http://www.wildrestoration.org/

Wild Restoration, Main Road, Greyton (2026)

05/11/2026

Two days. 17,239 pines. One mountain. 🚁
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Back in February, botanist Nick Helme asked if we could help clear invasive pines on Pilaarkop to protect some of its rare and threatened Ericas and Endonema species. The day we received that message, we just happened to be clearing on a neighbouring private farm – it had to be a sign!
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We spoke to our partners the Helihack Initiative, Greyton Conservation Society and CapeNature, and the idea for a Pilaarkop Helihack was born!
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The weather only gave us two days last weekend, but what a two days! With 25 Helihack volunteers, six of our crew and three top folks from CapeNature, we made some serious progress. As usual, the Helihack teams tackled the inaccessible pines and some tricky cliff faces, while our crew mowed down the dense stands.
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The result: 17,239 pines cleared across 127.5 hectares, with estimated water savings of over 8 million litres per year (based on the Moncrieff model). 💧
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And this is just the beginning. We’ll build on this work with future camping trips to continue the clearing, gradually connecting the cleared areas with our other restoration projects across the Riviersonderend Mountains.
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Our enormous thanks to the incredible Helihack volunteers, our brave crew, CapeNature, and Helen and Sandy from Greyton Conservation Society for organising the amazing food and keeping everyone so well fed. Also to Bokrivier Cottages for allowing us to use the farm as a ground base and the wonderful accommodation. And yes, Bronte the pilot whose flying skills are second to none!
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10/10/2026

More alien clearing techniques: clearing baby Port Jackson

Here’s another quick video to add to the library: this one by Rupert on how
to clear baby Port Jackson.

In short: don’t try to pull them (they break off an resprout), use a knife
(preferably a serrated one) and cut below the rootball (that is under the
ground).

03/10/2026

Tracking leopards 🐆

It’s always exciting to get a match. This large male leopard has now been recorded by several of our cameras in and around the Greyton Nature Reserve – moving through the connected landscapes and corridors that we are working to protect and restore.

He covers impressive distances, following rivers, crossing mountain tops and moving through the lower hills. Tracking him helps us understand how wildlife moves through the landscape – and where maintaining and restoring those connections matters most.

And he’s not alone. Our cameras have recorded at least five other individual leopards in the area.

We’re now planning to step up our biodiversity monitoring programme to better understand how leopards – and other wildlife – move through these corridors. Over time, we hope this will help us build a clearer picture of a living, connected landscape where wildlife can move freely between areas of natural habitat.

A huge thank you to The Sophia Foundation for supporting our corridor work.

20/08/2026

Trailcam diaries: the community den.

We knew this was a porcupine den. What we didn’t know was quite how much traffic it gets.

Our trail camera has been keeping an eye on this little refuge, and the footage gives us a glimpse of one of the residents coming and going — before deciding to investigate the camera itself.

It’s another reminder that restoring habitat isn’t just about clearing what shouldn’t be there. It’s about making space for the wildlife that belongs there — and giving them places to live, shelter and move through the landscape.

Many thanks to The Sophia Foundation for the ongoing support for our corridor work.

12/08/2026

Our 2026 Annual Report is out!

It’s been another packed year for Wild Restoration – a year of expansion, diversification and adaptation.

We’ve massively increased the area of invasive species cleared, the water saved and the number of community workdays supported. We’ve taken on new projects, deepened our work with private landowners, strengthened biodiversity monitoring and trail camera networks, and made real progress towards formal protection of important areas.

Increasingly, our work is connecting individual clearing projects into something bigger: restoring landscapes, creating living corridors, supporting wildlife movement and helping landowners protect biodiversity for the long term.

And none of this happens alone. Partnerships – with landowners, communities, conservation organisations, funders, volunteers and clearing teams – remain at the heart of what we do.

As we enter our fifth year, we’re taking a moment to look back at what has been achieved, what we’ve learned, and where we’re heading next.

Swipe through for a few highlights from the report, and thanks to everyone who has helped make this year possible. For the full report, click on link in bio.

