Located 110 miles east of Pretoria in north-east South Africa, Loskop Dam Nature Reserve is home to at least 30 endangered species, including southern white rhino, Temminck\u2019s pangolin and Sable antelope, and unique plants, such as the critically endangered Middelburg Cycad. <\/p>
The reserve is rich in cultural heritage, too, with over 50 sites that are important to local communities, including ancient graves.\u00a0<\/p>
- Scientists may be about to save the world’s rarest rhino. Here’s what they’re doing<\/a><\/li>
- Giant anteater seen in southern Brazil for the first time in more than 100 years<\/a><\/li>
- Prehistoric aurochs are back from extinction and spreading across Europe<\/a><\/li><\/ul>
Loskop Dam Nature Reserve is home to more than 30 endangered species, including Temminck\u2019s pangolin. Credit: Getty<\/figcaption><\/figure> An agreement officially began on\u00a01 March 2024 for a strategic partnership between the Mpumalanga Tourism and Parks Agency <\/a>(MPTA) and international wildlife charity The Aspinall\u00a0Foundation<\/a>. The reserve is seen as having huge potential for ecotourism, due to the fact that it\u2019s close to the economic hub of Johannesburg but still undeveloped.\u00a0<\/p>
This is the first time one of South Africa\u2019s provincial conservation agencies has collaborated in this way with an international NGO. <\/p>
![\"Loskop](\"https:\/\/c02.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/62\/2024\/03\/Loskop-Dam-Nature-Reserve-1.jpg\")
Loskop Dam Nature Reserve is 110 miles east of Pretoria in north-east South Africa. Credit: The Aspinall Foundation <\/figcaption><\/figure> \u201cWe fell in love with the area, its potential for conservation and the fact that it\u2019s so pristine, yet understocked from a wildlife perspective,\u201d says Dereck Milburn, South African Project Director for The Aspinall Foundation. <\/p>
\u201cWe decided to jump on the opportunity and unlock the conservation and economic potential of the area. Some of the poorest people in South Africa live around the nature reserve. We\u2019re actively trying to find solutions to uplift these communities and provide meaningful career opportunities.\u201d<\/p>
![\"Endangered](\"https:\/\/c02.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/62\/2024\/03\/Sable-antelope-Hippotragus-niger.jpg\")
The endangered sable antelope is a large species of antelope with a rich brown coat and white facial markings. Credit: Getty<\/figcaption><\/figure> Creating a paradise<\/h3>
Work had already started prior to 1 March, including a breeding programme for black-footed cats that has seen the birth of several kittens, who will be released into the reserve. <\/p>
The Aspinall Foundation has also rewilded a formerly captive honey badger from the UK, released rescued crocodiles, and provided support for rhino-dehorning operations (to guard against poaching). They\u2019re also supporting a local ground hornbill project and providing monitoring for the local pangolin population.<\/p>
![\"Black](\"https:\/\/c02.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/62\/2024\/03\/Black-footed-cat-Felis-nigripes.jpg\")
A breeding programme for black-footed cats is already underway. Credit: Getty<\/figcaption><\/figure> Loskop Dam\u2019s natural balance will be restored though a series of wildlife supplementations (or restocking) and reintroductions, including a planned translocation of critically endangered black rhino and several species of cat, large and small. <\/p>
\u201cOther than having a fairly healthy leopard population, Loskop could be home to a vast range of other meso-predators, such as caracal, serval and mongoose, along with large cats such as lions and cheetah,\u201d says Milburn. <\/p>
\u201cThe cats will be in absolute paradise in the reserve with very low human pressure, high prey numbers and exceptional habitat and landscape features to enjoy.\u00a0<\/p>
![\"Black](\"https:\/\/c02.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/62\/2024\/03\/Black-rhino.jpg\")
Reintroductions include a planned translocation of critically endangered black rhino. Credit: Getty<\/figcaption><\/figure> Security will be key. The MPTA and The\u00a0Aspinall\u00a0Foundation are now working to improve the protection of the reserve, including providing additional rangers and equipment, anti-poaching activities, and upgrading fences.\u00a0<\/p>
![\"Southern](\"https:\/\/c02.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/62\/2024\/03\/Southern-ground-hornbill.jpg\")
The Aspinall Foundation will be supporting a ground hornbill project. Credit: Getty<\/figcaption><\/figure> Unlocking conservation potential<\/h3>
There are also plans to quadruple the size of the reserve. \u201cAdjacent to the Loskop Dam Nature Reserve lies mile upon mile of unoccupied wilderness owned by communities and private individuals,\u201d says Milburn. <\/p>
\u201cThe Aspinall Foundation have successfully negotiated long-term leases of land for many of these, which could allow the reserve to expand to a staggering 100,000 hectares in total from its original 23,000 hectares. We intend to unlock the conservation potential of the entire area. <\/p>
