• Crocodile River Reserve

    Environmental Education & Awareness Programmes

    Environmental Education and Awareness Outing

Environmental Education & Awareness

Our programmes offer schools, universities and environmental interest groups the opportunity to learn about and experience our biodiversity

EEP Pre-School Excursion

School Programme

Our School Programme enables children to do a practical, curriculum-based programme in the field, that is aligned with term 1 CAPS and the Platinum Textbooks.

The children get a chance to go out on a field excursion in a nature reserve and experience the things they learnt in class.

With this programme, children will not only develop skills like problem solving, creativity and group work, they will become aware of the natural environment and learn fundamental life lessons about nature like the importance of conservation and what they can do at home to help to save the environment.

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EEP Special Group Excursion

Universities & Researchers

The Crocodile River Reserve boasts a variety of eco-systems and habitats within which there are many special species, some of them threatened and vulnerable.

The Egoli Granite Grassland in particular, endemic to Gauteng, and noted as highly threatened due to massive urbanisation and development in the Province, is well and thriving in the Reserve.

The Geological formations are unique and noted internationally.  Our rocks are amongst the oldest in the world, stromatolites that hosted the first forms of life on earth.

Enticing?  We welcome university students and researchers to come and identify areas for post-graduate study, and research.

Please contact us to arrange for site visits and discuss your research activities.

On Request
EEP Special Group Excursion

Special Interest Groups

Many Special Interest Groups come to the Reserve to enjoy a day outing and visit sites that are special for their particular interest.  The Tree Society regularly visits, and are generous in imparting their knowledge to the public that join them on the outings.  We have access to many specialised experts too – so if you have a particular interest or belong to a special interest group, give us a call.

This is not confined to particular special interests; we also welcome Eco Groups – mostly young children and teenagers – who come here to complete the practical elements and field study for their various badges and achievements.

Please contact us with your needs and we will arrange site visits for pre-preparation of special interest visits.

On Request

Want to know more about the Reserve?

Browse our articles on the flora and fauna found in the Reserve below

All 13 /Amphibians 0 /Articles 0 /Birds 4 /Cycling 0 /Education 0 /Events 0 /Fire Management 0 /General 0 /Grasses 3 /Invaders 0 /Mammals 0 /Plants 2 /Reptiles 0 /Spiders, Scorpions & Insects 0 /Talks 0 /Trees & Shrubs 4 /Walks 0
Themeda Triandra

Themeda Triandra Grass

One of the species regarded as the most valuable grass in sourveld is Themeda triandra. Also known as Red Grass, it grows abundantly when the veld is in good condition.
December 18, 2019/by admin
Pachycarpus Schinzianus

Pachycarpus Schinzianus

Pachycarpus schinzianus is also known as Creamcup or Bitterwortel, and is a rough-textured, erect perennial which grows between 0.3 and 0.6 m tall. Every spring it resprouts from an underground rootstock.
January 8, 2020/by admin
Large Sourplum

Large Sourplum

The ripe fruits of the Ximenia Caffra or Sourplum are eaten by birds such as barbets, bulbuls and starlings and mammals such as giraffe, impala, kudu, grey duiker, steenbok, bushbuck and eland enjoy eating it's leaves. The larvae of a number of butterflies feed on the leaves, some examples being the Bush Scarlet butterfly, Natal and Silvery bar, Bowker's and Saffron sapphire and the Brown playboy.
February 24, 2021/by admin
Lannea Edulis

Lannea Edulis

Lannea edulis has shiny green leaves that are hairy when young and leathery when matured, with creamy white flowers from August to October. It bears bright red ovoid berries from October to December that become purplish black when they become ripe, which have a juicy and pleasantly sour flavour and are eaten by mice, birds and humans.
February 23, 2021/by admin

Identification of Grasses

Some grasses have stems which grow along the surface of the ground, and result in new shoots. These horizontal stems are called STOLONS. If the horizontal stems are below the ground, they are called RHIZOMES.
November 27, 2019/by admin
Crinum Bulbispernum

Crinum Bulbispernum

The Crinum lily is a large bulbous plant up to 1m high, which produces attractive grey green gracefully arching leaves during the summer months, and is often seen in the Crocodile River Reserve.
January 8, 2020/by admin
Buffalo Thorn Tree

Buffalo Thorn Tree

The Buffalo Thorn Tree is widely used for magical and medicinal purposes because of the spines or thorns, which are paired; One is hooked, and the other is straight. According to Nguni legend, the thorns of the Ziziphus tell us something about ourselves - that we must look ahead to the future (straight thorns) but we must never forget where we have come from (hooked thorns).
February 23, 2021/by admin
A field of bristle-leaved red top grass, also called Melinis Nerviglumis

Bristle-Leaved Red Top Grass

It is easy to confuse the Bristle Leaved Red Top grass with the Natal Red Top if not for one thing: the Natal Red Top grows in disturbed soil (a pioneer), while the Bristle-leaved red top is an indicator of undisturbed veld.
November 6, 2019/by admin
Black-Crowned Tchagra by Albert Froneman

Black-Crowned Tchagra

This bird of the Crocodile River Reserve tends to favour the northern mountain bushveld. The black forehead and crown differentiate this Tchagra from other Tchagras. It is also a larger, bolder bird and is more conspicuous in its behaviour.
January 7, 2020/by admin
Black-Collared Barbet by Bernard DUPONT

Black-Collared Barbet

The Black-Collared Barbet or Lybius Torquatus is also known as the Rooikophoutkapper and is one of the most common barbets in Africa, occurring from the DRC to Kenya and southern Africa.
January 7, 2020/by admin
Barn Owl by E Stockenstroom

Barn Owl

The Barn Owl has earned itself the nickname ‘ghost owl’ because of its pale plumage and chilling call. This creature is one of the most widely distributed bird species in the world, and the superstition surrounding it has been unwittingly passed down from generation to generation. These superstitions have led to the senseless and cruel killing of these birds over the decades, however, farmers and enlightened city-folk hold these splendid birds in high regard, because they protect crops by feeding on rats, mice and birds.
January 7, 2020/by admin
African Finfoot by Eric Stockenstroom

African Finfoot

The African Finfoot or Watertrapper, (Podica senegalensis) is a very rare and vulnerable bird species.  The Afrikaans name for the African Finfoot is "Watertrapper".
The African Finfoot is about the size and shape of a large cormorant. 
January 7, 2020/by admin
Tree Walk in the Crocodile River Reserve

A Successful Tree Walk in March 2021

The Tree Walk held in the Crocodile River Reserve offered an insightful and easy to understand introduction to the day, starting with the structure of leaves and how to use this to identify a tree. What followed was a walk through the beautiful veld of the Reserve during which we identified a variety of trees - such as the fascinating underground tree Lannae Aedulis, the Diospyros Lycioides (Blue Bush), the common but beautiful Acacia Karroo (Sweet Thorn) and the Protea Caffra Trees but to name a few.
March 24, 2021/by admin
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