Flamingo conservation

Lesser Flamingo

Harsh environments of shallow, saline to super saline waterbodies that burn your skin. Eutrophic lakes, salt pans, coastal estuaries. Amazingly, these are the only places the Near-threatened Lesser Flamingo can live.  The smallest of the six flamingo species, it occurs across sub-Saharan Africa and in India. It only breeds with any regularity at four localities in Africa – thousands of eggs in too few baskets – at Lake Natron (Tanzania), Etosha Pan (Namibia), Sua Pan (Botswana) and Kamfers Dam in Kimberley, South Africa.

We are working towards conserving Lesser Flamingos at Kamfers Dam. Why? This flamingo species faces many threats at this site, one of its most important feeding grounds and a critical safety net. The threats they encounter here are water pollution, fluctuating water levels, and disturbance by dogs and humans while breeding.  Droughts are increasing in intensity with climate change, causing prolonged heat waves and higher evaporation rates. This leads to less frequent breeding and breeding failure.

My involvement in flamingo conservation since 2007 includes assisting with on-site monitoring, serving on the Local Conservation Group committee (the Save the Flamingo Association), advocacy and raising awareness about the Lesser Flamingo. Currently, I serve on the South African Flamingo Research and Conservation Group established by BirdLife South Africa.  

Ekapa Mining has been the major supporter of many of the conservation actions at Kamfers Dam since 2007.

Visit the Save the Flamingos SAFRCG Facebook group to learn more and see recent posts about flamingos.