Sehlabathebe National Park
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| Sehlabathebe National Park | |
|---|---|
IUCN category IV (habitat/species management area) | |
 Grasslands of Sehlabathebe National Park. December 2008. | |
  Map of Lesotho | |
| Location | Qacha's Nek District, Lesotho |
| Nearest city | Sehlabathede |
| Coordinates | 29°53′56″S 29°07′16″E / 29.899°S 29.121°ECoordinates: 29°53′56″S 29°07′16″E / 29.899°S 29.121°E[1] |
| Area | 69.5 km2 (26.8 sq mi) |
| Established | 1969 |
The Sehlabathebe National Park is located in the Maloti Mountains in Qacha's Nek District, Lesotho and is part of the larger Maloti-Drakensberg World Heritage Site. Important for its biological diversity as well as cultural heritage, the park was first established on May 8. 1969.[2] The landscape is dominated by a grassland of various types. The larger ecosystem functions including providing freshwater to Lesotho, South Africa, and Namibia.[3]
Location
Situated in the south-east corner of Lesotho at an average elevation of some 2.400 metres above sea level.[4]
Geography
The park includes a wide range of features including cliffs, waterfalls, pools, rock dwellings, rock art, and a unique ecosystem of plants, animals, and birds.[5] It offers a habitat to a range of unique Afro-Alpine and Sub-Alpine plants, mammals, avifauna, reptiles, amphibians, and fish. It is known for its scenery with unique rock formations. Most of the park is taken up by a designated wilderness area, and is uninhabited.[6]
The park is noted for its outstanding biodiversity. Some of the endemic species are endangered, including three vertebrate species:[6]
- the Maluti redfin, Pseudobarbus quathlambae, a critically endangered species of fish which is endemic to the park
- the cape vulture (Gyps coprotheres)
- the bearded vulture (Gypaetus barbatus)
The Sehlabathebe water lily is an endangered aquatic plant.[7]
The Tsoelikanyane waterfall is the biggest waterfall in the park.[8]
This site hosts 23 percent of the plant species in the whole Maluti Drakensberg area. A total of 65 rock art sites have been identified in the area, as well as other forms of the previous habitation of the site.[citation needed]
World Heritage status
This site was added to the UNESCO World Heritage Tentative List on October 8, 2008, in the Mixed (Cultural + Natural) category.[3] This park will be included in the Maloti-Drakensberg Transfrontier Conservation Area, Peace Park. Sehlabathebe is currently run under the Ministry of Tourism, Environment, and Culture jurisdiction.
Notes
- ^ "Sehlabathebe National Park". protectedplanet.net.
- ^ Ramutsindela, M. (2007) p 68
- ^ a b UNESCO World Heritage Centre. "Sehlabathebe National Park - UNESCO World Heritage Centre". unesco.org. Retrieved 19 March 2015.
- ^ "GeoNames - Sehlababthebe National Park".
- ^ "Drakensberg Adventures Sehlabathebe Tour". sanilodge.co.za. Retrieved 19 March 2015.
- ^ a b UNESCO World Heritage Centre. "Maloti-Drakensberg Park". unesco.org. Retrieved 19 March 2015.
- ^ Wickison, Sue. "Aponogeton ranunculiflorus". suewickison.com. Retrieved 6 March 2015.
- ^ stephen. "Malealea Tours in Lesotho - Sehlabathebe - Jonathan's Lodge". malealeatours.com. Retrieved 19 March 2015.
References
- Sehlabathebe National Park - UNESCO World Heritage Centre Retrieved 2009-03-02.
- Ramutsindela, M. (2007), Transfrontier Conservation in Africa: At the Confluence of Capital, Politics, and Nature, CABI. ISBN 1-84593-221-8
External links
- Articles with short description
- Articles with a promotional tone from September 2020
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- IUCN Category IV
- Coordinates not on Wikidata
- All articles with unsourced statements
- Articles with unsourced statements from May 2021
- AC with 0 elements
- National parks of Lesotho
- Protected areas established in 1969
- Qacha's Nek District