Lets’eng-la-Letsie is Lesotho’s only Ramsar wetland, located in the south-eastern part of the mountain kingdom. It is not easy to reach this piece of paradise high-up in the mountains, as the only two ‘roads’ leading there are rough, tough, adventurous 4x4, and not for the faint hearted.
We
entered Lesotho from South Africa at the Qacha’s Nek border post,
not far from Matatiele in the Eastern Cape. From the border post we
traveled further south-west on the A4, a good tar road, to the small
village of Mphaki where we met government officials from Lesotho.
They arrived with two 4x4 vehicles to escort us up the 22km jeep
track leading to Lets’eng-la-Letsie.
We
passed through beautiful mountainous landscapes, higher and higher,
passing several small rural villages and schools. I could not
appreciate the natural splendor as I was so focused on (and concerned
about) the slippery, rough road with major steep cliffs centimeters
from the wheels. And then, eventually, after 90 stressful minutes, we
were there: the entrance to Lets’eng-la-Letsie Nature Reserve at an
altitude of 2,420m with the man made dam about a kilometer further
down the valley. The reserve’s fences and sign boards were removed
by vandalism - or poor people needing equipment.
It
was sunny with a few clouds in the air. The grass around the dam was
green. A feast for your eyes and definitely paradise for the cattle,
sheep, horses and donkeys that were grazing there. Exactly the
biggest challenge for management of this reserve and Ramsar wetland,
but more about that later.
The
road inside the reserve goes past the shallow dam and then follow the
flat wetland all along the mountains up to the reserve’s boundary
12km further south. Several streams come together on the flats and
flow towards the dam through the wetland.
Over
800ha (approximately 20%) of the Lets’eng-la-Letsie catchment is
considered to be a type of wetland. These wetlands are important as
they filter the source of the Mohlakeng River, a major tributary of
the Quthing River, which in turn is one of the major tributaries of
the Senqu River, which eventually becomes the Orange River in South
Africa. Just over half of these wetlands (434ha) in the catchment
area have been declared as Lesotho’s only Ramsar site.
The
climate here at Lets’eng-la-Letsie is strongly seasonal, with
summer temperatures reaching 26°C or higher in January and winter
temperatures drop to -5°C or lower. Average rainfall is around 800mm
per annum of which more than 80% occurs during summer between the
months October to March. Frequent snowfall is common during winter.When and why Ramsar
The
wetlands at Lets’eng-la-Letsie are a representation of less
disturbed high altitude wetlands in Lesotho. Seven bird species which
are described as threatened, are supported by these wetlands. These
include Cape vulture, Bald ibis, Wattled crane, Blue crane, Lesser
kestrel, Black harrier and Yellow-breasted pipit.
This,
as well as the considerable biodiversity value of the catchment area
were part of the criteria when the wetlands were declared of
international importance on 7 January
2004.
Fauna
& Flora
As
mentioned earlier, we saw a large number of cattle, sheep, donkeys,
goats and horses in the reserve. This may be the reason that there
were no wild animals to be seen. But there are many birds, especially
White Stork and the vulnerable Southern Bald Ibis. More than 100 bird
species have been recorded including Wattled and Blue Cranes and the
Lesser Kestrel.
Threats
Poverty
and unemployment in the areas around Lets’eng-la-Letsie catchment
are high. These communities depend largely on resource harvesting and
subsistence farming to meet their livelihood needs. Livestock such as
goats, sheep, cattle, donkeys and horses are also an important
livelihood strategy.
Lets’eng-la-Letsie
catchment is currently used as grazing land and is important for
provision of grass for thatching, as a source of water, medicinal
plants and wood, and for fishing. Given the free access and open
property nature of the site, it suffers from overstocking,
overgrazing and erosion, as well as over exploitation of its natural
resources.
Several
methods to improve the sustainability of the use and management of
the wetland areas, have been tried in the past but have had little
success. The communities
recognise that the decline in the condition of the catchments is
having a negative impact on their livelihoods. Local solutions
proposed to address this degradation include the introduction of
rotational grazing systems and controlled use and improved protection
of resources. It is evident that local communities
are aware of some of the key management solutions and interventions
required to improve the management of the Lets’eng-la-Letsie
catchment. However, to date there is no change in use patterns and
the catchment continues to degrade.
It
is clear that the biggest challenge to preserve and wisely use this
Ramsar wetland, is to manage the access and grazing.
There
are no facilities available for tourists visiting the area. Fishing
is also not allowed in the dam or streams running through the
reserve. The only attractions other than the natural splendor of the
area, are the challenging roads to the north and south of
Lest’eng-la-Letsie. Offroad enthusiasts with motorbikes, quadbikes
and 4x4 vehicles do travel here. It was sad to see the wheel
tracks that some of these visitors left on the precious and sensitive
environment.
Lets’eng-la-Letsie
is a natural tourism resource with great potential that could be
incorporated into the proposed Maseru to Matatiele tour route. It
will require that the access roads to Lets’eng-la-Letsie via
Ongeluk’s Nek and Mphaki be upgraded to good, all weather, safer
roads. Concept plans are being drafted and considered by the Lesotho
authorities to do this, which could lead to the development of other
tourist opportunities such as overnight accommodation, a wide range
of hiking trails, outdoor adventure routes, environmentally sensitive
off-road trails, Basotho pony trekking, mountain biking, fishing,
adrenalin sports and snow skiing.
Special
We
reached the reserve’s southern boundary and I could see on my GPS
that we were only 6km from the Ongeluk’s Nek border post to South
Africa. But we had to turn around as the officials told us that the
road to Ongeluk’s Nek (Maphooaneng
Pass)
is much worse than the road from Mphaki that we used to get to
Lets’eng-la-Letsie. After witnessing how relaxed they were driving
so far, I had no reason to doubt their judgement.
On
our way back we followed a different route towards Tele Bridge border
post. The road was recently upgraded and although it is a gravel
road, it is in a very good condition, accessible by most sedan
vehicles. Be careful for some hairpin bends with no rails. It is a
very scenic road, following the Quthing river until it becomes the
Senqu river. There are major opportunities to establish picnic and/or
accommodation sites along this route.
Our
visit to Lets’eng-la-Letsie
coincided with a
public holiday in Lesotho – Moshoeshoe Day, one of the most
important holidays. Seeing that it was on a Friday, it was a
long-weekend. Despite this, Mr Fanana and 4 of his colleagues
sacrificed the whole day to accompany us. They are very proud and
keen to show us their beautiful country. I salute your commitment!
Date
of visit: 11 March 2016
Contact information:
Mr
Makomoreng Fanana
Dept
of Water Affairs
Maseru,
Lesotho
e-mail:
fanana@dwa.gov.ls
Telephone:
+266
22317516