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
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.
Young birders discover renosterveld’s feathered wonders
Haarwegskloof Renosterveld Reserve isn’t only the perfect place to see birds – it’s also the place to learn about them.
Where art and nature meet: Our botanical art retreat
Two Wild & Wise Retreats held at the Haarwegskloof Renosterveld Reserve in October offered something truly exceptional.
The fynbos fish of the Kars River officially recognised at last
It began with a surprise discovery in the murky waters of the Kars River, in the heart of the Overberg renosterveld. Seven years later, that unexpected find has officially been named and described: the Agulhas redfin (𝘗𝘴𝘦𝘶𝘥𝘰𝘣𝘢𝘳𝘣𝘶𝘴 𝘢𝘨𝘶𝘭𝘩𝘢𝘴).
