Timbavati Private Nature Reserve
The Timbavati Association was founded in 1956, after a group of local land-owners grew concerned that incorrect and inappropriate land-use in the area would cause habitat degradation and therefore wildlife loss. From that early start, the Reserve is now some 53,396 hectares in area with 47 landowners. The association is a non-profit body solely committed to preserving the fauna and flora of the area.
An important milestone in the history of the Timbavati, was the dropping, in 1993, of the fences between itself and the Kruger National Park and other adjoining privately owned conservation areas.
This initially included Timbavati, Klaserie and Umbabat Private Nature Reserves, and later the Balule Nature Reserve, adding some 184,000 hectares to what is today referred to as the Greater Kruger National Park. Equally importantly the fences between the Timbavati and its neighbour to the west, Thornybush, were also dropped, which opened an additional 14,500 hectares, further encouraging natural migration.
The Reserve now has a sustainable populations of many endangered species such as black and white rhinoceros, pangolins, saddlebilled storks, southern ground hornbills and many others.
The Timbavati is home to a number of Safari lodges that cater to local and international tourists, bringing a thriving tourism economy to the region, and promoting employment within the reserve and in the neighbouring communities.
The reserve also finances an outreach body, the Timbavati Foundation that runs a series of programmes that help neighbouring communities in areas such as boreholes, sustainable shaded vegetable farming as well as environmental awareness programmes for schoolchildren.
The Timbavati Private Nature Reserve lies within the Greater Kruger National Park open system, and within the internationally declared Kruger 2 Canyons UNESCO Man and Biosphere System. These systems, in turn, fall within the Great Limpopo Transfrontier Conservation Area, a truly visionary landscape of reserves and habitats working together under a common agreement signed between 3 countries (South Africa, Mozambique and Zimbabwe) in 2002.
An important milestone in the history of the Timbavati, was the dropping, in 1993, of the fences between itself and the Kruger National Park and other adjoining privately owned conservation areas.
This initially included Timbavati, Klaserie and Umbabat Private Nature Reserves, and later the Balule Nature Reserve, adding some 184,000 hectares to what is today referred to as the Greater Kruger National Park. Equally importantly the fences between the Timbavati and its neighbour to the west, Thornybush, were also dropped, which opened an additional 14,500 hectares, further encouraging natural migration.
The Reserve now has a sustainable populations of many endangered species such as black and white rhinoceros, pangolins, saddlebilled storks, southern ground hornbills and many others.
The Timbavati is home to a number of Safari lodges that cater to local and international tourists, bringing a thriving tourism economy to the region, and promoting employment within the reserve and in the neighbouring communities.
The reserve also finances an outreach body, the Timbavati Foundation that runs a series of programmes that help neighbouring communities in areas such as boreholes, sustainable shaded vegetable farming as well as environmental awareness programmes for schoolchildren.
The Timbavati Private Nature Reserve lies within the Greater Kruger National Park open system, and within the internationally declared Kruger 2 Canyons UNESCO Man and Biosphere System. These systems, in turn, fall within the Great Limpopo Transfrontier Conservation Area, a truly visionary landscape of reserves and habitats working together under a common agreement signed between 3 countries (South Africa, Mozambique and Zimbabwe) in 2002.
