Working toward Biodiversity

Biodiversity is about life, the air we breathe, the food we eat, the water we drink, and the planet we share with our fellow inhabitants. Biodiversity is the very fabric of our existence.

Our aim is to conserve everything from the smallest insect to the largest mammal, including the landforms, habitats, and plants forming the basis of the ecosystem.

Monitoring Biodiversity

Vegetation is the basis of any natural system. Every plant has a story to share about where it grows. Our vegetation monitoring is done yearly at fixed sites across the conservancy. Quadrates, fixed-point and aerial photography are used to record abundance, cover and diversity of plant life and gives us insight into how the vegetation is evolving over time and responding to our veld management.

This data contributes to the scientific understanding of environmental changes in the region and also allows us to adapt our management accordingly.

Managing Cattle with Game

Our aim is to re-introduce and develop herds of game species that historically occurred in the Karoo and we continually monitor these for sustainability.

We not only run our cattle herds as holistically as possible but integrate them with wildlife. The herd numbers are limited to allow ample room for other grazers such as zebra and antelope.

The cattle’s role is vital for veld and soil regeneration and restoration. Hoof action breaks up capped soils and churns nutrients back into the soil and the dung distribution is paramount in regrowth and carbon capture. Through years of extensive small stock farming the area was degraded and had become erosion prone.

Erosion Control

Erosion control is essentially water management. Erosion is a natural process whereby water and wind remove topsoil, re-sculpting the land. It becomes a major environmental problem when exacerbated by human activity and poor pasture management. As European settlers displaced the early hunter gatherers and started commercial farming, small farms were fenced off and overstocked.

Excessive grazing prevented the reseeding of indigenous plants- so many of them disappeared and as a result, the lack of vegetation caused rainfall to run-off rather than being absorbed into the ground. Constant efforts are made to combat this through gabions, dams and brush packing, creating nutrient traps and responsible grazing rotation. This in turn plays a big role in protecting the watershed, supporting the landscape and promoting carbon sequestration.

Burning

Many fires in the Karoo are started by lightning strikes and can be devastating. However, burning can remove moribund vegetation and promote new growth and the rejuvenation of the veld and as such burns can sometimes be managed as an effective farming technique.

Due to the release of carbon into the atmosphere from burning we prefer to use livestock to perform the same function. Where this is not possible fire is used as a tool.

Alien Plant Control

Pockets of trees, such as poplars, blue gums and pepper trees usually occur in the Karoo where there were original homesteads. These were planted to create shade, provide timber and drought foliage and although many are not indigenous they do have historical value and an ongoing use in a land where timber is sparse. Elsewhere our aim is to eradicate major invasive species such as prickly pear and rope cactus.

Karoo Ridge Lodges

Eco-lodges set in the Karoo wilderness

Activities & Experiences

Adventures in the Karoo

Working toward Biodiversity

Monitoring Biodiversity

Managing Cattle with Game

Erosion Control

Burning

Alien Plant Control

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Working toward Biodiversity

Monitoring Biodiversity

Managing Cattle with Game

Erosion Control

Burning

Alien Plant Control​

FIND US

EXPLORE

CONNECT

CONTACT US

Alien Plant Control