Design by Katherine Mellor

12/08/2026

Our 2026 Annual Report is out!

It’s been another packed year for Wild Restoration – a year of expansion, diversification and adaptation.

We’ve massively increased the area of invasive species cleared, the water saved and the number of community workdays supported. We’ve taken on new projects, deepened our work with private landowners, strengthened biodiversity monitoring and trail camera networks, and made real progress towards formal protection of important areas.

Increasingly, our work is connecting individual clearing projects into something bigger: restoring landscapes, creating living corridors, supporting wildlife movement and helping landowners protect biodiversity for the long term.

And none of this happens alone. Partnerships – with landowners, communities, conservation organisations, funders, volunteers and clearing teams – remain at the heart of what we do.

As we enter our fifth year, we’re taking a moment to look back at what has been achieved, what we’ve learned, and where we’re heading next.

Swipe through for a few highlights from the report, and thanks to everyone who has helped make this year possible. For the full report, see https://drive.google.com/file/d/1qbKsfPQvHAie_oS-pLB3fGIgT6iuDQZd/view?usp=sharing

12/08/2026

Our 2026 Annual Report is out!

It’s been another packed year for Wild Restoration – a year of expansion, diversification and adaptation.

We’ve massively increased the area of invasive species cleared, the water saved and the number of community workdays supported. We’ve taken on new projects, deepened our work with private landowners, strengthened biodiversity monitoring and trail camera networks, and made real progress towards formal protection of important areas.

Increasingly, our work is connecting individual clearing projects into something bigger: restoring landscapes, creating living corridors, supporting wildlife movement and helping landowners protect biodiversity for the long term.

And none of this happens alone. Partnerships – with landowners, communities, conservation organisations, funders, volunteers and clearing teams – remain at the heart of what we do.

As we enter our fifth year, we’re taking a moment to look back at what has been achieved, what we’ve learned, and where we’re heading next.

Swipe through for a few highlights from the report, and thanks to everyone who has helped make this year possible. For the full report, see link in bio.

21/06/2026

Daily Maverick article featuring our wildlife corridor work

Rupert and Michelle were recently interviewed by Don Pinnock for to share the story behind our corridor work — reconnecting fragmented landscapes and creating pathways for wildlife to move between habitats.

The article also features some incredible images from our trail cameras, capturing the hidden lives moving through these restored landscapes. 📷

Read the full article: https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/article/2026-06-21-weve-turned-wild-landscapes-into-islands-corridors-can-reconnect-them/?utm_source=dm-app&utm_medium=link

18/06/2026

🌿 Launching the Greyton Nature Programme 🌿

We’re excited to announce a new partnership with and The Sophia Foundation to help manage and deliver the Greyton Nature Programme — Greyton Conservation Society’s initiative bringing together nature reserve management, alien clearing and the human–wildlife interface.

We’re also thrilled that one of our co-founders, Rupert, has been selected as the Programme Coordinator.

The official launch is happening on 21 July — and if you live in Greyton, or have a special connection to this incredible place, we’d love you to join us! 💚
📍 DRC Hall, Main Road
📅 Tuesday 21 July
⏰ 5.30pm for 6pm

Come along to:
🌿 Learn more about the programme and the proposed Nature Reserve extension
🎥 Watch inspiring videos and trail camera footage
🤝 Meet the teams working to protect our natural environment
🍷 Enjoy local w**e tasting and snacks
💬 Share what you love about Greyton’s natural landscapes
✨ Help shape the future of the programme
🎨 Join nature-inspired art activities for children, led by Greyton House Village School

09/06/2026

Launching our new film 🎬⛰️

To Think Like A Mountain celebrates the spectacular Riviersonderend Mountains and the collaborative work to restore them – in partnership with , private landowners and fellow conservation organisations.

The film is now available on YouTube. Click on https://youtu.be/v0-EXLm5WU0?si=yoS0xFlfY5sRJjof to watch it.

Produced by the extraordinary team .