This unique Vulture Conservation initiative focuses on safeguarding two of South Africa’s rarest cliff-nesting vultures – the vulnerable Cape Vulture and the critically endangered Bearded Vulture – along with other priority species in one of the country’s most spectacular protected areas.
Based in and around the Maloti-Drakensberg Park World Heritage Site, the project plays a vital role in monitoring and protecting vulture populations through nest surveys, vulture-safe feeding site management, camera trap studies, and ground-based hide monitoring. Volunteers assist with long-term research, alien plant control, and emergency response for incidents affecting vultures and other threatened species.
The Drakensberg region is not only a breeding stronghold for these magnificent birds but also a biodiversity treasure – home to more than 250 endemic plant species, rare alpine wetlands, and rich cultural heritage, including over 4,000 years of San rock art. Spanning 249,313 hectares along the Great Escarpment, it is one of South Africa’s five largest protected areas and a designated Important Bird Area within the Lesotho Highlands Endemic Bird Area.
Conservation efforts extend beyond park boundaries into surrounding farmlands, working closely with local communities in the buffer zone to secure vital habitats and reduce threats. This gives volunteers exclusive access to areas rarely seen by the public while making a tangible difference to vulture survival.
The Vulture Conservation Project plays a vital role in boosting wildlife conservation efforts in the Southern Drakensberg, with a strong focus on safeguarding endangered vultures, monitoring priority species, and supporting protected area boundary management.
Key activities include monitoring nesting sites in and around the Maloti-Drakensberg Park World Heritage Site, managing safe vulture feeding sites in the buffer zones, and running a long-term remote camera trapping survey. The project’s research is shared with universities and provincial conservation authorities to inform effective management and policy decisions for the World Heritage Site and its surrounds.
Additional conservation work involves alien plant control and emergency response to threats facing vultures and other key species. Volunteers actively participate in hands-on conservation tasks, which can be physically demanding but highly rewarding—often involving hikes into breathtaking mountain landscapes while contributing to the protection of South Africa’s most vulnerable wildlife.
Volunteer responsibilities may includeVulture Nest Monitoring
From May to November, during the active breeding season, volunteers monitor vulture nesting sites across the area. This often involves hiking into rugged, mountainous terrain and spending long hours observing, identifying, and recording nesting activity.
Long-Term Camera Trap Survey
Assist with our ongoing remote camera trap survey in the Maloti-Drakensberg Park World Heritage Site. Volunteers help scout locations, set up and maintain camera trap stations, and ensure they remain operational. This includes changing batteries and memory cards, clearing vegetation to prevent false triggers, and later downloading and cataloguing images and videos back at camp for research purposes.
Protected Area Boundary Support
Join rapid-response efforts to address emergencies involving vultures and other priority species, including injuries, poisonings, and human-wildlife conflict. Volunteers may also help with alien plant control in vulnerable areas to protect the World Heritage Site’s biodiversity.
Vulture Safe Feeding Sites
Help transport carcasses to vulture feeding sites, ensuring a reliable food source for the birds. Duties include managing the site by removing old carcasses, monitoring activity from the Mzimkulu Vulture Hide, and maintaining camera traps for long-term tracking of tagged vultures.
The Vulture Hide
Located just outside Underberg in the heart of the Southern Drakensberg, the Vulture Hide provides visitors with close-up, safe, and educational encounters with endangered vultures while supporting conservation. The hide features one-way glass for unobstructed photography, comfortable seating, Wi-Fi, charging points, and educational materials—all set against a dramatic mountain backdrop. Visitors, birders, and photographers leave with a deeper appreciation for conservation efforts in the region.
Wildlife sightings from the hide often include Cape and Bearded Vultures, Yellow-billed Kites, several eagle species, Sacred Ibis, White-necked Ravens, Bokmakieries, Black-backed Jackals, and the occasional Large Grey Mongoose. Along the track to the hide, visitors may spot Ant-eating Chats, Quail Finch, Grey Crowned Cranes, and sometimes Red-capped Larks, Cape Longclaws, or Common Quail. Keep an eye out for the striking Long-tailed Widow, the industrious Yellow-crowned Bishop, Fan-tailed Widows, various cisticolas, and more.
