Driefontein Grasslands

Globally threatened wattled cranes in Driefontein grasslands

Driefontein Grasslands

  • Country: 
    Zimbabwe
  • Site number: 
    2104
  • Area: 
    201,194 ha
  • Designation date: 
    03-05-2013
  • Coordinates: 
    19°15'S 30°46'E
Materials presented on this website, particularly maps and territorial information, are as-is and as-available based on available data and do not imply the expression of any opinion whatsoever on the part of the Secretariat of the Ramsar Convention concerning the legal status of any country, territory, city or area, or of its authorities, or concerning the delimitation of its frontiers or boundaries.

Overview

Dominated by a unique habitat of swamps, lakes, miombo woodlands and Kalahari desert sands, Driefontein Grasslands is home to about 85% of the total national population of the globally vulnerable wattled crane Bugeranus carunculatus and the endangered grey crowned crane Balearica regulorum. It provides an ideal breeding and feeding ground for the secretary bird Sagittarius serpentarius, saddle-billed stork Ephippiorhynchus senegalensis, African marsh harrier Circus ranivorus, and the duck species found in the Site. Other noteworthy species that depend on the Site include the black-bellied bustard Lissotis melanogaster and the kori bustard Ardeotis kori, the black-breasted snake eagle Circaetus pectoralis, and the African fish eagle Haliaeetus vocifer. Farmers use the wetlands for maize growing, small-scale farming, fishing, and cattle rearing. In 2010 the Conservation Action Plan for Wattled Crane and Grey Crowned Crane in Zimbabwe, which focused on Driefontein Grasslands, was developed to ensure the protection of the species against vlei fires and habitat loss.

Administrative region: 
Masvingo, Midlands, Mashonaland East Provinces

  • Last publication date: 
    01-02-2016

Downloads

Ramsar Information Sheet (RIS)

Additional reports and documents