Please offer your support by signing our petition and donating much-needed funds
What is the campaign about?
Kamfers Dam, a large wetland near Kimberley, South Africa, is one of only four places in the whole of Africa where the spectacular Lesser Flamingo breeds. Unfortunately it is in serious trouble. Untreated sewage from a broken sewage works is flooding into it,
and a large housing development has been proposed near it.
The flamingos and other wildlife that depend on the dam, as well as the numerous people who live in surrounding suburbs, are now in danger. Save the Flamingo, a non-profit organisation, has positive solutions for the problems facing Kamfers Dam, but we need supporters all around the world to help us persuade the local authorities to take the threats facing this precious waterbody seriously. Without urgent action the dam will become a polluted cesspool devoid of birdlife, and a hazard to the people of Kimberley. We’d hugely appreciate it if you could sign the petition on our website, and, if possible, donate some money to help this cause. You can find out more about Kamfers Dam and its extraordinary flamingos on this website.
Thanks for reading!
Who is running the campaign?
The Save the Flamingo campaign is run by the Save the Flamingo Association, a non-profit association of individuals, companies and organizations who are concerned about the welfare of Kamfers Dam and its flamingos.
More about Kamfers Dam and its flamingos
- Kamfers Dam supports the largest permanent population of Lesser Flamingos in southern Africa, with at times up to an estimated 60 000 individuals (comprising more than 50% of the southern African population).
- Large numbers of Lesser Flamingos are attracted to the wetland to feed due to the very high concentration of the flamingos’ food, blue-green algae, in the dam’s water.
- During 2007/8 Lesser Flamingos bred on a purpose-built island on Kamfers Dam, producing an estimated 9000 chicks. The island was constructed by Ekapa Mining for which they received the prestigious Nedbank Capital Green Mining Award.
- Kamfers Dam is currently the only breeding locality for Lesser Flamingos in South Africa.
- It is also one of only four breeding localities in Africa (the others being Sua Pan in Botswana, Etosha Pan in Namibia, and Lake Natron in Tanzania).
- The Lesser Flamingo is listed as “Near-threatened” in national and international red data books, mainly because of a declining population, few breeding sites, and human induced threats to the breeding sites.
- Kamfers Dam's flamingos have huge ecotourism and economic value for the city of Kimberley. Many businesses use the flamingo in their logos, and people come from all over the country to see the birds.
- Flamingos are important to the residents of Kimberley, and the city has a Flamingo School, a Flamingo Real Estate, a Flamingo Race Course and a Flamingo Casino. Flamingos are also included in the emblems of the Sol Plaatje Municipality and the Frances Baard District Municipality.
If you have comments or would like additional information, please send an e-mail message to: info@savetheflamingo.co.za
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Donate money towards the Save the Flamingo Fund
You can contribute to the conservation of Kamfers Dam and its flamingos by:
- Donating money towards the Save the Flamingo Fund.
- Signing our petition which urges the authorities to take action now!
Save the Flamingo funds will be used for:
- Addressing water quality issues
- Research
- Monitoring
- Awareness campaigns
- Litigation
Affiliates
More information
Kamfers Dam is located just north of Kimberley, South Africa.
Kamfers Dam’s flamingos are threatened by several factors, but especially deteriorating water quality due to the inability of the Homevale Sewerage Works to adequately process Kimberley’s sewerage.
Kamfers Dam’s flamingos may be ill, with the cause being deteriorating water quality.
We are concerned about the well-being of the people of Kimberley, as Kamfers Dams deteriorating water quality could be affecting the city’s residents.
Kamfers Dam’s flamingos can be saved, but URGENT attention needs to be given to addressing the problems with Homevale Sewerage Works and to resolving water balance issues in Kimberley.
There are several possible solutions to addressing Kamfers Dam’s water quality problems.
If you’d like to join our call for urgent action to address water quality issues at Kamfers Dam, please sign our online petition. A few minutes of your time will help save Kamfers Dam’s important flamingo population.
Need to know more about Lesser Flamingos?
For more information about Lesser Flamingos, including the text from “The atlas of southern African birds” (1997) and “The Eskom Red Data Book of Birds of South Africa, Lesotho and Swaziland” visit: http://sabap2.adu.org.za/species_maps.php?Spp=87
Kamfers Dam’s Lesser Flamingos make history
Click here to download an article about the first successful breeding event of Lesser Flamingos in South Africa.
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