THREATENED
ENDEMIC
SPECIES
We protect some of Africa’s rarest and most localised species, safeguarding the wetlands, rivers, and mountain streams they depend on while securing healthy freshwater ecosystems for people and nature.
THREATENED ENDEMIC SPECIES
WHY ENDEMIC
SPECIES MATTER
Africa is home to an extraordinary number of species found nowhere else on earth
Many survive in just a single wetland, one mountain stream or a small patch of
forest. When a species has such a limited range, the loss of even one site can
push it towards global extinction.
Amphibians lie at the heart of this work. Frogs are among the world’s most
threatened vertebrates and can provide an early warning when the places they
live are under pressure. Declining frog populations can signal problems in rivers,
wetlands, forests and mountain streams, natural systems that provide clean
water, reduce the impacts of floods and droughts, and sustain both people and
wildlife.
These remarkable species are also part of southern Africa’s unique natural
heritage. Protecting them means more than preventing extinction. It means
keeping species found nowhere else on Earth in the wild and protecting the
places they need to survive, so they remain part of Africa’s natural heritage for
generations to come.
© Bionerds
THREATENED ENDEMIC SPECIES
THREATENED
ENDEMIC SPECIES
WE PROTECT
Browse through our endemic species we protect to learn more about each
species and their status.
We focus our conservation efforts on some of southern Africa’s most threatened and range-restricted endemic species
Pickersgill’s Reed Frog
Endangered
A tiny, golden-brown reed frog found only in a handful of coastal wetlands in KwaZulu-Natal, on South Africa’s east coast.
Table Mountain Ghost Frog
Endangered
A striking green-and-purple frog found only in a few mountain streams on Table Mountain, whose tadpoles can climb wet rock faces.
Rough Moss Frog
Critically Endangered
A fingernail-sized frog found only on a single mountain near Caledon in the Western Cape, whose tadpoles develop without ever swimming.
Cape Rain Frog
Vulnerable
The largest of the rain frogs, a round, burrowing frog of the fynbos from Cape Town to Citrusdal that cannot swim and walks rather than hops.
Thorin’s Caco
Endangered
A tiny frog of high mountain wetlands in the Amathole Mountains near Hogsback, in South Africa’s Eastern Cape.
Klipheuwel Caco
Vulnerable
A tiny frog of the seasonal wetlands around Klipheuwel, north of Cape Town, first described by scientists in 2013.
Cape Caco
Vulnerable
A small, burrowing frog of the seasonal wetlands of the Western Cape lowlands, which spends the dry months underground.
Cederberg Caco
Endangered
A tiny frog described in 2024 as the first frog found only in the Cederberg Mountains of the Western Cape.
Rose’s Mountain Toadlet
Critically Endangered
The only voiceless frog in southern Africa, a small toad with red-orange markings found only on Table Mountain in Cape Town.
Moonlight Mountain Toadlet
Endangered
A small, secretive toad of the fynbos-covered mountains of the Western Cape, part of which is now protected in the new Mount David Nature Reserve.
Western Leopard Toad
Endangered
A large toad with bold chestnut-and-yellow markings that migrates through Cape Town’s suburbs each winter to breed.
Amathole Toad
Endangered
A small, dark toad of the high grasslands of the Amathole Mountains in the Eastern Cape, rediscovered in 2011 after years without a sighting.
Pepperbark Tree
Vulnerable
A medicinal tree of southern and eastern Africa whose peppery bark is widely harvested for traditional healing.
African Penguin
Critically Endangered
Africa’s only penguin, found along the coasts of South Africa and Namibia, where it nests on islands and mainland beaches.
Lesser Flamingo
Near Threatened
The smallest and most numerous flamingo, gathering in spectacular pink flocks on the salt pans and lakes of Africa.
Ludwig’s Bustard
Endangered
A large, ground-dwelling bird of the arid plains of South Africa, Namibia and Angola, highly vulnerable to collisions with power lines.
Moreesburg Opal Butterfly
Not Assessed
A small, jewel-like butterfly found only in remnant renosterveld around Moorreesburg in the Western Cape’s wheat-farming heartland.
Cape Stag Beetle
Near Threatened to Critically Endangered
Flightless, ancient beetles found only on isolated Western Cape mountain peaks, and highly prized by illegal collectors.
Kasners Dwarf Burrowing Skink
Endangered
A small, sand-swimming lizard of South Africa’s West Coast dunes, with no front legs and tiny two-toed hind limbs.
