The Wakkerstroom Wetland situated in the Wakkerstroom/Luneburg region in South Africa is home to the rudds lark, endangered wattle crane, oribi and the South African national bird, the blue crane. The Wakkerstroom/Luneburg region was declared an Important Bird Area by BirdLife International in 2001 and has officially been classified as irreplaceable from a terrestrial and biodiversity conservation perspective. In spite of the ecological significance of this area, the South African Department of Minerals and Energy (DME) issued prospecting rights for the Luneburg area to Delta Mining Corporation during 2007.

The Wakkerstroom region

Wakkerstroom Wetland in South Africa (see map) is predominantly a mosaic of different marshes and forms part of the bigger wetland system in the Wakkerstroom/Luneburg region. Although the Wakkerstroom wetland contains very little open water, the centre of the wetland (vlei) is permanently wet. The site is well endowed with rare species, such as the globally threatened blue crane (Anthropoides paradisea), rare bush blackcaps, yellow-breasted pipits and more than 85 per cent of the world's Rudd's larks population. The Wakkerstroom / Luneburg area is also the source of four major rivers and is vitally important from a water security perspective in South Africa.

The Wakkerstroom Wetland’s hydrological functioning is currently largely disrupted by invasive alien vegetation in the surrounding catchment. Furthermore, deforestation has resulted in soil erosion, altering the character of the site. Burning of adjacent grasslands to improve grazing for cattle frequently causes fires to cross into the wetland at times of year that are highly disruptive to the ecosystem. The site is also coveted as rich grazing land by surrounding landowners and there is increasing pressure to open up the wetland reserve and allow cattle to graze.

The hydrological functioning of the wetland is currently disrupted, largely by invasive alien vegetation in the surrounding catchment. Furthermore, deforestation has resulted in soil erosion, altering the character of the site. Burning of adjacent grasslands to improve grazing for cattle frequently causes fires to cross into the wetland at times of year that are highly disruptive to the ecosystem. The site is also coveted as rich grazing land by surrounding landowners and there is increasing pressure to open up the wetland reserve and allow cattle to graze.

The grasslands and wetlands surrounding Wakkerstroom are important filtering systems that feed into headwater catchments for the Vaal, Usuthu, Tugela and Pongola rivers, thus accentuating their role in the provision of clean water for people and the environment

Negative effects of mining

Coal mining will deal the already precarious ecosystem a huge blow and the extraction of coal from almost 80-square miles of wetlands and grasslands spanning the Mpumalanga and KwaZulu-Natal provinces, would destroy the habitats of more than 300 bird species. This area is also a avitourism hotspot with almost 80% of international birding tourists including it in their travel itinerary for South Africa and the resultant coal transport trucks that would pass through the town of Wakkerstroom would definitely negatively impact on local tourism.

BirdLife South Africa and partners of the Wings over Wetlands project, including Wetlands International are currently implementing a demonstration project in Wakkerstroom. Its efforts in preserving the wetlands and its biodiversity through job creation and the provision of business opportunities for local people, who will be trained as bird guides, will be negatively affected if mining is permitted in this area.  More information on the project can be found here.

The map on the right indicates the prospecting area (the black lined area), as well as the route that is speculated the coal trucks would use to get their resources out of the mining zone and to a refinery north of Wakkerstroom (this is speculation as no alternative route plans have been seen which would avoid this sensitive area), as well as an indicative map of where within South Africa the area of Wakkerstroom is located.