Philip Herd Nature Reserve


Philip Herd Nature Reserve is a nature reserve within the UNESCO in the Vhembe District of Limpopo Province, South Africa. The reserve is located east of the town of Musina on the Limpopo River which forms the border between South Africa and Zimbabwe. It covers an area of 12,000 hectares, of which 6,616.42 Ha is a declared protected area in terms of South Africa's National Environmental Management Act: Protected Areas Act of 2003. The reserve conserves a critically biodiverse area of and 1.5% of the Nzhelele River catchment, which forms part of the Limpopo Water Management Area established in terms of South Africa's National Water Act of 1998. The reserve operates under the brand name, .
The Philip Herd Nature Reserve was proclaimed in 1967 in the provincial government gazette and is a partnership between private landowners and the Limpopo provincial government conservation authority, the Limpopo Department of Economic Development Environment and Tourism, .
The reserve is located at GPS co-ordinates: -22.361688401047353, 30.346695811365834

Critical biodiversity and conservation

The South African National Biodiversity Institute classifies the area under management as a Critical Biodiversity Area, a designation mirrored in the and the .
The reserve contributes towards conservation targets for the vegetation unit of the savanna biome prescribed in and the Limpopo Protected Areas Expansion Strategy.

Topography, geology, climate and vegetation

Typical of Limpopo Ridge Bushveld, a veld type that occurs only in the northernmost extremes of Limpopo Province, between Mapungubwe Mountain in the Mapungubwe National Park in the east and the far northern reaches of the Kruger National Park in the west, the landscape is dominated by undulating, wooded hills. Rocky ridges, irregular level plains and valleys traversed with drainage courses are characteristic.
The veld type occurs at an altitude of about 300m in the east up to 700m and mostly on gneiss and other rocks of the Beit Bridge Complex as well as sediments and basalt of the Karoo Supergroup. Limpopo Ridge Bushveld occurs in the summer rainfall areas of southern Africa with very dry winters including the months of May to September. The mean annual precipitation is between 300 and 400 mm and it is generally a frost-free area.
The vegetation structure is a moderately open savanna.
Over 100 different tree species occur in the area. Important species in the tall tree segment of the open savanna include the baobab ; the mashatu or nyala tree ; jackalberry ; knob thorn ; mrula. Mopane stands dominate the plains, white syringa is prominent on the crests of the ridges, while groves of fever trees and rock figs grow on the banks of the Limpopo and Nzhelele rivers.

Wildlife

Common mammalian species supported by the various habitats include Giraffe, Burchell's zebra, Blue wildebeest, Kudu, Impala, Waterbuck, Common eland, Gemsbok and other antelope species, including the endemic Nyala, as well as naturally occurring predators, such as leopard, African wild dog, hyena and Black-backed jackal. Over 250 bird species have been recorded, including several rare and endangered species.
The following threatened species have been confirmed present on reserve: