Mkambati Nature Reserve, managed by Eastern Cape Parks and Tourism Agency on behalf of the Mkambati Land Trust, has been designated the first Ramsar site in the Eastern Cape, recognising its wetlands as internationally important.
The designation is part of the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands international treaty focused on the conservation and sustainable use of wetlands. South Africa joined the convention in 1975 and has since designated multiple sites across other provinces.
Speaking at the commemoration event on April 15, Deputy Minister of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment Narend Singh highlighted the ecological, cultural and socio-economic value of wetlands, particularly in water-scarce regions.
