Southern Africa has more than 500 Game and Nature Reserves.

These conservation areas are made up of National Parks, Game Reserves, Wildlife Reserves, Game Management Areas and Safari Areas. They all play a vital role in protecting threatened habitats, species and specific organisms. A second vital role they play is in promoting an understanding of the environment and a need for conservation.

It is not only the great Game Reserves like the Kruger in South Africa, Etosha in Namibia, Chobe in Botswana, Hwange in Zimbabwe, Gorongosa in Mozambique and Luangwa in Zambia that have bird lists of 400+, but many lesser known private and smaller reserves have of lists 400+ and are extremely important bird areas. Reserves like Ndumu, Nylsvley, Sanbona and Tembe play an extremely important role in bird conservation.

South Africa has 101 sites designated as Global IBA’s and 21 as sub-regional IBA’s. This makes South Africa one of the most important IBA countries in Africa. The country supports 46 globally threatened and near threatened species. It is one of two countries in Africa with 5 or more Endemic Bird Areas.

This makes Southern Africa a must visit birding destination for international birders.