“We\u2019ve already had meetings with local chiefs and tribal leaders in the area and we\u2019ve confirmed we can link all of the protected areas adjacent to Loskop in the area known as the Loskop Cluster. Our hope is we can create one of the largest, most meaningful reserves in Africa.\u201d<\/p>
![\"Loskop](\"https:\/\/c02.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/62\/2024\/03\/Loskop-Dam-Nature-Reserve-2.jpg\")
The Loskop Dam Nature Reserve project is expected to span 25 years. Credit: The Aspinall Foundation <\/figcaption><\/figure> The co-management model is similar to partnerships that exist between wildlife charity African Parks and governments in several other African countries to protect national parks and reserves.\u00a0<\/p>
Expected to span 25 years, it\u2019s hoped the Loskop Dam project will\u00a0serve as a \u201cblueprint\u201d for other partnerships\u00a0across South Africa.\u00a0\u201cSouth Africa\u2019s provincial reserves are on a rapid decline in terms of infrastructure, resources and management capacity,\u201d says Milburn. <\/p>
\u201cWithout the support of the NGO and private sector, some of these reserves will be lost forever. We can\u2019t allow that to happen. We wanted to set the example and show other NGOs that it\u2019s possible to effectively partner with provincial conservation agencies to achieve significant results. These partnerships have been established throughout Africa and its now time South Africa does the same. We are leading the charge.\u201d<\/p>
![\"Loskop](\"https:\/\/c02.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/62\/2024\/03\/Loskop-Dam-Nature-Reserve.jpg\")
It\u2019s hoped the Loskop Dam project will\u00a0serve as a \u201cblueprint\u201d for other partnerships\u00a0across South Africa. Credit: The Aspinall Foundation <\/figcaption><\/figure> <\/body><\/html>\n
","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The project will see Loskop Dam Nature Reserve become one of the largest protected wildlife reserves in South Africa. Planned reintroductions include the critically endangered black rhino and several species of cat. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":24,"featured_media":36714,"template":"","categories":[1],"acf":{"readingTimeMinutes":"5"},"uagb_featured_image_src":{"full":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/44\/2024\/03\/huge-first-of-its-kind-rewilding-project-to-bring-back-lost-species-and-create-ecotourism-paradise-in-south-africa.jpg",724,483,false],"thumbnail":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/44\/2024\/03\/huge-first-of-its-kind-rewilding-project-to-bring-back-lost-species-and-create-ecotourism-paradise-in-south-africa-150x150.jpg",150,150,true],"medium":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/44\/2024\/03\/huge-first-of-its-kind-rewilding-project-to-bring-back-lost-species-and-create-ecotourism-paradise-in-south-africa-300x200.jpg",300,200,true],"medium_large":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/44\/2024\/03\/huge-first-of-its-kind-rewilding-project-to-bring-back-lost-species-and-create-ecotourism-paradise-in-south-africa.jpg",724,483,false],"large":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/44\/2024\/03\/huge-first-of-its-kind-rewilding-project-to-bring-back-lost-species-and-create-ecotourism-paradise-in-south-africa.jpg",724,483,false],"1536x1536":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/44\/2024\/03\/huge-first-of-its-kind-rewilding-project-to-bring-back-lost-species-and-create-ecotourism-paradise-in-south-africa.jpg",724,483,false],"2048x2048":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/44\/2024\/03\/huge-first-of-its-kind-rewilding-project-to-bring-back-lost-species-and-create-ecotourism-paradise-in-south-africa.jpg",724,483,false]},"uagb_author_info":{"display_name":"importmanagerhub@sprylab.com","author_link":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcwildlife\/author\/importmanagerhubsprylab-com\/"},"uagb_comment_info":0,"uagb_excerpt":"The project will see Loskop Dam Nature Reserve become one of the largest protected wildlife reserves in South Africa. Planned reintroductions include the critically endangered black rhino and several species of cat.","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcwildlife\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/rss_feed\/36713"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcwildlife\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/rss_feed"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcwildlife\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/rss_feed"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcwildlife\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/24"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcwildlife\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/36714"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcwildlife\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=36713"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcwildlife\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=36713"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
- Giant anteater seen in southern Brazil for the first time in more than 100 years<\/a><\/li>