It is one year since the establishment of The Greater Ukuwela Nature Reserve by Wild Tomorrow Fund. Situated within a global biodiversity hotspot and directly adjoining UNESCO World Heritage iSimangaliso Park, The Greater Ukuwela Nature Reserve functions as a wildlife corridor that has the ability to restore ecological connectivity by joining two existing wildlife reserves together - a total of over 356,000 hectares (over 880,000 acres) of connected space for wildlife on South Africa's Elephant Coast.

An aerial view of Wild Tomorrow Fund’s Greater Ukuwela Nature Reserve with the Mzinene River as the boundary between Ukuwela (left) and The Munyawana Conservancy (right).

Today, May 27th 2022, is the Greater Ukuwela Nature Reserve's first birthday, marking one year since the official declaration that created the Nature Reserve and gave it legal protection in South Africa at the same level as a national park.

The Greater Ukuwela Nature Reserve, stretching a total of 1283.1 hectares (3170 acres), was chosen strategically as Wild Tomorrow Fund's first habitat protection program due to its potential to function as a regional wildlife corridor. The Reserve directly borders UNESCO World Heritage iSimangaliso Wetland Park to the east while its northern neighbour, the Munyawana Conservancy (home to &BEYOND’s Phinda Private Game Reserve) lies across the Mzinene River. Ukuwela, which means ‘to cross over’ in isiZulu, will substantially reduce habitat fragmentation regionally by preserving the opportunity to link these two expansive wildlife reserves together, and in doing so, restore a wildlife corridor for threatened and endangered species.

The Greater Ukuwela Nature Reserve, highlighted in green, preserves the opportunity to link the Munyawana with iSimangaliso.

The establishment of the Greater Ukuwela Nature Reserve was the outcome of a process of collaboration and negotiation between Wild Tomorrow Fund, which owns 85% of the land in the reserve, and several private landowners, who united with a common vision to protect and expand habitat for the region’s exceptional biodiversity. It is this collective vision, supported both locally and globally, that sets the Reserve apart in South Africa. While many private reserves in South Africa are established to focus on for-profit safari tourism, the Greater Ukuwela Nature Reserve's focus is to put nature first, for the primary purpose of habitat conservation. Philanthropic funding for the Reserve and its protection and restoration has been provided by thousands of individual donors and foundations, many of whom may never set foot on this wild space, whose protection they personally support from far away in America, the UK, Australia, Switzerland, Iceland, Hong Kong, Spain and more. These generous individuals around the globe have one thing in common: they are concerned about the threats to wildlife globally and understand that the destruction of wild places in one part of the world affects us all. According to the South African National Biodiversity Institute (SANBI), South Africa is ranked the third most biologically diverse country on Earth and is one of 17 megadiverse countries which collectively contain the majority of the world’s biodiversity. Much is at stake globally if we do not protect South Africa’s exceptional biodiversity.

The Greater Ukuwela Nature Reserve is home to three threatened habitat types which are now not just protected, but under active restoration: Subtropical Freshwater Wetlands (vulnerable), Western Maputaland Clay Bushveld (vulnerable), and the Dry Sand Forest (endangered).

These habitats are home to an incredible array of life of over 1200 species (and counting). On this ever-growing species list, 40 species are threatened with extinction. These include Leopard (vulnerable), White-backed Vulture (critically endangered), Southern Banded Snake Eagle (critically endangered), Eastern Hinged-back tortoise (vulnerable), and the Suni antelope (regionally threatened). Wild Tomorrow Fund has aided this restoration of native wildlife by reintroducing species that had been absent from this land for decades including zebra, giraffe, reedbuck, waterbuck, and wildebeest.

The Reserve is not only home to threatened animals but also plants, insects, and more. Of the 235 tree species identified to date, included are the threatened, near-endemic Sand forest Num-num (Carissa tetramera), and the magnificent giant of the Sand Forest, the Lebombo Wattle (Newtonia hildebrandtii), a protected species that is in decline. More than 160 wildflower species have been identified, among them the critically rare Giant sansevieria (Sansevieria metallica) and the endemic, near threatened Maputaland grass crinum (Crinum acaule). And our most bizarre inhabitants include a wonderful lineup of over 23 species of mantids, with more to be discovered.

Today, on the anniversary of being declared a Nature Reserve, the Reserve is bursting with biodiversity as this restoration work continues to restore much of the damage done by decades of farming and pollution. Since Wild Tomorrow Fund began restoration work, 823.41 ha (2035 acres) of habitat have been restored by the Green Mambas team, providing close to full-time employment for these women and their dependents in a rural community stricken with high levels of poverty.

International volunteers have also been a major part of the support for the reserve and its restoration, joining us in the field to learn about wildlife protection and ecosystem restoration, while pulling up their sleeves to lend a helping hand. To learn more about getting involved hands-on, click here.

Protecting and restoring habitat is what defines Wild Tomorrow Fund.

“We believe that the solution to the wildlife extinction crisis lies in protecting wild spaces in areas rich with biodiversity. According to biologist EO Wilson, who started the half Earth project and from whom we take great inspiration, saving 80% of species on Earth requires us to protect half of the Earth’s land and sea to ensure species have the space they need to thrive. Since 2017, Wild Tomorrow Fund has acted on this urgent call in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa.”

— John Steward, Wild Tomorrow Fund's co-founder and Executive Director

Happy Birthday to the Greater Ukuwela Nature Reserve! Please continue to support our work, and amplify our impact for wildlife and wild space by donating today - a birthday gift for Ukuwela.

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CELEBRATING ONE YEAR AS A DECLARED NATURE RESERVE