Soutpansberg

In 2009 UNESCO officially recognised the Vhembe region as a biosphere, bringing the tally of South African biosphere reserves to six out of the 531 sites worldwide in 105 countries.

The Vhembe Biosphere Reserve (VBR) comprises the northern part of the Kruger National Park, the Makuleke Wetlands Ramsar Site, the Soutpansberg and Blouberg bio-diversity hot spots, including the Mapungubwe World Heritage Site and the Makgabeng Plateau with its thousands of rock art sites.

The size of the VBR has been estimated at approximately 30 701 km2 and with an impressive diversity of endemic plant and insect species, perfectly matched up to UNESCO’s strict criteria.

Apart from drawing tourists to the area, the declaration of Vhembe as a biosphere holds many advantages that will go a long way to ensure improved planning, development and conservation of the area.