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Home > News > Kamfers Dam's Lesser Flamingos are breeding, again!
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Kamfers Dam's Lesser Flamingos are breeding, again!
24 Nov 2008 - Press release issued by the Save the Flamingo Association
A massive Lesser Flamingo breeding event is currently underway on the
artificial island at Kamfers Dam, the large pan located just north of
Kimberley, South Africa. According to Mark Anderson, Executive Director of
BirdLife South Africa, the first chick was observed on the island on 18
November. The number of chicks is growing daily and already numbers more
than 100.
This is the second consecutive year that Kamfers Dam's flamingos are
breeding and bird conservationists are ecstatic!
The first egg was laid on 23 October and there are now already hundreds,
perhaps thousands, of eggs on the island. The breeding event is six weeks
earlier than last summer, perhaps an indication of the flamingos' acceptance
of the new breeding site.
Kamfers Dam's breeding island was constructed by Ekapa Mining in September
2006, and it is the only artificial breeding island for Lesser Flamingos in
the world. The flamingos bred last summer, with an estimated 9,000 chicks
being produced. If one considers that the southern African Lesser Flamingo
population only numbers about 100,000 individuals, Kamfers Dam contributed
significantly to this relatively small population during the past year.
Kamfers Dam's Lesser Flamingos made history, and even made world news, in
January this year, when the first chicks were observed. The breeding event
represented the very first time in recorded history that Lesser Flamingos
had ever bred in South Africa, a significant achievement for the people and
organizations who are involved in the project.
The island's breeding flamingos are monitored around the clock by members of
Save the Flamingo Association via a small camera that was installed on the
island with generous funding from Nedbank, Ekapa Mining and Nugen. Audio
facilities, infra red lights, and 24 hour monitoring allow conservationists
to monitor any illegal activities and possible disturbance to the breeding
flamingos. The camera also provides an excellent opportunity for scientific
research and a PhD study by a student from Clemson University in the USA
will commence during 2009.
In due course, the live stream, full colour images will be broadcast to the
people of the world, via Africam's website. This will allow people around
the world to view the breeding flamingos and to share in the jubilation of
Kimberley's conservationists. The webcam will also provide an unique
opportunity to inform millions of people about the conservation plight of
flamingos, not only those at Kamfers Dam, but all over the world.
The breeding island is an impressive construction feat. It is S-shaped (to
limit erosion, and allow the flamingo chicks access onto and off of the
island in the two sheltered bays), 25 x 250 m in size, covered with a layer
of clay, and has four large ponds (fed by a submersed pump which is powered
by three large solar panels). Ekapa Mining moved 26,500 tons of material
during the construction of the island, with the project costing about half a
million rand.
After construction of the island was completed, 1,000 artificial nest
turrets were built on the island by Kimberley's school children, boy scouts
and gird guides. These nest turrets may have been the "aphrodisiac" which
saw the Lesser Flamingos breeding in a little more than a year after
construction was completed. Although the flamingos did not seem to use the
artificial nest turrets, they construct 8,517 of their own (using wet clay
from the surface of the island and from the four large ponds).
During recent months Ekapa Mining conducted some rehabilitation work on the
island. This involved packing 2,500 sandbags around the island's edge and
conducting repairs to the four ponds.
According to Mark Anderson, Kamfers Dam's flamingos have been well looked
after by Herbert and Brenda Booth, the landowners of this important wetland.
The Booths have been very supportive of the flamingo conservation and
research activities at Kamfers Dam and they have been especially protective
of the flamingos on the breeding island. The public is reminded that access
to the area close to the breeding island is strictly controlled, mainly
because flamingos are very sensitive when breeding. "Any undue disturbance
could easily result in the birds aborting their breeding attempt", said Mark
Anderson.
Kamfers Dam's flamingo island has received national and international
acclaim and the project is regarded as one of the most important bird
conservation events internationally in many years. Jahn Hohne, Managing
Director of Ekapa Mining, said that his company was very honoured to receive
the prestigious Nedbank Capital Green Mining Award in 2007 for their
sponsorship and construction of the flamingo island. Mark Anderson received
an African-Eurasian Waterbird Agreement Award in Madagascar in September
2008 for his contribution towards this important conservation project. He
was also the recipient of a BirdLife South Africa Owl Award for his
contribution to flamingo conservation.
Lesser Flamingos are listed as "near-threatened" in the South African and
international red data books, mainly because of a declining population,
various human-induced threats, and a limited number of breeding sites.
Lesser Flamingos previously bred regularly only at three places in Africa,
namely Lake Natron in Tanzania, Etosha Pan in Namibia, and Sua Pan in
Botswana. Kamfers Dam is now only the fourth African breeding site. Lesser
Flamingos also occasionally breed at two sites in India. All of the breeding
sites are threatened by a number of factors, such as dam construction in the
catchment areas and a soda ash plant at Lake Natron.
The Lesser Flamingo breeding events in southern Africa are infrequent, often
unsuccessful and the flamingos, for example, only breed successfully at
Etosha Pan once every 12 years. It seems likely that Kamfers Dam's Lesser
Flamingos will breed annually and this will almost certainly reverse the
current negative population trend that has been observed in southern Africa
during recent decades.
Dr Brooks Childress, Chair of the IUCN/SSC Flamingo Specialist Group, says
that frequent breeding of Lesser Flamingos at Kamfers Dam could reverse the
species' population decline in southern Africa. With a safe breeding site
and an abundant supply of food, Mark Anderson is convinced that the
flamingos will breed each year.
During the past few months, Kamfers Dam has been shrouded in controversy.
Local and international conservationists have raised concerns about two
important threats to the dam and its flamingos, namely a malfunctioning
sewerage works (which supplies the dam with much of its water) and the
proposed Northgate housing development which will be located a few hundred
metres from Kamfers Dam. The Save the Flamingo Association was formed to
address these threats, and the association has been supported with signed
petitions and financial donations (see www.savetheflamingo.co.za).
For their involvement with the Association and their outspoken concern about
the threats to Kamfers Dam's flamingos, three Northern Cape Department of
Tourism, Environment & Conservation (DTEC) scientists were suspended from
their duties in August. Eric Herrmann is however now back at work, Mark
Anderson has taken up a position with BirdLife South Africa, and Julius Koen
remains suspended. Environmentalists are intrigued with the reasons for
their suspension, especially as the timing coincided with DTEC's evaluation
of the Northgate EIA and the subsequent issuing of a positive Record of
Decision.
The Save the Flamingo Association will continue to oppose threats to Kamfers
Dam and its flamingos. The Association, together with BirdLife South Africa,
WESSA (Wildlife & Environment Society) and a number of other concerned
people and organizations, recently notified DTEC of its intention to appeal
its controversial positive Record of Decision for the Northgate housing
development. Environmentalists await DTEC's response with interest,
especially as several previous appeals have gone unanswered and unaddressed
by this environmental authority, a blatant disregard for national
environmental legislation and the conservation of our natural heritage.
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