iSimangaliso Wetland Park

iSimangaliso Wetland Park
IUCN category II (national park)
Greater St. Lucia Wetlands
Location of the park within of South Africa
Location	KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa
Nearest city	Durban, South Africa
Coordinates	28°0′0″S 32°30′0″E
Area	3,280 km²
Established	1895
Governing body	iSimangaliso Authority
UNESCO World Heritage Site
Type:	Natural
Criteria:	vii, ix, x
Designated:	1999 (23rd session)
Reference No.	914
State Party:	South Africa
Region:	Africa

iSimangaliso Wetland Park (previously known as the Greater St. Lucia Wetland Park) is situated on the east coast of KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa, about 275 kilometres north of Durban. It is South Africa's third-largest protected area, spanning 280 km of coastline, from the Mozambican border in the north to Mapelane south of the Lake St. Lucia estuary, and made up of around 3,280 km² of natural ecosystems, managed by the iSimangaliso Authority. The park includes:

• Lake St. Lucia
• St. Lucia Game Reserve
• False Bay Park
• Kosi Bay
• Lake Etrza Nature Reserve
• Lake Sibhayi
• St. Lucia Marine Reserve
• St. Lucia Marine Sanctuary
• Sodwana Bay National Park
• Mapelane Nature Reserve
• Maputaland Marine Reserve
• Cape Vidal
• Ozabeni
• Mfabeni
• Tewate Wilderness Area
• Mkuze Game Reserve

The park was previously known as the Greater St. Lucia Wetland Park, but was renamed effective from 1 November 2007. The word isimangaliso means "miracle" in Zulu.

Transfrontier park

The Park is due to be integrated into a transfrontier park, the Ponta do Ouro-Kosi Bay Transfrontier Conservation Area, straddling South Africa, Mozambique, and Swaziland. This is in turn planned to become a part of the greater Greater Lubombo Transfrontier Conservation Area.

Satellite image of the park, with the borders of several conservation areas outlined in yellow.

History

In the northern part of the iSimangaliso Wetland Park you will find Kosi Bay.

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 Portuguese ship Saint Benedict. At this stage, only the Tugela River 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 Lucy, Manuel Peresterello renamed the mouth area to Santa Lucia.

In 1822, St. Lucia was proclaimed by the British 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).

In December 1999, the park was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site at an unveiling ceremony, where Nelson Mandela was the guest of honour.

Biodiversity

Hippopotamus at Isimangaliso Wetland Park, KwaZulu-Natal

The park was proclaimed a world heritage site because of the rich biodiversity, unique ecosystems and natural beauty occurring in a relatively small area. The reason for the huge diversity in fauna and flora is the great variety of different ecosystems on the park, ranging from coral reefs and sandy beaches to subtropical dune forests, savannas, and wetlands. Animals occurring on the park include elephants, leopard, black and white rhino, buffalo, and in the ocean, whales, dolphins, and marine turtles including the leatherback and loggerhead turtle.

The park is also home to 1,200 Nile crocodiles and 800 hippopotami.

There are large outcroppings of underwater reefs which are home to brightly coloured fish and corals. Some of the most spectacular coral diversity in the world is located in Sodwana Bay. The reefs are inhabited by colour-changing octopuses and squid ready to ambush unsuspecting prey. Occasionally gigantic whale sharks can be seen gliding through the water; mouth agape to scoop up tiny plankton.

Twenty-four species of bivalve molluscs are recorded in St. Lucia Lake, which constitutes a considerable portion of the park.

See also

• List of World Heritage Sites in Africa
• Protected areas of South Africa

References

• "St. Lucia Estuary, South Africa". NASA Earth Observatory. Retrieved 2006-05-19. 

External links

• Future homepage of the iSimangaliso Wetland Park
• St. Lucia South Africa Website
• Lake St. Lucia
• St. Lucia Estuary
• Zulu Stories