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Conservation Initiatives - "Care of the wildlife land and the people"
The Oliver Foundation is concerned by the human impact on our global environment. In order to protect the environment, local communities have to understand the value of wild places and natural wildlife habitat. We support organisations such as David Shepherd Wildlife Foundation and the Wilderness Foundation who endeavour to protect wildlife, its habitat and educate people about the importance of nature.
At Hopewell Game Reserve, in the Eastern Cape of South Africa, we have taken the initiative to create an area of protected wildlife habitat from land that was previously agricultural, returning it to natural habitat for fauna and flora. A strategy for long term sustainability has been put in place.
Following a policy of fencing and invasive bush clearing, wildlife is free to roam again in a small part of Africa. Perhaps one day in the future, fences can be dropped, to create larger protected areas for wildlife conservation.
As part of the conservation initiative at Hopewell it was necessary to improve the lives and opportunities of staff living on the property.
The first priority was to upgrade the staff accommodation previously lacking in basic amenities like ablution and washing facilities, solid floors and ceilings. Staff were educated in growing vegetables and provided with a garden to grow their own food.
From Hopewell's inception none of the original farm labourers were displaced or replaced however the skills required for a conventional farm are far removed from the skills needed to run a game reserve. Therefore skills training has included first aid and hygiene, housekeeping, bush clearing, road repairs and maintenance, gardening, hospitality skills, cooking, basic vehicle maintenance, welding, driving and tracking.
An Aids workshop was held on Hopewell for its employees to highlight and educate on the pandemic sweeping the continent.
Micro-Business
Government policy is aimed at encouraging skills training and empowerment of previously disadvantaged people, known as Black Economic Empowerment (BEE). At Hopewell, micro-businesses have been implemented with the aim of providing the staff with start up capital, ongoing training and knowledge. Ultimately the staff members themselves will be 100% shareholders of these businesses.
New initiatives by the staff members are discussed and support is given with developing business plans.
Bee Keeping
Training personnel from a local meadery conducted a course on Hopewell in the native tongue of the participants on the implementation and running of a bee keeping project.
Ten hives were purchased and problem swarms of bees were captured from buildings in the district and placed in the hives.
Further training on honey extraction, filtering, bottling, marketing and business practice and ethics will ensure that the staff will be able to take the project further.
Indigenous plant nursery
A nursery has been built with the aim of growing indigenous plant species, this will includes a hothouse with heated beds for the propagation of seeds and cuttings, a hardening off area where the seedlings and cuttings will be transferred into pots and a growing area to grow the plant to a marketable size.
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Planting cuttings will create a business for the local community
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Wiliam and Bruce at the opening of the indigenous plant nursery
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Visit www.hopewell-lodge.com for more information.
Visitors are welcome to Hopewell to appreciate the natural flora and fauna
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