OVERBERG RENOSTERVELD CONSERVATION TRUST NEWS
Newsletter 37 | Aug 2025
by Dr Odette Curtis-Scott
Renosterveld breakthroughs: A double dose of good news
If you’ve been following us on social media, you may have seen some good renosterveld news recently. That’s why we’re popping into your inbox today – to share a cheerful update on renosterveld conservation.
The news that our Haarwegskloof Renosterveld Reserve has been officially declared a Nature Reserve made headlines around South Africa a few weeks ago.
Now, to add to this good news, we’ve partnered with our incredible friends at World Land Trust and the Mapula Trust to acquire another renosterveld site. This site is called Goereesoe – and what makes it extra special is that it is home to a phenomenal number of breeding Black Harriers.
We’ll also be declaring this 270-hectare area as a Nature Reserve, along with Plaatjieskraal (the 500 ha piece near Haarwegskloof that we bought last year).
Read more about Goereesoe here.
Do you know how this wonderful windfall of good news came about?
It’s thanks to YOU, our renosterveld friends –
from the landowners we work with, the donors who fund us, the partners who join our cause, and the friends who follow and support us.
Renosterveld still needs every bit of attention and focus we can give – given the massive loss we’ve seen to this vegetation type and all the wildlife that this habitat supports.
But if we can be the bearers of positive news for nature on this occasion, it gives us hope and drive to continue with this work.
Kind regards,
Odette Curtis-Scott
Quartz islands in renosterveld: Small, specialised – and under threat
When walking through renosterveld, your eye may suddenly catch bright white patches shimmering among the green-grey vegetation. These patches look like small islands surrounded by typical renosterveld vegetation – and that is exactly why they are called quartz islands.
A birding weekend not to be missed
Bird lovers and conservation enthusiasts, eager to deepen their birding knowledge and bird with a purpose, converged on our Haarwegskloof Renosterveld Reserve in November, to learn from one of the country’s top conservation biologists.
Latest Renosterveld News
It’s truly awe-inspiring to see what happens when like-minded people come together around a cause that touches their hearts. When that collective energy fuels efforts to protect our natural world, it carries even more meaning.
Overberg Renosterveld Trust honoured with WWF living planet award
The Overberg Renosterveld Trust (ORT) has been named the organisational winner of the 2025 WWF Living Planet Award – one of the highest honours in South African conservation.
A new renosterveld obsession, almost too small to see
What began as curiosity has become a full-blown passion: to seek out, photograph and identify the miniature marvels that make up the hidden life of renosterveld.
