Wilderness Foundation Africa

Last week, Ntobeko, Wilderness Foundation’s Environmental and Experiential Education Officer , hosted teacher training as part of our EcoCrusaders project - working with educators to build the practical skills and confidence they need to run meaningful environmental programmes in their schools.

The training covered project planning and implementation, environmental education, climate change and biodiversity, and, critically, how to create space for youth to lead, rather than defaulting to adult-driven decision-making.

It's hands-on, interactive, and designed to prepare teachers for the learner workshops and wilderness trails that come next. 🌿

60 years ago this month, Augrabies Falls National Park was officially proclaimed.
But this land has been making its presence felt for even longer than that.

The land has been drawing people in for generations. The Khoikhoi knew the falls as Aukoerebis "the Place of Great Noise” and Stone Age communities settled along the Orange River here thousands of years ago.

Since 5 August 1966, the park has formally protected its 56-metre waterfall, an 18-kilometre granite gorge, and one of South Africa's most remarkable arid ecosystems - home to klipspringers, Hartmann's mountain zebra, the endemic Augrabies flat lizard, and quiver trees.

With 60 years of protection, the waterfall’s roar remains a cornerstone of this landscape, and the landscape remains one of the most incredible places on earth.

This Women's Day, we're sharing Sinayo's inspiring story.

Sinayo Lungile first discovered her love for the environment in Grade 6, as part of the Eco Warriors at EBongweni Primary School.

This passion was reignited in 2017 while she was in Grade 11, when she attended one of our Imbewu trails. Sinayo shone as a top student and proceeded to win a trip to Shamwari Game Reserve. Sinayo then became an ambassador for our Wildlife Crime Awareness Campaign, educating other school children about conservation.

By matric, she knew exactly what she wanted to do. She enrolled for a Diploma in Nature Conservation at Nelson Mandela University, went on to an Advanced Diploma, and has since gained experience with CapeNature, WESSA, SANBI, and DEDEAT.

Sinayo is currently completing her BSc Honours in Environmental Management.

We are so proud of her and her journey. Happy Women's Day 💚

The quiver tree - kokerboom in Afrikaans, choje to the San people - is one of South Africa's most recognisable plants.

It is threatened by climate change and listed as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List

Swipe through for 5 facts worth knowing about this incredible plant.

The kokerboom is one of those plants that stops people in their tracks - and for good reason.

It can reach 9 metres tall, live for several hundred years, and survive in some of the driest conditions on earth. It stores water in its stems and leaves, produces yellow flowers that feed birds and insects through winter, and in a landscape with few trees, often provides the only nesting site around.

Have you ever seen a quiver tree in the wild?

Where would you go in Africa in 2050?

The Africa Travel Guide 2050 imagines a continent that has successfully addressed its biggest social and environmental challenges - and what it would be like to travel through that Africa.

Swipe through five of the destinations featured inside. ➡️

Read the full guide via the website link:

https://wildernessfoundation.co.za/launch-of-the-africa-travel-guide-2050

What could travel across Africa look like in 2050?

The Africa Travel Guide 2050 imagines a continent that has successfully tackled its greatest social and environmental challenges.

Swipe through five features shaping this future:

The Marula Watch — your digital passport, AI travel companion and health monitor

15-minute cities — where everyday essentials are always within easy reach

Eco-Star ratings — helping travellers choose truly sustainable food experiences

The Afro — one shared currency making cross-border travel and trade simpler

Drone delivery networks — connecting cities and remote communities with essential supplies

Discover the full vision in the Africa Travel Guide 2050 via the website link:
https://wildernessfoundation.co.za/launch-of-the-africa-travel-guide-2050/

We've just published something a little different.

The Africa Travel Guide 2050 isn't a traditional conservation report. It's a speculative travel guide written as if the year is 2050 and Africa has successfully navigated its biggest social and environmental challenges.

It was developed out of a futures-thinking workshop we hosted in October 2024, where conservation, policy, and development practitioners from across the continent were asked to imagine what a positive future for Africa could look like. The guide brings those ideas to life through the lens of travel writing - the places you might visit, the people you might meet, the changes you might witness.

Every scenario is rooted in real trends and real possibilities. The futures described here are ones Africa could reach, given the right strategies and the right commitment.

Vol. 1 is live now. View the full guide via our website (https://wildernessfoundation.co.za/launch-of-the-africa-travel-guide-2050/).