932 Hectares

Mpumalanga

• Construction of abattoir and tannery with the capacity to process local livestock
• Working towards the long-term restoration of wetlands
• Development of site infrastructure to restore wetlands and conserve grassland  
• Constructing aviary and bird watching hides Design and develop Ecotourism activity hub  with supporting facilities
• Training, skills development and capacity building

Bambanani Community Farm is situated approximately 30km from Wakkerstroom town in Mpumalanga, the second oldest town in the Province.

The land is owned by the BAMBANANI community representing 64 claimants and their families. The Site is on a 932 hectares area, which increased from 850 hectares through the Biodiversity Stewardship Program. The area is largely grassland and carries livestock and a eucalyptus plantation. It is also a wetland that provides a good habitat for different species and attracts a wide range of rare birds.

The Bambanani CPA has been trained by the WWF-SA in Alien Plant Clearing and Fire Management. The Site has partnered with The Mpumalanga Tourism Agency, Municipality, Birdlife SA and WWF – SA to conserve the area while investments in ecological infrastructure remain a high priority.

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22659 Hectares

Mpumalanga

• Water Resource Management Plan & supporting water supply infrastructure
• Ecological Conservation - Invasive alien plant control working towards the long-term restoration of natural areas
• Design and develop an ecotourism activity hub with supporting facilities – to include God’s Window Look-out and Skywalk Suspension footbridge
• Design and build accommodation facilities and Conference Centre within the reserve
• Game Ranching - Game meat processing and trade
• Build a bio-industrial facility with factory plant capacity to handle a range of bio-prospecting ventures
• Commercial IAP Biomass industrial facility
• Training, skills development and capacity training

The land is owned by the Blyde Community Property Associations, (the CPA). All parent farms and farm portions comprising the Blyde NR and the Lowveld plantations were claimed by four CPAs. These CPAs, collectively trade as Blyde Valley 04 CPA’s NPC, comprise:

• Maorabjang Communal Property Association
• Moletele Communal Property Association
• Setlhare Communal Property Association
• Mahubahuba a Bokone Communal Property Association

The BRCNR (also known as the Motlatse Canyon) holds one of the top ten largest canyons in the world. It boasts of cliffs that rise nearly 2,625 feet (800 meters) from the riverbed below.

The soon to be expanded BRCNR is composed of two historically different

management units, namely the Blyde Nature Reserve (Blyde NR) and the Lowveld Plantations, with different land-use and associated histories.

The BRCNR seeks investors and partners to develop and conserve the site’s unique natural (biodiversity, ecosystems and landscape) & cultural tourism, and bioprospecting offering.

Key highlights include:

• Water supply for wildlife, biodiversity, wetlands and nearby communities
• Conservation, heritage & tourism visitor centre, conference centre & accommodation facilities, game ranching
• A major adventure ecotourism centre that includes God’s Window Look-out and the Skywalk suspension footbridge
• Forestry plantations

3600 Hectares

Gauteng

Core Operations

• Other - Environmental education and recreation

Activities

• Volunteering of Alien invasive plant removal/5 reserve sector projects
• Environmental education programmes > 300 learners per annum
• Cycling and walking around heritage and natural attractions - 500 per annum
• Monthly awareness events (Walks & Talks) 2 
• Monitoring of Eco-crime - prevention volunteers in poaching, snaring, stripping of indigenous resources - regular snare walks, security company co-operation

Core operations

• Land/veld management 
• Wetland management 
• Rehabilitation/restoration 
• Invasive alien plant clearing and harvesting
• Other - Environmental projects by voluntary teams

Activities

• Alien Invasive plant removal projects, infestation monitoring, staff training (20/yr)
• Wetland rehabilitation (outside services - Working for Wetlands)
• Fire management, fire protection (fire breaks)  - CRR Fire Protection Association
• Environmental Crime (prevention, awareness, support of contracted security company)

The Crocodile River Reserve (CRR) has been proclaimed as a Protected Area according to the National Environmental Management: Protected Areas Act of 2004.  By conserving biodiversity, CRR not only ensures that surroundings are richer and more diverse, but also secures the resources that will continue to provide improvements in the quality of human life. The Reserve boasts a variety of eco-systems and habitats within which there are many special species, some of them threatened and vulnerable. The Crocodile River Reserve’s programmes offer schools, universities and environmental interest groups the opportunity to learn about and experience biodiversity. Programmes envisioned by the Reserve takes into consideration that being on an urban edge there are a myriad of opportunities in identifying and working with established community leaders and organised groups in large areas where the population is diverse and highly fragmented.

The Reserve is looking to expand its impact on the natural and human environment, by introducing better security and access control, expanding through acquisition of adjacent land, SMME development, introduction of services to prevent environmental crimes, installation of signage to increase visitor awareness and development of a comprehensive biodiversity database.

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2000 Hectares

KwaZulu-Natal

KameelKop is located close to the well-known Nambiti Big 5 Private Game Reserve near Ladysmith in KwaZulu-Natal.  

A community of approximately 600 kraals previously lived on the site but were forcibly removed from the site 54 years ago.  The site was then run as a successful game farm/livestock ranch before being returned to the community following a formal restitution process some 15 years ago.  At this point, the community decided to retain the property as a game farm and to re-settle on other areas included in their restitution claim.  

Since then the reserve has been managed as a game farm, with hunting being the main income stream.   As such, there is an urgent need to start generating profits from the farm which have been earmarked for building a creche whilst future needs include investments in boreholes, solar panels & food gardens.

The community seeks to partner with investors in building capacity to provide high-quality service to their hunting and tourism customers. The proposed regenerative commercial livestock farming & conservation model at Kameelkop will boost throughput & complement the current game meat, droëwors and biltong processing operations.

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5554 Hectares

Northern Cape

The site is a Protected Area in terms of the Protected Areas Act and is home to the richest bulb flora of any arid region in the world and more than 1,000 of its estimated 3,500 plant species are found nowhere else on earth. Traditional medicine may be derived from these species. Amphibians and reptiles are also well represented, along with several endemic species.

The property is strategically located within a Protected Area Expansion corridor that is planned between the Namaqua National Park and the Goegap Nature Reserve.

No economic activities are currently in operation and have not taken place since the ownership transfer was done in 2015.

Investment Opportunities include Game Ranching; Botanical Camp with Aviary and Snake Park; Essential Oils and Handicrafts; Lodge & Conference Centre and Bush Encroacher eradication.

The sustainable development of Namaqua is dependent on the land and natural ecosystem. The anchor business potential is in the wildlife economy, botanical eco-tourism and research, as well as bio-prospecting.

The San people of Rooiwal in Namaqualand, originally crop farmers, were displaced from their land with rich soils and good climate, to dry land on the mountains, where they were forced to learn how to live as livestock ranchers.

The land restitution process has restored land to the Rooiwal Community, albeit in a site far away from the cropping region from which their forefathers were originally displaced.

The land is now community-owned, with no land-related legal disputes, and is governed under clear legal structures. 

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