PROTECTING THE UMKHOMAZI CATCHMENT

This fact sheet describes a water security partnership established in 2021 between WWF South Africa and Sappi to improve water governance, stewardship, and biodiversity conservation within the Umkhomazi catchment in KwaZulu-Natal.

• The Umkhomazi catchment is a critical ecological area supporting between 1.5 and 2 million people. It contains the Southern Drakensberg Strategic Water Source Area (SWSA), the largest in South Africa, though only 14% of this SWSA is currently protected. The region is home to endangered species, including the Cape parrot and the critically endangered blue swallow, and is characterized by one of South Africa's last large free-flowing rivers.
• The WWF-Sappi partnership aims to secure 30,000 hectares of key biodiversity land across the Umkhomazi catchment. This is being pursued through a biodiversity stewardship strategy and agreements with communal and commercial landowners, developed in collaboration with Conservation Outcomes.
• To improve water security and governance, the partnership established the Umkhomazi Catchment Working Group in 2021 to coordinate stakeholders. Key achievements in this area include the development of collaborative management structures, capacity building for local communities, and the integration of a strategy to guide coordinated action.
• The partnership has implemented specific environmental restoration projects, including the clearing of 188 hectares of invasive alien vegetation (primarily wattle), which replenished 205.2 megalitres of water. Additionally, 2,323 hectares of sustainable rangeland management have been implemented, supported by the Herding for Health (H4H) model in the Impendle community.
• The project has focused on community socio-economic development, creating 83 jobs for local residents. This includes training eight local herders as Eco Rangers and employing four citizen scientists to monitor river health, water quality, and quantity.

APA

WWF South Africa (n.d.). PROTECTING THE UMKHOMAZI CATCHMENT. https://wwfafrica.awsassets.panda.org/downloads/wwf-factsheet---protecting-the-umkhomazi-catchment_final.pdf

Chicago

WWF South Africa. PROTECTING THE UMKHOMAZI CATCHMENT. n.d. https://wwfafrica.awsassets.panda.org/downloads/wwf-factsheet---protecting-the-umkhomazi-catchment_final.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=WWF South Africa |title=PROTECTING THE UMKHOMAZI CATCHMENT |url=https://wwfafrica.awsassets.panda.org/downloads/wwf-factsheet---protecting-the-umkhomazi-catchment_final.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{wwfsouthafricandprotecting, author = {{WWF South Africa}}, title = {{PROTECTING THE UMKHOMAZI CATCHMENT}}, institution = {WWF South Africa}, url = {https://wwfafrica.awsassets.panda.org/downloads/wwf-factsheet---protecting-the-umkhomazi-catchment_final.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }