The Conservancy

Only two hundred years ago the mountains and plains of the Karoo teemed with wildlife. The region was host to some of the largest wildlife migrations in all Africa: the Trekbokke were so great in number that predators could not keep pace with the moving herds of antelope and were trampled underfoot. Meanwhile, hippopotamus inhabited the rivers and grassy banks while elephant and rhino roamed the plains, grazed heavily and moved on, enabling the cyclical rejuvenation of the flora and fauna.

“It was hardly possible to put one’s foot down in that vast extent of country without treading on the spoor of springbok, and the Karoo bushes were torn and broken by their sharp hooves. …Trekbokke are the most wonderful occurrence in a wonderful country… Yet it is probable that the days of the very large treks are past and that such a sight as we saw in 1896 will never be seen again.”
Cronwright-Schreiner in (‘The Conservationists and the Killers’ John Pringle) 

“To leave the world a bit better, whether by a healthy child, a garden patch, or a redeemed social condition; to know that even one life has breathed easier because you have lived – that is to have succeeded.”
Ralph Waldo Emerson

Today it is almost impossible to imagine abundant wildlife living here naturally. A century of ostrich, sheep and cattle farming has decimated this landscape. Yet the Karoo remains one of the most ecologically diverse semi-desert areas in the world. Our ambition is to restore this incredible eco-system to secure the land and it’s wildlife for future generations.

We are the custodians of the biodiversity of the land: in the modern world, we have to find ways for the land to support the people who have settled here. We run a working farm and guest lodge, managing our natural resources alongside scientific conservation principles.