The Cape Floral Region

The iSimangaliso Wetland Park is one of the jewels of South Africa's coastline, with a unique mosaic of ecosystems - swamps, lakes, beaches, coral reefs, wetlands, woodlands, coastal forests and grasslands - supporting an astounding diversity of animal, bird and marine life.

South Africa ranks as one of the top birding destinations in the world, offering an unbeatable combination of variety of birds, well developed transport systems, and a user-friendly and supportive birding tourism industry.

Whether you're looking for information on a seaslug named after Nelson Mandela or advice on how to deal with fig tree-eating beetles, Biodiversity Explorer will answer all your questions - and a lot more.

Extinction is forever - or is it? On 12 August 1883 the last living quagga died at the Amsterdam zoo, and the world believed this unusual type of zebra had gone the way of the dodo. But for the last 20 years a team of South Africans have been working to bring the beast back from the dead, with the third generation of specially bred foals now being born.

South Africa's large areas of semi-desert scrub and grassland might suggest a certain poverty of plant life. Aside from the fact that a tract of pristine grassland can hold up to 60 grass species, nothing could be further from the truth.

South Africa's animal life is more varied than just the famous Big Five, ranging from tiny antelope such as the suni to ferocious reptiles like the crocodile. Discover the full magnitude of our wildlife heritage, both in the bush and offshore with our giant marine visitors.