Maloti-Drakensberg Park
The Maloti-Drakensberg Park is a World Heritage Site, established on 11 June 2001 by linking the Sehlabathebe National Park in the Kingdom of Lesotho and the uKhahlamba Drakensberg Park in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa.[1] The highest peak is Thaba Ntlenyana rising to 3,482 metres.
| UNESCO World Heritage Site | |
|---|---|
 Tugela Gorge in the Royal Natal National Park part of the Heritage Site. | |
| Includes |
|
| Criteria | Cultural and Natural: (i)(iii)(vii)(x) |
| Reference | 985bis-001 |
| Inscription | 2000 (24th Session) |
| Extensions | 2013 |
| Area | 249,313 ha (962.60 sq mi) |
| Buffer zone | 46,630 ha (180.0 sq mi) |
| Coordinates | 29°45′55″S 29°7′23″E / 29.76528°S 29.12306°E |
 | |
  Location of the park (map of Lesotho)  Maloti-Drakensberg Park (South Africa) | |
Proposed extensions to the main park include the Golden Gate Highlands National Park, Sterkfontein Dam Nature Reserve (Free State) and Royal Natal National Park (KwaZulu-Natal) in South Africa; and the Bokong Nature Reserve and Ts'ehlanyane National Park in Lesotho.[2]: 7
The park is situated in the Drakensberg Mountains which form the highest areas in the sub-region, and support unique montane and sub-alpine ecosystems. These ecosystems hold a globally significant plant and animal biodiversity, with unique habitats and high levels of endemism. The park is also home to the greatest gallery of rock art in the world with hundreds of sites and many thousands of images painted by the Bushmen (San people).
The Maloti-Drakensberg Transfrontier Conservation and Development Area was conceived as a Peace park, covering about 8 113 km2, consisting of 5 170 km2 (64%) in Lesotho and 2 943 km2 (36%) in KwaZulu-Natal.[3]
Gallery
edit-
View of mountains in the evening
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ "Maloti-Drakensberg Park". UNESCO World Heritage Centre. Retrieved 2023-03-19.
- ^ "NOMINATION OF : SEHLABATHEBE NATIONAL PARK-SNP (as an extension to the uKhahlamba Drakensberg World Heritage Site-South Africa)" (PDF).
- ^ "Protected Areas Register (PAR)". Department of Environment, Forestry and Fisheries. Retrieved 2023-03-19.