The beautiful Nahoon River Estuary is one of the most important natural assets in Buffalo City and should be conserved at all cost
General
Estuaries are very important as they are highly productive ecosystems that provide a range of goods and services ranging from nursery areas for juvenile fish to stopovers for migrant birds and recreational opportunities.
Their natural beauty, however, makes estuaries sensitive and vulnerable to development
Statistics
- The Nahoon River Estuary is 1.4km long from the sea to the Abbotsford Causeway
- The surface area differs from 42.4 ha at low tide and 58.6 ha at high tide
- The width of the estuary is approximately 30m at low tide and 40m at high tide
- The volume of water differs from 78960 cub m at low tide to 147840 cub m at high tide
Biodiversity
River habitats include saltmarshes, reeds and sedges, mangroves and mud banks.
Terrestrial vegetation includes dune forests, thicket and acacia savannah.
Birds include 3 endemic species : Cape Cormorant, Cape Shoveller, and the African Black.
Oystercatcher and 3 red data species : the white-backed night heron, the black stork and the Caspian.
tern. A total of 202 bird species have been recorded in the Nahoon Estuary Nature Reserve.
A total of 24 fish species have been recorded in the Estuary.