Tucked away in the upper northeast section of South Africa, lies the province of Gauteng. It is one of the nine official provinces of South Africa and it is the smallest, compromising only 1.5% of the total landmass of the country. But because it is home to two of the most important cities in South Africa, Johannesburg and Pretoria, it actually has the most population of any of the provinces, with a population estimated in excess of 12 million people. Gauteng is a charming part of South Africa, and has a wide variety of flora and fauna, especially an incredible variety of birds. The challenge has been to allow many of the species to survive in the face of the constant and growing urbanisation of many parts of the province. However, thanks to some forward thinking by regional officials and politicians, they are beginning to turn the tide.
The Impact of the Gold Rush
The region really kicked into high gear back towards the end of the 19th century, when gold was discovered in the region. As you can imagine, thousands of people rushed to the area, in an attempt to make their fortune and strike it rich. But it also created an unexpected population explosion, which required more houses, banks, saloons and what we would now consider the early beginnings of urbanisation. Actually, a lot of what had been pristine forests and savannahs turned into streets and homes. Many of the birds that had been used to nesting there found themselves uprooted and had to look for new homes. One of the reasons that so many bird species were attracted to the area is the fact that Gauteng has three distinct environments, typically referred to as biomes. One is moist savannah, located mostly north and northeast. The other is drier savannah, located in the northwest. The third is pure grassland, which is mostly located in the southern region. Once many of these areas began to be populated, the birds started to disappear.
Creating Intelligent Solutions
Perhaps due to the many nature lovers that live in the region, local authorities decided to do something about the human encroachment and its negative impact on the local bird population. Naturally, in cities such as Johannesburg and Pretoria, there wasn’t much that could be done to stop the development of new housing projects, commercial buildings and all the asphalt that goes with it. But what they did do is start creating many urban parks around various parts of both cities, which would give many bird species a place to roost. For those birds that were natural cliff dwellers, many of the high-rise buildings which dot Johannesburg provided perfect nesting opportunities for many species. Therefore, somewhat by design and somewhat by pure luck, a lot of species that were nearing extinction found a new home in the man-made habitats that were created.
Staying in Gauteng
There is so much to see around Gauteng, that one might be excused for not really being sure what the best place to stay might be. Actually, provide all the modern luxuries and conveniences, serving as the ideal resting spot when you have finished exploring all of the natural beauty that surrounds the region, whether you’re visiting Johannesburg or Pretoria for business or pleasure.
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