By Leila Moosajee, GCBR Youth Coordinator In 2014, the United Nations General Assembly declared 15 July as World Youth Skills Day, to celebrate the strategic importance of equipping young people with skills for employment, decent work, and entrepreneurship. To...
Water Tanks Making a Difference for Smallholder Farmers
By Simthandile Ponti Access to water is one of the biggest challenges for smallholder farmers, especially in dry areas like the Western Cape. Many of these farmers face ongoing difficulties due to drought, climate change, soil degradation, unpredictable markets, and...
A garden of nourishment: MAB Youth Learn to Grow a Garden for Good
By Leila Moosajee In the heart of Albertina, a group of passionate young people came together to get their hands dirty and learn how to start a vegetable garden from scratch. With ten MAB (Man and the Biosphere) Youth members from Albertina and four from Riversdale...
Fieldwork with the GCBR MAB Youth Members
By Nelisiwe Khusi This past month, our restoration team invited two MAB Youth members, Noluthando Zikishe and Jasmine Moses, to join us in the field for a follow-up plant biodiversity assessment along the Vals River. The two MAB Youth members were identified by our...
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...
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...
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 conditions...
GCBR Smallholder Farmers Assistance
The rising input costs, unstable economy and the rising fuel prices all contribute to the challenges faced by smallholder farmers. Despite producing most of the world’s food, smallholder farmers lack certain agricultural inputs that will improve their farming...
Baseline Assessment and Progress Monitoring at Broomvlei Wetland Restoration Site with Dr. Donovan Kotze
by Nelisiwe Khusi Dr. Donovan Kotze visited our restoration team early this month to assist with conducting baseline assessments at one of the sites in and around the Broomvlei Wetland. With the significant rainfall we’ve received in the past month, navigating the...
Heidelberg Community Park
by Lee-Ann Pretorius and Nelisiwe Khusi Over the past year, the Groen Sebenza interns were given the chance to pursue projects of their interest. Recognizing the lack of community-friendly recreational facilities in the Heidelberg community, Lee-Ann Pretorius saw an...










