The Ingula Partnership provided the oversight to have more than 7 000 hectares of high-altitude wetlands formally proclaimed as the Ingula Nature Reserve in 2018, providing protection to the specialised biodiversity in the area, as well as giving visitors and bird clubs an opportunity to interact with the unique ecosystem. The partnership was established in 2003 between Eskom, BirdLife South Africa and the Middelpunt Wetland Trust with the objective of managing Eskom’s Ingula Pumped Storage Scheme, and the additional 8 000 hectares of property purchased, as a conservation site. The collaboration provided environmental awareness, support and monitoring in the planning, construction and operational phases of the scheme. It has succeeded in its goal of integrating industry with a core conservation area,which is a catalyst for encouraging neighbourly conservation principles. It is also an educational and research centre and provides sustainable livelihoods in the immediate community. Ingula showcases engineering innovation, which has spread to other projects. The partnership has created an environment in which social development can take place, ecologically viable habitat types and their associated biodiversity can be protected and where eco-cultural tourism contributes to the development of surrounding communities. It has received international acclaim and provides an example of how an industrial undertaking can be integrated in a conservation area. Ingula was recognised as a Ramsar site in 2021.
Greatest achievements
- Proclamation of Ingula as a national nature reserve in 2018.
- Declaration of Ingula Nature Reserve as a Ramsar site in 2021.
- Discovery of the endangered white-winged flufftail at Ingula.
What advice would you give to future generations?
Any picture of our universe is a reminder that there is only one planet we humans can inhabit. The natural resources needed to sustain your quality of life, and that of those who follow you, are not imported from other planets, nor is any waste that was ever produced exported to other planets. The balance of life is here on our Earth, on our planet — it is for us to do our part, in the time we can, to take care of it.