2 Rand Waterberg Biosphere Reserve - Cape Griffon

The Waterberg Biosphere Reserve, declared by UNESCO in 2001, encompasses one of the largest contiguous bushveld ecosystems in South Africa — and one of the last viable breeding strongholds for the Cape Griffon vulture (Gyps coprotheres), a species that collapsed across much of southern Africa following widespread poisoning of carcasses by poachers targeting elephant and rhino. The Waterberg colonies represent a genuine conservation anchor, not a symbolic one.

This issue is part of the South African Mint's ongoing Natura series, which has documented threatened indigenous fauna since 1994. The Cape Griffon appears here during a period when the species was listed as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List, with an estimated continental population below 10,000 mature individuals.