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. As a conservancy we have a proactive and positive land management approach to farming and conserving natural resources.
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 through fixed point photography covering many different locations on the conservancy. Observations are made regarding top soil, erosion, insect and animal activity. Records are also kept of rainfall, bird species, invertebrates and mammals. This data contributes to the scientific understanding of environmental changes in the region and also allows us to adapt out 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. In managing cattle with game, the cattle take on the role of the mega-herbivore, a role previously fulfilled by rhino, hippo and buffalo. Our cattle are indigenous breeds of Nguni and Ankole, which are hardy, fertile, disease and drought-resistant animals. Where cattle have grazed intensively for short periods of time the land is left disturbed by hoof action and is fertilized by concentrated dung and urine. In turn this disturbance creates nutrient and moisture traps which promote new seed germination and growth. The hoof activity also helps to re-sculpt areas that have previously been eroded. We manage the cattle so that these heavily-grazed areas are then left to rest and recover.
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. We are aiming to stabilise active erosion by building gabions, dams and small weirs to slow the flow of the water across the land. Meanwhile brush-packing promotes nutrient traps and is used to increase vegetation growth on open ground. All this will improve the absorption of water into the soil.
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.
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.
