OVERBERG RENOSTERVELD TRUST NEWS
Newsletter 40 | April 2026
by Grant Forbes
From Grant: Conservation, farmers and trust
It’s not often that I have the opportunity to pop into your inbox. But with our CEO, Odette Curtis, away at the moment, I’m joining you in this newsletter – and sharing a perspective from an important part of my work: working with farmers.
Walking through renosterveld landscapes and monitoring the species we find is part of our day-to-day work. But an even bigger part of what we do is working with landowners – the custodians of most of the renosterveld that remains in the Overberg.
If we are to prevent the further loss of renosterveld, we need landowners alongside us. And that doesn’t mean every relationship with a farmer must end in a signed conservation easement. It’s often much more simple: with landowners knowing and valuing the renosterveld on their farms, and appreciating the remarkable diversity of life it supports.
Our role at the ORT is then equally simple: we are here to help, however we can, to protect these landscapes.
That relationship is built on trust.
Landowners need to trust that we are there to support them in looking after their natural veld and building more resilient landscapes. And we trust them to do what they can to care for the renosterveld in their custodianship.
That support can take many forms. Recently, we hosted a Regenerative Agriculture Landowner’s Day at Fairfield Farm, bringing farmers and specialists together to share knowledge that can contribute to healthier, more resilient farms. Francis Yeatman of Oasis Agri shared his experience and knowledge of regenerative agriculture (read more here), while Dr Charlene Janion-Scheepers from the University of Cape Town spoke about the extraordinary life within our soils and why it matters to agriculture.
So, to all the farmers we work with: thank you.
Thank you for allowing us onto your farms and into your veld, for sharing your knowledge with us and for allowing us to work alongside you for renosterveld.
With only around 5% of renosterveld remaining, its future depends on what we do today. It depends on the care landowners take of the natural veld in their custodianship, the decisions we make together and a commitment to leaving this landscape in a better state than we found it.
Kind regards,
Grant Forbes
Senior Conservation Manager
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).
A bright new renosterveld daisy for the Overberg
A new species has just been added to the Cape Floral Kingdom, and more specifically to renosterveld. And it’s one that can only be found in the Overberg.