Nature Connect

19/06/2026

Calvinia sits at the heart of the Succulent Karoo, one of the most biodiverse places on Earth. It is also a place where opportunity is limited.

As we mark 25 years of Nature Connect, stories like this show how that work reaches new landscapes and new communities.

Meet Janine Conradie. She joined our Youth in Nature programme in Calvinia in 2025 and completed a one-year accredited NQF Level 4 learnership in conservation.

In 2026, she graduated with 87% across all modules.

Her journey is a reflection of what happens when the right support meets the right opportunity. Skills, confidence, and a pathway into conservation.
The journey has only just begun.

This Youth Month, we are spotlighting the power of access to opportunity.

18/06/2026

In 2007, Anwar Boonzaaier arrived at a Nature Connect camp as a Grade 9 learner from Zeekoevlei High School. Like many young people, he was curious, still figuring out what was possible for his future. At camp, he saw a different world up close and caught sight of a career path he had not known existed.

That first experience did not turn into a job overnight. After school, Anwar returned through a youth development opportunity when he went on to join an accredited nature conservation learnership with Nature Connect, building knowledge, skills and practical experience over time.

Years later, he came back to Nature Connect as an environmental educator.
Today, Anwar is part of the work of introducing children to the natural world, helping young people discover the same sense of possibility that first opened for him years ago.

As we celebrate 25 years of Nature Connect, Anwar’s story reminds us what real pathways can look like when opportunity is matched with support, training and commitment.

17/06/2026

You can support Nature Connect at no extra cost through Woolworths MyDifference. I’m showing you how in this video.
Here’s how to set it up:

Download the Woolworths App from the App Store or Google Play
Join MyDifference or sign in with your Woolies account
Tap Loyalty Hub, then Causes
Tap Add Cause and search for Nature Connect
Confirm and you’re done

Every shop helps us continue our work connecting people to nature and building opportunities for young people.
MyDifference brings together MySchool MyVillage MyPlanet and WRewards so you can Get Back and Give Back.
Select Nature Connect as your cause before 30 June and be part of the movement.

16/06/2026

25 Years. One Purpose. Changing Lives Through Nature

Every year on June 16th, South Africa pauses to remember what young people are capable of when they are given something worth standing up for. The generation of 1976 didn't wait for permission. They acted from a place of conviction, identity and belonging to something larger than themselves. That is the Youth Day spirit, we are recommitting to. It has driven Nature Connect's work for 25 years, Changing Lives Through Nature, one young person at a time....

Every year on June 16th, South Africa pauses to remember what young people are capable of when they are given something worth standing up for. The generation of 1976 didn't wait for permission. They acted from a place of conviction, identity and belonging to something larger than themselves. That is...

16/06/2026

This year marks 25 years of Nature Connect “Changing Lives Through Nature.” And today, Youth Day, felt like the right moment to begin sharing what 25 years of this work actually looks like.

In the past 25 years, over 60,000 young children have experienced their first taste of nature through our overnight camps. 98,000+ learners have been reached through nature-based day programmes and in school lessons. And 15,000+ community members have taken part in active conservation initiatives like guided nature walks and volunteering. Since our Sustainable Schools Programme's inception in 2021, 788+ teachers have been equipped through SACE accredited training to bring environmental sustainability into their classrooms.

25 years. Many pathways. One purpose. Changing lives through nature.

Happy Youth Day. Happy Silver Jubilee.

11/06/2026

When Conservation Leaves the Reserve: Lessons from a Fynbos Partnership

What does meaningful conservation look like beyond a protected area’s boundaries? On 29 May, the Kenilworth Racecourse Conservation Area planted Cape Flats Sand Fynbos at St Luke’s Combined Hospices - Cape Town, just 400 metres from where it once grew wild. The plants were propagated from KRCA cuttings and grown in its on-site nursery, extending restoration into the surrounding urban landscape.

This reflects a broader shift in conservation thinking: protected areas cannot function as ecological islands. Their value grows when they seed biodiversity into schools, gardens, and institutions, building corridors and community ownership....

What does meaningful conservation look like beyond a protected area's boundaries? On 29 May, the Kenilworth Racecourse Conservation Area (KRCA) offered one answer by planting Cape Flats Sand Fynbos at St. Luke's Combined Hospices, just 400 metres from where that same vegetation once

11/06/2026

Meet Fayruz, one of the people behind the work at Kenilworth Racecourse Conservation Area.

As part of Society For Ecological Restoration (SER) , our team and volunteers came together to restore a new section of the site, planting over 250 locally grown fynbos species to expand a future buffer zone and outdoor learning space.

Every plant tells a story of care, from cuttings collected on-site to propagation in the nursery and now back into the landscape.

That’s how we protect the integrity of Cape Flats Sand Fynbos while making space for people to learn, connect, and contribute.

This is what restoration looks like up close.

10/06/2026

Come with us to a Sustainable Schools Hub teacher workshop hosted at our most sustainable school in the Western Cape: St Mary’s RC Primary School. Teachers got to share stories and connect as well as learn how to grow microgreens using low cost, recycled materials from the amaxing Alex Wolffe of Edible Organics. Teachers left with practical ideas they could take straight back to their classrooms.

09/06/2026

Kenilworth Racecourse Conservation Area (KRCA) Joins the Society For Ecological Restoration (SER) ’s “Make A Difference Week”.

The annual “Make A Difference Week" (MAD) event hosted by the Society for Ecological Restoration took place this year from the 30th to the 07th of June. This is where volunteers from across the world come together in efforts to restore nature in their local green spaces. This year we hosted a restoration event on the 6th of June at KRCA to restore an extension to the conservation area to create a buffer zone and an outdoor learning space for visitors and environmental education groups.

We managed to plant 256 plants of 10 different fynbos species, all of which were cuttings collected from the field and propagated in the on-site nursery. Cape Town is home to an extraordinary 19 distinct vegetation types, most of which are endemic to the city and found nowhere else in the world. Keeping the locally indigenous genes within the same area and preventing any contamination or hybridization is therefore of utmost importance.

Our permanent onsite team of 3 staff were joined by volunteers from who generously and passionately dedicated 2 hours of their time planting out all plants into the buffer zone. The area of approximately 0.5 hectares will be an ongoing restoration project that the site will continuously establish with critically endangered Cape Flats Sand Fynbos vegetation, this being the first phase of the planting process.

Nature Connect has been a member of SER Africa since 2021 and marks five years of participation in Make a Difference Week this year.

08/06/2026

Calling all curious explorers aged 7–12.

Join Nature Connect this holiday for three days of outdoor adventure, discovery, and hands-on learning.

Meet fascinating animals, uncover weird and wonderful facts, and explore the hidden world of nature. Step into the role of a nature detective as you track animal signs, try birdwatching, and take on an exciting scavenger hunt.

Take on environmental games, obstacle courses, and nature-based challenges designed to build problem-solving skills while having fun outdoors.

This holiday programme is all about getting children outside, engaged, and learning through real experiences in nature.

Spaces are limited. Book early to secure your spot.

30 June – 2 July

Zeekoevlei Environmental Education Centre, Peninsula Road, Zeekoevlei

084 067 2023 | 021 706 4213

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