Hawane Dam and Nature Reserve

Hawane Dam and Nature Reserve is a protected area along the Mbuluzi River which covers the whole Hawane reservoir (which supplies water to the city of Mbabane) and its surroundings. The surface area covered by the reservoir and the Nature Reserve is 232ha. The shoreline is typically composed of a narrow belt of sand which varies with water level, beyond which lies the montane grassland ecosystem indigenous to this area. The main swamp/marsh, called the Hawane swamp, is situated upstream of the reservoir where the Black Mbuluzi river enters the system. The reservoir is host to a variety of waterbirds, whereas the swamp supports a small but critical population of the endemic and regionally critically endangered plant Kniphofia umbrina. The reserve’s main attraction is its wealth of birdlife, and a trail is provided for bird-watching. Bird species include the lanner falcon Falco biarmicus, Egyptian goose Alopochen aegyptiaca, pied kingfisher Ceryle rudis, white-faced whistling duck Dendrocygna viduata and wattled crane Bugeranus carunculatus. Overgrazing by livestock and transformation of grasslands to agricultural fields is increasingly affecting the area, while the lack of proper solid waste management systems may be resulting in effluent discharge into the reservoir.

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