Sungazer Lizard
Vulnerable
The largest girdled lizard in the world, a spiny, armoured reptile of the South African Highveld grasslands, named for basking at its burrow entrance facing the sun.
Durban Dwarf Burrowing Skink
Critically Endangered
A legless, burrowing lizard found only in a few remaining patches of coastal sandy grassland in and around Durban.
Armadillo Girdled Lizard
Near Threatened
A spiny lizard of South Africa’s Succulent Karoo that rolls into a ball, holding its tail in its mouth, when threatened.
Karoo Dwarf Tortoise
Endangered
A small, flat-shelled tortoise of the rocky ridges of South Africa’s Great Karoo, known locally as the ‘thunder tortoise’ for emerging before storms.
Speckled Dwarf Tortoise
Endangered
The world’s smallest tortoise, with a speckled shell that fits in the palm of a hand, found among rocky outcrops in South Africa’s Namaqualand.
Geometric Tortoise
Critically Endangered
One of the world’s rarest tortoises, with a striking black-and-yellow starburst shell, surviving only in fragments of lowland habitat near Cape Town.
Albany Adder
Endangered
One of the world’s rarest snakes, a small adder known only from thicket near Gqeberha (Port Elizabeth) on South Africa’s south-east coast.
De Winton’s Golden Mole
Critically Endangered
A blind, burrowing mammal of the Namaqualand coast, rediscovered in 2023 after 86 years without a confirmed record.
Riverine Rabbit
Critically Endangered
One of the world’s rarest mammals, a shy rabbit with a distinctive dark stripe along its jaw that lives along seasonal rivers in South Africa’s Karoo.
THREATENED ENDEMIC SPECIES
THREATS ENDEMICS
SPECIES FACE
Threatened endemic species are exceptionally vulnerable because their entire global population may depend on a single site. We work to address some of their greatest threats, including:
Habitat loss and degradation
Caused by agriculture,
development, mining.
Invasive alien plants
Alter water flow and reduce habitat
quality.
Water pollution
From agricultural runoff, pesticides,
and untreated waste
Climate change
Is changing rainfall patterns and
drying the wetlands and streams
these species depend on.
Overgrazing
Damages riparian vegetation and
degrades freshwater habitats for species found in only one or a
handful of places, protecting these
habitats can mean the difference
between survival and extinction.
THREATENED ENDEMIC SPECIES
HOW WE PROTECT
ENDEMIC SPECIES
Guiding conservation through science
Science underpins every conservation decision we make. Through long-term monitoring, biodiversity surveys, environmental DNA (eDNA), passive acoustic monitoring, estimating population density using capture mark recapture models, and habitat assessments, we gather the information needed to understand species distributions, assess population trends, and guide conservation action. These data also contribute to IUCN Red List assessments and national conservation planning.
Protecting critical habitats
Many endemic species occur outside protected areas, making partnerships with landowners and communities essential. We work to secure long-term protection for wetlands, forests, rivers, and mountain streams through Biodiversity Stewardship and conservation partnerships. In 2024, we helped secure Protected Environment status for the Widenham Wetland, safeguarding critical habitat for Pickersgill’s Reed Frog and the freshwater ecosystems it supports.
Restoring freshwater ecosystems
Healthy habitats are essential for endemic species to survive. We restore wetlands, streams, and riparian habitats by removing invasive alien plants, improving water quality, and rehabilitating degraded ecosystems. These actions benefit threatened species while strengthening freshwater systems that support people and nature.
Discovering species before they disappear
Many endemic species remain poorly understood. Through BioBlitz expeditions, targeted biodiversity surveys, and innovative technologies such as eDNA and acoustic monitoring, we continue to discover species new to science, rediscover species thought to be lost, and identify previously unknown populations before they disappear.
THREATENED ENDEMIC SPECIES
CONSERVATION
SUCCESS:
Pickersgill’s Reed Frog
When our work began, Pickersgill’s Reed Frog was known from just 10 wetland sites along the KwaZulu-Natal coast and was listed as Critically Endangered. Habitat loss, invasive alien plants, and wetland degradation had pushed this tiny amphibian to the brink.
Through long-term research, habitat restoration, Biodiversity Stewardship, and partnerships with landowners and local communities, we have helped expand its known range to 49 sites, contributing to the species being downlisted to Endangered.
THREATENED ENDEMIC SPECIES
GET INVOLVED
Together, we can secure a future for species found nowhere else on Earth. Whether you choose to donate, partner with us, or follow our work, you’ll be helping conserve southern Africa’s unique biodiversity.