Red Data List Species in the Free State
The Free State supports a range of biodiversity, including a number of Red Data List species,which are species that are at risk of extinction.
Based on the Red Data List, 1 species is categorised a critically endangered (Black Rhino), 4 endangered, 7 vulnerable and 9 near threatened. Guideline figures have been developed for the carrying capacity for mammal species in each provincial reserve to inform the decision on the number of animals to be removed. The issues with regard to the impact of predation by caracal and black jackal on the total biodiversity of the area are probably the most urgent but most neglected conservation issue in Southern Africa.
These meetings, together with the international visits undertaken by the Premier and respective MECs, served to elevate the Province’s standing in the international community. The interactions offered the opportunity to renew existing relations, explore new opportunities and to attract critical trade and investment for the Free State Province. It also increased the scopeof the international promotion of the Province. The Chief-Directorate Co-operative Governance has played a key role in the quest to expand the scope and activities of the Provincial Government in servicing, strengthening and sustaining existing international relations (with inter alia, Peoples Republic of China; Belgium, Cuba), and the establishment of new relations.
Bloemfontein is the capital, and home to South Africa’s Supreme Court of Appeal, the University of the Free State, and the Central University of Technology. Important towns include Welkom, the heart of the Goldfields and one of the few completely preplanned cities in the world; Odendaalsrus, another gold-mining town; Sasolburg, which gets its name from the petrochemical company Sasol; Kroonstad, an important agricultural, administrative and educational centre; Parys, on the banks of the Vaal River; Phuthaditjhaba, a vast and sprawling settlement known for its beautiful handcrafted items; and Bethlehem, gateway to the Eastern Highlands of the Free State.
There are sixteen Important Bird Areas in the Free State. Based on the Red Data List, 3 bird species are categorised as critically endangered (Rudd’s Lark, White-winged Flufftail and the Wattled Crane), 3 endangered, 24 vulnerable and 22 near threatened. Currently, most conservation work involving birds is of a monitoring nature. There are 26 species that are dependent either on grasslands, wetlands, or both habitats, which are currently inadequately conserved in protectedareas.
The Jiangxi Province also concluded the award of two Jasmine Scholarships for students from the Free State to pursue advanced studies in Agriculture at Chinese universities. The first two Free State students are Mr. Pule Samuel Tau who will do a 4 year Undergraduate BSc Degree in Agriculture, specializing in Regional Development in Rural Areas, and Ms. Mamotshewa Leburu who will read for a 3 year Post Graduate Msc Degree in Agriculture, specializing in Crop Genetic and Breeding. These students will complete their studies in 2017 and 2016 respectively.
A summer-rainfall region, the Free State can be extremely cold during the winter months, especially towards the eastern mountainous regions. The western and southern areas are semi-desert. A beautiful range of hills near Parys in the northern Free State is actually part of the Vredefort Dome, the largest visible meteor-impact site in the world. Formed two billion years ago when a meteorite 10 kilometres wide slammed into the earth, the Vredefort Dome is one of South Africa’s seven Unesco World Heritage sites.
In the northeastern Free State, nestled in the rolling foothills of the Maluti mountains, the Golden Gate Highlands National Park is the province’s prime tourist attraction. The park gets its name from the brilliant shades of gold cast by the sun on the spectacular sandstone cliffs, especially the imposing Brandwag or Sentinel Rock, which keeps vigil over the park.
The sandstone of this region has been used for the lovely dressed-stone buildings found on the Eastern Highlands, while decoratively painted Sotho houses dot the grasslands. Some of South Africa’s most valued San (Bushman) rock art is found in the Free State, particularly in the regions around Bethlehem, Ficksburg, Ladybrand and Wepener. South Africa’s national road, the artery between Gauteng and the Western and Eastern Cape, cuts through the centre of the Free State. Before democracy in 1994, the province was known as the Orange Free State. An independent Boer republic in the 19th century, it became a province under the Union of South Africa in 1910.
Within the Free State there are six species of reptiles and one species of amphibian that on the IUCN Red Data list. Two species of reptiles are categorised as vulnerable and 4 species as near threatened. One species of amphibians is categorised as near threatened. No monitoring programmes are being undertaken at this time on any amphibians or reptiles in the Free State. Consequently, no specific information is available with respect to changes in population numbers or disappearance of species from particular areas.
Although a Red Data list has not been compiled for Arachnida, three family groups are vulnerable in the Free State. The Arachnids of the Free State is still largely unknown, as little work has so far been done on these animals in this Province.
The Free State province has sent the first group of ten students to Cuba who commenced their studies in September 2012. These students were accompanied by Premier Ace Magashule and MEC Mamiki Qabathe (Economic Development, Tourism and Environmental Affairs) to Cuba. The Free State provincial government will further send a group of 200 medical students from the Free State to Cuba during October/ November 2012 to pursue their medical studies at various Cuban universities. All the students were primarily selected from the small, rural towns across the Free State and it is expected that upon qualification, these students will return to their respective communities. It is anticipated that the Free State provincial government could increase the number of participants in this programme during the forthcoming years to alleviate the shortage of Health Professionals in the province in particular and South Africa in general.
Only one species of fish is listed on the Red Data List and is categorised as threatened.
Conservation of grasslands habitats is important for the protection of the listed Red Data plants species. Based on the Red Data List, 2 species are categorised as endangered, 7 vulnerable and 4 near threatened. Information on plant species and their distribution in the Free State is however limited.
The increasing use of indigenous medicinal plants for health care is resulting on intensive harvesting, particularly by the commercial and illegal traders. The Free State Province has 69 plant species of medicinal value, 11 of which are listed in the IUCN Red Data list. With the current rate of extraction, plants that are not listed or protected, risk becoming extinct. The utilisation of forest resources for firewood, timber and various other uses has increased. The rural poor are heavily reliant on natural resources for fuel wood, which is exacerbating the problem of deforestation. This is particularly apparent in the northwest region of the Province, where there is a shortage of fuelwood resulting in Acacia karroo being felled.
(Source: Free State Province State of the Environment Report, 2009)