Richards Bay part of a protected natural habitat

Richards Bay Lagoon, South Africa, built in 1935, was built to accommodate both industry and the environment.
 

The lagoon was designed to accommodate the needs of both by a wall built across the bay. The waters to the north of the wall became the industrial harbour and the area to the south remained a sanctuary for waterfowl and wildlife.
 

A new estuary was cut through the dunes and coastal bush to allow lagoon floodwaters to flow directly into the sea.  Numbers of wildlife and birds in the reserve are increasing, and the area also serves as an important nursery ground for marine fish.
 

The Zululand Birding Route includes Richards Bay Harbour and a game reserve on its route.  This part of the route covers sandbanks, mud flats, extensive mangroves, freshwater pans and forest areas.
 

Because local government is tasked with service provision and ensuring that social and economic development needs within the carrying capacity of the biological resource base, local government is an important manager of global biodiversity. ICLEI has established the Local Action for Biodiversity (LAB) project to explore the best ways for local governments to engage in effective biodiversity protection, utilization and management. For more information on LAB, please visit www.iclei.org/biodiversity.
 

Richards Bay is one of 32 local governments in Africa that are currently Members of ICLEI – Local Governments for Sustainability.  For more information on ICLEI and its activities in Africa, please visit www.iclei.org/africa.
 

Source:  Richards Bay Game Reserve”, Go2Africa.com and Richards Bay, Zululand at South Africa Explored.