Page 38 - State of Biodiversity 2023-2024

Ingwe Conservation Area – Building a Nature Reserve
Greg Mullins
Email: Greg.Mullins@durban.gov.za
The eThekwini Municipality’s Biodiversity Management Department and Natural Resources Division has embarked on an exciting joint project together with the Kloof Conservancy, the Nkonka Trust, passionate local residents, business owners and the Motala Heights community to establish a new nature reserve along the Kloof Escarpment above the Westmead and Mahogany Ridge Industrial area in Pinetown.
The vision of this Public-Private Partnership once formalised will see properties owned by the Municipality and those that are privately owned being consolidated to form a conservation area that stretches five kilometres, from the M13 freeway in the east to the N3 Freeway in the west and incorporates an area of approximately 120 hectares. Properties to be included as part of the initial proclamation include the Edgecliffe Road Grassland, Peace Road Grassland, Clive Cheeseman Reserve, Glenholm Reserve and the Nkonka Trust Nature Reserve.
The Ingwe reserve will include a wide range of habitats, including large areas of Critically Endangered KwaZulu- Natal Sandstone Sourveld Grassland, Eastern Scarp Forest, Eastern Valley Bushveld, wetlands and riparian corridors. In addition to the important vegetation communities, the reserve will also be home to a wide range of fauna known to live within the escarpment corridor. Species such as Bushbuck, Duiker, Porcupine, Water Mongoose, Lesser Spotted Genet, Bush Pig and a variety of rodents have all been recorded within the boundaries. The identified area
of the reserve is also home to two know nesting sites for Crowned Eagles, which hunt over the woody canopy.
Through the dedicated work of local resident, Mr Steve Hobbs and Mr Paolo Candotti of the Kloof Conservancy, a steering committee that includes residents surrounding the reserve, businesses, various government departments and other interested stakeholders has been established to drive the proclamation and management process forward. A well-attended imbizo was held late in 2023, where the proposal to create the reserve was first launched and a wider group of interested stakeholders were engaged to brainstorm a shared conservation vision for the project and to settle on a name for the reserve – Ingwe Escarpment Nature Reserve.
Ingwe is an isiZulu word for a leopard and historically accounts of leopards having once roamed and hunted along the cliffs and in the forests in the area have been shared by residents and walkers alike. The popular Ingwe Hiking Trail once traversed the escarpment and was a popular route among hikers who could walk from the Cheesman Reserve through to Giba Gorge and then down the Molweni River to the Kranzkloof Nature Reserve. The project aims to restore some of the local heritage in this regard.
Next steps in the proclamation journey include making formal application to eZemvelo KZN Wildlife (EKZNW) to motivate for the site to be considered for nature
36 STATE OF BIODIVERSITY REPORT 2023/2024