Our work in the Eastern Free State aims to conserve important high-altitude grassland and wetland ecosystems that support threatened bird species and provide vital benefits such as water security. Through Biodiversity Stewardship programmes we partner with landowners, farmers, and local communities to promote sustainable land management, protect high-value biodiversity areas, and prevent habitat loss. Key focus species include threatened grassland birds such as the Blue and Grey Crowned Cranes, Southern Bald Ibis, Rudd’s Lark, and Yellow-breasted Pipit, to name a few. Our work also supports ecological research, environmental education, and advocacy to ensure that development is balanced with conservation – of which our work at the Ingula Nature Reserve is a glowing example. By working collaboratively across the landscape, we aim to maintain healthy ecosystems that benefit both people and nature.
In the Eastern Free State, our work combines long-term research, protected area expansion, species conservation and community partnerships to secure priority grassland and wetland landscapes. Through the Ingula Partnership, we have helped develop and manage the Ingula Nature Reserve for over 20 years, conducting ecological and avifaunal monitoring and research focused on threatened species such as the White-winged Flufftail, Yellow-breasted Pipit and Southern Bald Ibis, while growing avitourism opportunities and strengthening environmental awareness in surrounding communities and schools. Through Biodiversity Stewardship, we have secured more than 24 000 hectares in the Upper Wilge Protected Environment and over 17 000 hectares in the Sneeuwberg Protected Environment, working with more than 40 landowners to improve grassland and wetland management, with further expansion underway. With our flagship species for the Eastern Free State being Southern Bald Ibis, we coordinate national breeding monitoring, establish innovative artificial breeding sites, and conduct tracking research to guide conservation action across the region and beyond.
Situated near Van Reenen on the escarpment between the Free State and KwaZulu-Natal, the 8 000 ha Ingula Nature Reserve was established through the Ingula Partnership between BirdLife South Africa, Eskom and the Middelpunt Wetland Trust. Created to ensure the Ingula Pumped Storage Scheme operates as a sustainable conservation site, it demonstrates how industrial development can be integrated with biodiversity protection. The reserve protects 1 200 ha of wetlands, critical for several threatened species, including the Endangered Wattled Crane and White-winged Flufftail. BirdLife South Africa leads long-term avifaunal monitoring (over 340 species recorded to date), oversees threatened species breeding monitoring, provides ecological management input, and promotes avitourism, education and community engagement.
Protected areas in the eastern Free State
BirdLife South Africa advances Protected Area Expansion in the Eastern Free State by partnering with private landowners to secure and manage high-value grassland and wetland habitats. This includes the 17 400 ha Sneeuwberg Protected Environment near Memel and Seekoeivlei Nature Reserve (declared 2017) and the 24 000 ha Upper Wilge Protected Environment near Van Reenen and Ingula Nature Reserve (declared 2022). Working with close to 40 farmers, we aim to improve land management to enhance habitat for threatened bird species and conserve biodiversity, while not damaging the livestock enterprises dependent on these grasslands. Post-declaration support includes regular landowner meetings, environmental awareness initiatives and ecotourism development, with further expansion underway.
© Graham Smith
In order to protect the Southern Bald Ibis, we need to know where they congregate to breed. If you know of one of these sites, please get in touch with us here to learn more about how you can contribute to the conservation of this species.
Building on more than 80 years of conservation that contributed to the Southern Bald Ibis being downlisted from Vulnerable to Near Threatened, BirdLife South Africa coordinates annual national breeding monitoring through a dedicated volunteer network. Our work includes constructing the first artificial breeding site at Ingula Nature Reserve after the original colony was inundated, and expanding this model to Lesotho’s Mokhotlong region in partnership with the Lesotho Highlands Development Authority during the Polihali Dam development. Ongoing tracking of fledglings is providing critical data on movements and habitat use to guide conservation across Southern Africa.
