Table Mountain Fund

25/08/2026

In early August, the TMF team joined colleagues, peers and partners from across the Cape Floristic Region for another memorable Fynbos Forum.

Thank you to everyone who made this year’s Forum such a wonderful success. We are proud to support this long-standing annual gathering, which provides a valuable platform for knowledge-sharing, collaboration and strengthening the community of practice that underpins conservation across the CFR.

Here's to looking back - as we reflect on an incredible week, we extend a heartfelt thank you to every single one of you for making Fynbos Forum 2026: Working on the Edge such a resounding success.

Bringing together our community - from seasoned researchers and field practitioners, managers to early-career scientists, students, and local conservation partners. You remind us why this network remains so vital!

Warm regards,
~The Fynbos Forum NPC

31/07/2026

As we close out July, we bid farewell to Bongani Mnisi as he steps down from the Table Mountain Fund Board after nine years of dedicated service.

Over the years, Bongani has brought passion, wisdom, energy and plenty of laughter to every meeting, field visit and discussion. Whether abseiling into the Oorlogskloof gorges, lending his unmistakable voice to our 21st birthday celebrations, engaging meaningfully with learners supported through TMF-funded projects, or encouraging us to think bigger and bolder, he has left an indelible mark on our organisation.

Bongani's lasting legacy has to be his unwavering commitment to keeping people at the heart of conservation. He challenged us to think beyond protecting nature alone, reminding us that conservation is most powerful when it creates lasting opportunities and benefits for the people connected to these landscapes. It is a legacy that will continue to guide and inspire us, and one he can be truly proud of.

Bongani, thank you for your unwavering commitment, thoughtful leadership, infectious enthusiasm and friendship over the past nine years. While we'll certainly miss your presence around the boardroom table, we're grateful that our paths will continue to cross.

07/07/2026

The Table Mountain Fund team will be taking a short break and stepping out of the office to rest, reset, and spend time in nature.

We’ll be back in the office on 20 July, ready to continue our work protecting the Cape Floristic Region and its extraordinary biodiversity.

For those taking time off over the school holidays, we wish you a restful break.

Credit: Jacques Marais

12/06/2026

𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗭𝗲𝗲𝗸𝗼𝗲 !𝗫𝘂𝗯𝗶 𝗙𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗮𝗹

See invitation to the Zeekoe !Xubi Festival below. If you are planning to attend, kindly contact the organisers directly.

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The Zeekoe !Xubi Festival is happening on 20 June 2026 at the Zeekoevlei Yacht Club!

The festival is the result of a co-creation process exploring the many relationships residents have with the waters of the broader Zeekoevlei catchment area (from Zeekoevlei through to Gugulethu).

Designed to raise awareness and build a stronger sense of community care for the vlei, the day will feature:
🎶 Music
🎨 Art
🍔 Food
🎤 Open Mic
🛍️ Market

A day of creativity, community, good vibes, and learning about the vlei, by the vlei.

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We wish Awehness (a new conservation NPO) every success with the festival and the organisation's important conservation endeavours.

02/06/2026

Born out of the Keeping it Wild weekend in the Cederberg, the Langkloof BackaBuddy campaign is a community-led initiative to help establish a community-owned tented campsite that can support local tourism and create sustainable livelihoods in Langkloof.

In partnership with Love our trails, Sustainable Ceder and Red Cederberg - Keurbosfontein, the project aims to celebrate the natural and cultural heritage of this lesser-known part of the Cederberg while directly benefiting local people.

This is exactly the kind of locally driven, conservation-linked initiative we love to see - creating meaningful, sustainable local livelihoods while helping to protect our natural spaces.

Follow the BackaBuddy link below to support this inspiring initiative.

A community-owned campsite in the heart of the Cederberg The Cederberg has a way of changing people. Maybe it’s the mountains, the silence, the r...

01/06/2026

𝗧𝗵𝗲𝘀𝗲 𝗠𝗼𝘂𝗻𝘁𝗮𝗶𝗻𝘀 𝗪𝗲𝗿𝗲 𝗖𝗵𝗼𝘀𝗲𝗻 𝘁𝗼 𝗦𝘁𝗮𝘆 𝗪𝗶𝗹𝗱

Some conservation victories happen loudly. Others happen quietly, one mountain slope, one landowner, one legal declaration at a time.

This beautiful piece by Bionerds.co.za captures the heart of what long-term conservation really looks like and is a powerful reminder of why protecting wild places matters.

An inspiring read from a team doing deeply important work in the Cape Floristic Region.

Read the full blog: https://www.thetablemountainfund.org.za/these-mountains-were-chosen-to-stay-wild/

TMF is proudly supporting Bionerds Fynbos Forever, Forever Wild project, through our Fynbos Forever Programme.

By Bionerds PTY Ltd Keir Lynch has a habit of sitting on the edges of things. Cliff edges, mostly, the kind where you swing your legs over and look down into a valley that hasn’t changed much in ten thousand years, and you feel the particular vertigo that has nothing to...

28/05/2026

Earlier this month, our Project Manager, Carla Wood, and Trustee, Jasper Slingsby, together with their families, joined the Keeping it Wild weekend in the Cederberg, hosted by Love our trails and Sustainable Ceder.

The weekend brought together conservation practitioners, land stewards, and partners for a hands-on experience in one of the Cape Floristic Region’s most remarkable landscapes. It was a meaningful opportunity to connect with work on the ground and reflect on shared conservation priorities.

The timing of the gathering felt particularly meaningful as the Cederberg continues to recover from recent fires and storms. Our thoughts remain with all those affected, and with the ongoing recovery efforts across the region.

