) and spanning over 11 607 hectares of critical biodiversity, was officially declared on 17 January 2025.
The Endangered Wildlife Trust (EWT) drove the formation of the WSNR, and this brand-new reserve in the Soutpansberg encompasses a Centre of Endemism, a recognised Key Biodiversity Area, a Strategic Groundwater Source Area, and an expansive Critical Biodiversity Area 1 and 2 in the Limpopo Conservation Plan. Extensive plans for expanding the reserve are already underway.
The Soutpansberg mountains are home to an impressive 593 species of trees, five different biomes (wetlands, forest, savanna, grassland, thicket) and even fynbos elements. They also house multiple sacred sites, rock art and other archaeological sites, and are important for cultural heritage, with many communities celebrating their vibrant traditions in the region to this day.
Due to the important biodiversity, unique cultural heritage and largely intact natural landscape, the EWT became a landowner and initiated the Soutpansberg Protected Area in 2018, with a mission to formally declare large parts of the western Soutpansberg as a nature reserve, through the government’s Biodiversity Stewardship Programme.
The Western Soutpansberg Nature Reserve Association (WSNRA) is a voluntary landowners’ association for landowners who are committed to managing their properties as a nature reserve, as part of a collective. The WSNRA has been assigned as the management authority of the reserve. Each landowner is a member of the WSNRA, and manages their property/ies within the approved WSNR Framework Management Plan, with activities including the management of invasive alien plants, local community engagement projects, environmental education and women’s health workshops in local villages.
The EWT and WSNRA reserve management are undertaking initiatives that include bush encroachment work, fire management, invasive species management and the development of ecotourism initiatives including the Old Salt Trail, which offers hiking enthusiasts one of the best ways to explore the newly declared nature reserve, and showcases why the Soutpansberg is so special.
Many of the Soutpansberg landowners offer tourism products on their properties, allowing for nature-loving visitors to explore the Western Soutpansberg Nature Reserve and surrounds, with a range of offerings from five-star accommodation to overlanding camp sites and hiking trails.
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