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Nuwejaars River Wetland - Moddervlei (34371948)

Western Cape

CWAC status NEWLY REGISTERED
Authority Nuwejaars Wetlands Special Management Area - Land Owner - Liohan Giliomee
Management status Registered Conservancy
Conservation status UNPROTECTED
IBA information
Ramsar information
Heritage information
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Information 

Date_registered
2018-03-21
Brief_description
The wetland area is on Moddervlei Farm dubbed Nuwejaars River wetland or affectionately known as Liohans Moddervlei. It is located approximately 6km south from the small town of Elim, along the R43, directly opposite the Black Oystercatcher Restaurant. Nuwejaars River Wetland is situated runs across two farms, Moddervlei and Hazevlakte, and both are part of the Nuwejaars Wetlands Special Management Area (NWSMA). Nuwejaars Wetland Special Management Area (NWSMA) operates under a section 21 not for profit company, the Nuwejaars River Nature Reserve (NRNR). The organisation is situated on the Agulhas Plain and covers approximately 45,000 hectares. Membership consists of 25 landowners and include the community of Elim as well as the Department of Rural Development and Land Reform. The overriding objective of the organisation is to maintain the high productive agriculture of the area with all its work opportunities and food production, while conserving and managing the natural areas of rivers, wetlands and endangered fynbos as a complete unit, an area of approximately 22,000 hectares. The Nuwejaars River Wetland is Palmiet riparian wetland, dominated by palmiet, Prionium serratum, that forms a dense stands to 2 m tall in acid-water streambeds. Perennial acid water streams that have gently flowing water with a gradual incline with deep sandy banks. It plays an important ecological role in binding riverbanks and prevents the scouring of riverbanks. Influenced by catchments management upstream. Alien vegetation (primarily Acacia saligna and Acacia longifolia) and the subsequent scouring of rivers are a major threat to this unit. The main problem with alien vegetation is that when flooding occurs the alien trees tend to be uprooted and this loosens the sand banks and the process of scouring and erosion of banks occurs. This is a widespread problem in Cape Rivers. Currently the wetland area is primiraly dominated by dense alien vegetation growth to the east, and the wetland is largely intact and pristine to the west. A rehabilitation project for the wetland area is due to start in 2018.

SppCommon nameTaxonomic nameMinAvgMaxIBASubregional
IBA
RAMSAR
212Coot, Red-knobbedFulica cristata13.4015   
50Cormorant, ReedMicrocarbo africanus112.0046   
47Cormorant, White-breastedPhalacrocorax lucidus55.005   
203Crake, BlackZaporina flavirostra12.005
216Crane, BlueGrus paradisea11.752   
52Darter, AfricanAnhinga rufa17.7329   
95Duck, African BlackAnas sparsa22.002   
10014Duck, UnidentifiedAnas sp.45.007
100Duck, White-faced WhistlingDendrocygna viduata25.008   
96Duck, Yellow-billedAnas undulata565.22505   
60Egret, IntermediateArdea intermedia13.005   
59Egret, LittleEgretta garzetta13.179   
61Egret, Western CattleBubulcus ibis329.20126   
149Fish Eagle, AfricanHaliaeetus vocifer11.573
86Flamingo, GreaterPhoenicopterus roseus11.001   
205Flufftail, Red-chestedSarothrura rufa11.001
89Goose, EgyptianAlopochen aegyptiaca118.5377   
88Goose, Spur-wingedPlectropterus gambensis145.33523   
5Grebe, Black-neckedPodiceps nigricollis11.001   
6Grebe, LittleTachybaptus ruficollis12.144   
263Greenshank, CommonTringa nebularia11.001   
287Gull, KelpLarus dominicanus12.003   
167Harrier, African MarshCircus ranivorus12.646
169Harrier, BlackCircus maurus11.001
55Heron, Black-headedArdea melanocephala12.506   
54Heron, GreyArdea cinerea11.332   
57Heron, PurpleArdea purpurea11.926   
10011Heron, UnidentifiedArdea sp.11.001
81Ibis, African SacredThreskiornis aethiopicus237.53154   
83Ibis, GlossyPlegadis falcinellus13.337   
84Ibis, HadadaBostrychia hagedash122.1370   
395Kingfisher, GiantMegaceryle maxima11.001
397Kingfisher, MalachiteCorythornis cristatus11.563
394Kingfisher, PiedCeryle rudis11.001
245Lapwing, BlacksmithVanellus armatus323.5061   
210Moorhen, CommonGallinula chloropus14.1510   
69Night Heron, Black-crownedNycticorax nycticorax11.001   
237Plover, Kittlitz'sCharadrius pecuarius111.1352   
1039Plover, Pacific GoldenPluvialis fulva2235.5049
238Plover, Three-bandedCharadrius tricollaris13.256   
102Pochard, SouthernNetta erythrophthalma22.002   
197Rail, AfricanRallus caerulescens12.095-1
251Sandpiper, CurlewCalidris ferruginea26.0010  
94Shoveler, CapeAnas smithii14.5712   
250Snipe, AfricanGallinago nigripennis12.736   
85Spoonbill, AfricanPlatalea alba19.9033   
270Stilt, Black-wingedHimantopus himantopus23.505   
208Swamphen, AfricanPorphyrio madagascariensis13.177  
99Teal, Blue-billedAnas hottentota22.002   
97Teal, Red-billedAnas erythrorhyncha210.7028   
305Tern, WhiskeredChlidonias hybrida226.0050   
274Thick-knee, WaterBurhinus vermiculatus13.337   
686Wagtail, CapeMotacilla capensis413.8043
FITZ logo Ramsar Wetlands International http://www.sanbi.org/

Friday 14 February 2025 01:01
FitzPatrick Institute of African Ornithology
Department of Biological Sciences - University of Cape Town

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