Eco-Supporters

To engage foreign interest, we have established an Eco-Supporters program through which volunteers from abroad can participate in conservation work on the Reserve, combined with research activities and community projects (VIEW MORE).

The program offers a once in a lifetime first-hand experience of the African wilderness.
When not helping in conservation tasks such as removal of undesirable evasive weed species, our Eco-Supporters could be tracking African Wild dogs using telemetry technology. We also offer interactive lectures/talks on the ecology, geology and conservation projects of the Reserve.

Volunteers stay at the Eco-Supporters camp, where they can share their experience with like-minded people from all over the world, while also being close to nature and learning about wildlife conservation.

A substantial portion of what is now the Reserve was historically dedicated to cattle farming. Much of the veld was heavily overgrazed, which led to extensive bush encroachment by species like Mopane and Sickle bush. These invasive species dominate the grass layer, hence reducing the range quality as poor grasses proliferated.

Over the past 5 years, we have begun to implement a veld restoration program which involves bush clearing, reseeding and controlled burning. The effort is ongoing, but the results are already apparent. New healthier grass varieties have begun to reappear, and grazing capacity has increased substantially. This process will take several years before a balance is struck.

When we first took over the property which now forms the Reserve, there were many species of wildlife that cohabitated with the cattle, but not all, and those that were grazers competed for grassland, so their numbers were limited.

One of the first species that we reintroduced were the southern white rhino, an endangered species, which are now in relative abundance on the Reserve. Next, we rescued a litter of wild dog pups, whose mother had been killed by neighbouring farmers, and successfully raised the pups and reintroduced them to the wild. The release occurred in late 2010, and despite several setbacks, we are proud to say that we have a healthy, well-established pack of wild dogs roaming the Reserve that are breeding well. We continue to explore opportunities for additional species reintroductions, particularly of endangered ones.

When we first took over the property which now forms the Reserve, there were many species of wildlife that cohabitated with the cattle, but not all, and those that were grazers competed for grassland, so their numbers were limited.

One of the first species that we reintroduced were the southern white rhino, an endangered species, which are now in relative abundance on the Reserve. Next, we rescued a litter of wild dog pups, whose mother had been killed by neighbouring farmers, and successfully raised the pups and reintroduced them to the wild. The release occurred in late 2010, and despite several setbacks, we are proud to say that we have a healthy, well-established pack of wild dogs roaming the Reserve that are breeding well. We continue to explore opportunities for additional species reintroductions, particularly of endangered ones.

Both for the species that have been reintroduced as well as existing species, the protection of our wildlife is a critical and ongoing task.
A key element of our wildlife protection effort is our Anti-Poaching Unit (APU) which is supported by members of the Botswana Defence Force, who are permanently stationed on the Reserve.

The APU among other tasks monitors all the rhino on the Reserve on a 24/7 basis. Furthermore, all our rhinos are dehorned every year and have been micro-chipped. We are in the process of implementing technology to monitor their location remotely.
As part of our community upliftment program, members of our APU visit the local schools in order to teach children about the value of conservation.