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Regenerative Agriculture
By Simthandile Ponti GCBR extension officers Wilhelm de Beer, Jolandie Buck, and Simthandile Ponti attended a Regenerative Agriculture course hosted by Van Wyk Pretorius at Favour Farm in George. The course was facilitated by Richard Perkins, a regenerative farmer...
Mechanisms to Secure Areas and Unlock the Value of Biodiversity Stewardship
Global context In addition to its intrinsic value, biodiversity supports essential services like food production and water purification which are crucial for human survival and wellbeing. The accelerating loss of biodiversity means that these benefits are under...
Exploring Biodiversity Stewardship Mechanisms
In 2019 the Gouritz Cluster Biosphere Reserve (GCBR) initiated its Gouritz Ecological Corridors Project. At the starting point of this project, we aimed to enhance landscape scale ecological processes along mountain ranges and rivers associated with the Gouritz...
Beach Clean-Up: To Celebrate Environmental Education Day
By Purnille Albertyn Why Every Piece of Trash Matters: The Impact of Beach Clean-Ups. Join the Movement! The Gouritz Cluster Biosphere Reserve (GCBR) MAB-Youth and Hessequa Municipality collaborated on a beach clean-up in Still Bay at Preekstoel Beach. Six youth...
Empowering Smallholder Farmers: GCBR Introduces the Agricultural Research Council (ARC) KyD Scheme
By Simthandile Ponti GCBR’s Smallholder Farmer Extension Officer, Simthandile Ponti, hosted a training program for smallholder farmers in collaboration with the Agricultural Research Council (ARC) – Animal Institute from February 10th to 15th. The primary goal of...
Creating Stronger Entrepreneurial Ecosystems: Our Experience at The IYBA SEED Training
Growing Ideas, Growing Impact: Sustainable Entrepreneurship for A Greener Future By Somila Liwani GCBR Carien Meyer (Friends of the Biosphere Programme Coordinator) and Somila Liwani (Project Support Officer) had the opportunity to attend the IYBA SEED Innovative...
Celebrating World Wetlands Day
by Somila Liwani Each year, on February 2nd, we celebrate World Wetlands Day, a global event highlighting the critical role wetlands play in mitigating climate change, improving water quality, and preserving biodiversity. This year, GCBR took an active approach by...
World Wetland Day
By Nelisiwe Khusi On 2 February, we celebrate World Wetlands Day to highlight the importance of wetlands and their role in supporting life. These unique ecosystems provide clean water, store carbon, protect us from floods, and serve as vital habitats for diverse...
Follow-Up Plant Biodiversity Assessments in the Upper Goukou Catchment
By Nelisiwe Khusi The restoration team kicked off the year by conducting follow-up plant biodiversity assessments at two sites in the Upper Goukou Catchment. Initial baseline assessments were conducted between June and July 2024 to document the pre-clearing...
Celebrating International Flower Day: A Day of Nature, Creativity, and Connection
By Erin Martin A Heartfelt Beginning: The Origin of International Flower Day International Flower Day began in 2013 in the lush landscapes of Tasmania, when Rohan and Brooke Levy, a father-daughter duo, received a surprise bouquet of flowers from a stranger....