KAMMANASSIE

The Kammanassie Nature Reserve is situated between Dysselsdorp in the west, De Rust in the northwest and Uniondale in the. The Kammanassie Mountain is an inselberg in the Little Karoo between the Swartberg and Outeniqua mountains. The total area of the range which is managed as conservation area covers roughly 50 000 hectares of which almost 60% is state land with the remainder being privately owned.

The following vegetation types are found in the reserve: fynbos, waboom-veld (Protea nitida), arid fynbos, kloof shrubland, spekboomveld (Portulacaria afra) and afro-montane forest. The Kammanassie conebush (Leucadendron singulare) is endemic to the Kammanassie.

The reserve contains about 30 Cape mountain zebra (Equus zebra zebra) as well as small populations of klipspringer, grey rhebok, common duiker, kudu, mountain reedbuck and chacma baboon occur on the reserve. Leopards frequent the mountains but are seldom seen.

A total of 66 bird species have been recorded. Sugarbirds are attracted by the flowers of protea and other fynbos species. Raptors such as the black eagle and jackal buzzard are common. Butterflies are abundant and 46 species have been recorded. The recently discovered Kammanassie blue (Omchrysops brinkmani) belongs to the same genus as the endangered Brenton blue and Karkloof blue.

The Reserve receives rain throughout the year with an average annual rainfall of approximately 600 mm. Drier periods are from November to February. The average minimum temperature is 2°C and maximum is 29°C. The coolest months are from May to August.

The Kammanassie is situated in the Cape fold belt which borders the Southern Cape and is made up by formations of the Cape super group. Structurally the range forms a long, oval shaped dome. This has developed as a result of the compression and folding of the sedimentary rock. The mountain is asymmetrical, being steeper on the southern side. The geomorphology is largely determined by the underlying rock structure. Streams and rivers flow in deep narrow kloofs. The main rivers mainly have a north/south orientation. Those on the northern side flow into the Olifants River and those on the southern side into the Kammanassie River.

INFORMATION AND BOOKINGS

The Manager
Kammannassie Nature Reserve
P.O. Box 48
Uniondale 6460

Tel: +27 44 752 1110
Fax: +27 44 752 1407
kammanas@mweb.co.za

Source: Cape Nature Conservation