A novel plan to protect one of the most threatened habitats in the world, Renosterveld, is offering people the chance to nurture skills (like cooking or art) while actively contributing to the preservation of this natural treasure in the Cape Floral Kingdom.
Overberg, South Africa (14 May 2025) — In the heart of the Overberg region, a new initiative hopes to help more people protect Renosterveld, one of the most threatened habitats in the world.
Non-profit the Overberg Renosterveld Trust (ORT) has introduced the Wild and Wise Retreats initiative, a means to connect people to new or improved skills and the natural environment all in one intention-focused getaway weekend in the countryside.
What’s the Deal With Renosterveld?
The Renosterveld is considered a hidden treasure of the Cape Floral Kingdom, renowned for its rich biodiversity in both plants and animal species. However, over 95% of the area has been lost to agriculture. As the ORT team explained, the fragments of the area that survived and remained are overlooked and undervalued.
As such, the non-profit works hard to protect what’s still left. The ORT undertake restorations of degraded habitat, finding more about species and driving greater awareness toward Renosterveld’s value and plight. However, they cannot do it alone.
The Wild and Wise Retreats initiative then, is positioning parts Renosterveld as a sanctuary for both soil and soul. The Haarwegskloof Renosterveld Reserve (between Swellendam and Bredasdorp) is offering people a slice of peace from daily life hustles, along with a host of activities on offer, from cooking to art and photography. Not to mention nature walks, mindfulness sessions, birding, and even bio-blitzing.
In this way, people get the chance to nurture skills and themselves while actively nurturing the environment in which they’re learning them. Funds raised from the Wild & Wise Retreats directly support the ORT’s conservation work, and the more conservation work undertaken, the better chance threatened habitat has to flourish once again.
“Our aim is to offer a space where people can learn or master a new skill, enjoy the company of like-minded people, find personal healing while also becoming stewards of the Renosterveld,” explains Dr Odette Curtis-Scott, the ORT’s CEO. “By experiencing the beauty and fragility of this landscape firsthand, participants leave with a renewed sense of purpose and a commitment to caring for nature.”
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“Renosterveld is sometimes seen as the ugly sister of fynbos,” says Dr Curtis-Scott. “But it doesn’t take much effort to see the incredible jewels of this habitat. We’ve found more than 50 plant species in an area of one metre by one metre. And that’s not to mention the insects, birds, mammals, reptiles and amphibians that rely completely on Renosterveld. If we do not act now to protect Renosterveld, then this habitat faces certain extinction.”
All catering is included during the retreat – with well-known culinary queen Dee Robinson making a feast of every meal. And accommodation options include staying in the Old Dairy Guest House or the Renosterveld Research Centre, both on Haarwegskloof.
For more information, visit https://overbergrenosterveld.org.za/wild-wise-retreats/.
Sources: Supplied—Love Green Communications
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