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.
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.