Some weekends stay with you long after the tents are packed away.

Keeping it Wild in the Cederberg was one of those weekends.

It has taken us nearly two weeks to try capture what this experience meant to us and how grateful we are to every single person who helped make it possible.

Thank you to the speakers, local community, farmers, Riel dancers, volunteers, brands, partners, and everyone who made the journey out to be part of something meaningful.

Our blog is finally live — and we’d love you to read it.

Just some of the amazing people and brands we want to thank: Dawie Burger Lizette Burger Driehoek Tourist Farm Sustainable Ceder CapeNature Justin Bonello Red Cederberg Cape Leopard Trust Cederberg Wines Cederberg Brewery Culture Lab Kunbucha, Travel Designer, South Land Coffee, Karoline Hanks Patrick Hanekom Blake Dyason

https://loveourtrails.com/the-weekend-we-built-something-bigger-than-ourselves-keeping-it-wild-in-cederberg-2026/

27/05/2026

𝗖𝗔𝗟𝗟 𝗙𝗢𝗥 𝗔𝗕𝗦𝗧𝗥𝗔𝗖𝗧𝗦 | 𝗙𝘆𝗻𝗯𝗼𝘀 𝗙𝗼𝗿𝘂𝗺 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟲

Join us at FynbosForum 2026, taking place at ATKV Goudini Spa from 𝟰 - 𝟲 𝗔𝘂𝗴𝘂𝘀𝘁 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟲.

Theme: “Working Together at the Edge”

Share your work, connect with peers, and contribute to meaningful collaboration at the edge of change.

*Please note that the abstract submission deadline has been extended to 07 June 2026.

For more info: https://fynbosforum.co.za/

22/04/2026

In March, we bid farewell to the Table Mountain Fund’s longest-serving Board member, Justin Smith, after an extraordinary seventeen years of dedicated service.

Over nearly two decades, Justin has been far more than a Trustee. As a trusted line manager to the management team, he provided steady leadership, thoughtful guidance, and unwavering support. Always eager to roll up his sleeves, he was just as likely to be found around the board table as out in the field.

Justin’s passion, wisdom, and deep commitment to conservation have helped shape the Table Mountain Fund into what it is today. While we say goodbye to him as a Trustee, we are grateful that he remains part of the broader conservation sector and part of our community.

“𝘛𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘬 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘑𝘶𝘴𝘵𝘪𝘯 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘶𝘯𝘸𝘢𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘴𝘶𝘱𝘱𝘰𝘳𝘵 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘮𝘪𝘵𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘍𝘶𝘯𝘥. 𝘈𝘧𝘵𝘦𝘳 𝘴𝘦𝘳𝘷𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘧𝘰𝘳 17 𝘺𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘴, 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘳𝘦𝘮𝘢𝘪𝘯𝘦𝘥 𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘩𝘶𝘴𝘪𝘢𝘴𝘵𝘪𝘤 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘦𝘹𝘤𝘪𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘢𝘣𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘬 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘶𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘴𝘦𝘳𝘷𝘦 𝘢𝘴 𝘢𝘯 𝘦𝘹𝘦𝘮𝘱𝘭𝘢𝘳𝘺 𝘢𝘮𝘣𝘢𝘴𝘴𝘢𝘥𝘰𝘳 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘛𝘢𝘣𝘭𝘦 𝘔𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘵𝘢𝘪𝘯 𝘍𝘶𝘯𝘥. 𝘞𝘦 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘴𝘢𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘯𝘰 𝘭𝘰𝘯𝘨𝘦𝘳 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘢𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘣𝘰𝘢𝘳𝘥 𝘵𝘢𝘣𝘭𝘦 𝘰𝘳 𝘫𝘰𝘪𝘯𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘶𝘴 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘥𝘢𝘪𝘴𝘪𝘦𝘴, 𝘣𝘶𝘵 𝘸𝘦 𝘬𝘯𝘰𝘸 𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘱𝘢𝘵𝘩𝘴 𝘸𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘶𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘤𝘳𝘪𝘴𝘴-𝘤𝘳𝘰𝘴𝘴 𝘢𝘴 𝘸𝘦 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘬 𝘵𝘰𝘨𝘦𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘵𝘰 𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘴𝘦𝘳𝘷𝘦 𝘯𝘢𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘦.” - Kerry Maree, Table Mountain Fund Manager

On behalf of the Trustees, partners, and team, thank you for your years of service, leadership, and friendship. We wish you every success in this next chapter.

25/03/2026

𝗣𝗿𝗼𝘁𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗩𝗲𝗿𝗹𝗼𝗿𝗲𝗻𝘃𝗹𝗲𝗶 𝗚𝟯𝟬 𝗖𝗮𝘁𝗰𝗵𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁

Protecting one of the Western Cape’s most important wetlands requires more than ecological action; it requires strong legal support. The Verlorenvlei, a RAMSAR wetland of international importance, is a critical biodiversity and birding area within the G30 catchment. While parts of the catchment fall within the Moutonshoek Protected Environment, large portions, including highly threatened ecosystems such as Swartland Shale Renosterveld and lowland freshwater wetlands, remain unprotected.

Supported through the Table Mountain Fund’s 𝗖𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝗣𝗿𝗼𝗴𝗿𝗮𝗺𝗺𝗲, this project, led by the 𝗕𝗶𝗼𝗱𝗶𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝗟𝗮𝘄 𝗖𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗿𝗲, is working to address growing threats to the catchment. These include over-abstraction of water, unlawful dam construction, cultivation within sensitive estuarine zones, and mining pressures within protected areas.

By working alongside partners and community activists, the project is using legal interventions to strengthen environmental governance, protect critical ecosystems, and support the long-term sustainability of this unique landscape.



Credit: Felicity Strange