Kruger to Canyons Biosphere Region

12/06/2026

𝗞𝟮𝗖 𝗠𝗮𝗕 𝗬𝗼𝘂𝘁𝗵 𝗡𝗲𝘁𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗸 𝗧𝗿𝗮𝗶𝗹 𝗥𝘂𝗻

This Youth Month, the Kruger to Canyons MaB Youth Network is stepping onto the trails with their inaugural trail run, and you are invited to be part of it.

Taking place at the Octopus Horse Riding Centre in Acornhoek, this new event offers a fresh trail running and walking experience just 45 minutes from Hoedspruit. With 15km, 10km and 5km distance options, the day is open to runners, walkers, families and anyone keen to support youth-led action in the K2C Biosphere Region.

Expect fully marked and marshalled routes, aid stations, a relaxed race village, food and drinks for sale, horse rides, animal interactions, shady seating and a great family atmosphere with a like-minded community of people.

𝗘𝘃𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗱𝗲𝘁𝗮𝗶𝗹𝘀
📅 20 June 2026
📍 Octopus Horse Riding Centre, Timbavati Village, Acornhoek
🏃 15km | 10km | 5km | 3km
⏰ Start times: 6:30am | 7am | 7:30am | 7:30am
💰 Entry fees: R200 | R150 | R100 | R50
🚶 Runners and walkers welcome

Come and support the K2C Youth Network, enjoy a new local trail experience, and celebrate Youth Month in a way that brings people, nature and community together.

Scan the QR code to register, or visit www.tinyurl.com/YouthTrail

11/06/2026

𝟮𝟱 𝗬𝗲𝗮𝗿𝘀 𝗼𝗳 𝗞𝟮𝗖 | 𝗣𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗸 𝗯𝘂𝗶𝗹𝗱𝘀 𝗲𝘃𝗶𝗱𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲

In a landscape as complex as the Kruger to Canyons Biosphere Region, good intentions are not enough.

If we are working to restore catchments, strengthen water security, support biodiversity, build climate resilience and critically, attract long-term investment into nature, we need to be able to quantify the challenges as well as the effect of our work.

That evidence has been built over the last 25 years.

It is built through repeated visits to freshwater monitoring points. Through before and after vegetation surveys and grassland assessments. Through invasive alien plant clearing records, field data, maps, photographs and follow-up treatments. Through scientific partnerships that help us test, measure and learn from the work happening on the ground.

In the Blyde catchment, K2C’s Catchment & Conservation team has been helping to build this evidence base through long-term restoration work, biodiversity monitoring and the Paired Catchment Experiment, which is designed to better understand how clearing invasive alien plants affects water flow over time.

This kind of work takes meticulous attention to detail and is highly repetitive. It is often wet, muddy, difficult and there are no short-cuts.

But it matters.

Because patient fieldwork is what turns restoration from a hopeful idea into something measurable and investable. It helps partners, communities, researchers and investors understand what is working, where the gaps are, and what kind of long-term commitment an ever-changing landscape truly needs.

Over 25 years, K2C’s role has grown from implementing work on the ground to include build the evidence, systems and partnerships needed to support landscape-scale change into the future.

This is part of what it means to be a biosphere region: a living laboratory where people, nature, science and practice come together to learn.

And in a future where water security, biodiversity and resilient livelihoods are increasingly connected, that learning must be the foundation that shapes how we adapt and react.

09/06/2026

𝗣𝗮𝗿𝘁𝗻𝗲𝗿 𝗦𝗲𝗿𝗶𝗲𝘀 - 𝗛𝗼𝗲𝗱𝘀𝗽𝗿𝘂𝗶𝘁 𝗛𝘂𝗯

Our partners are the driving force behind biodiversity conservation and developing lasting livelihoods in our landscape. In our , we highlight the partnerships helping to shape a more sustainable, resilient future in the K2C Biosphere Region.

Hoedspruit Hub is an accredited agricultural training centre and social enterprise based in Hoedspruit. Founded in 2016 by three local commercial farming enterprises, the Hub provides practical, practical training shaped around local needs for commercial farmers, emerging small-scale farmers, youth and rural communities.

Their work includes accredited agricultural training, programmes that are customised for each unique group and programmes that community needs such as youth development, agroecology, environmental clubs, savings groups and practical number skills for the agricultural sector.

Hoedspruit Hub also developed the numiknow® Programme, a game-based learning initiative that helps to build confidence with numeracy among both adults and schoolchildren, which can open doors to further learning, work and opportunity.

Within the K2C Region, Hoedspruit Hub is doing the steady, practical work of building people’s skills and confidence from the ground up.

Most recently, K2C partnered with Hoedspruit Hub through the Green Growth Girls Training (GGG), where K2C facilitated the participation of 210 people from our own projects. This initiative, implemented by Hoedspruit Hub in partnership with Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH and the ClemenGold Foundation, equipped women and youth with Sustainable Good Agricultural Practices and essential soft skills.

𝗔 𝗰𝗿𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗰𝗮𝗹 𝗽𝗮𝗿𝘁𝗻𝗲𝗿 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝘀𝗸𝗶𝗹𝗹𝘀, 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝗳𝗶𝗱𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗹𝗶𝘃𝗲𝗹𝗶𝗵𝗼𝗼𝗱𝘀
This partnership brings relevant, practical training directly to people in our landscape who need it most. When smallholder farmers, women and rural youth gain skills, confidence and access to opportunity, the whole region becomes more resilient.

For K2C, this work reflects one of our core commitments: that conservation and community wellbeing cannot be separated. By connecting project participants to quality training opportunities, we are investing in the human fabric of this biosphere.

We are proud to work alongside Hoedspruit Hub in supporting practical skills development, sustainable agriculture and local pathways into more robust and lasting livelihoods.

Learn more at www.hoedspruithub.com

05/06/2026

𝟮𝟱 𝗬𝗲𝗮𝗿𝘀 𝗼𝗳 𝗞𝟮𝗖 | 𝗙𝗿𝗼𝗺 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗚𝗿𝗼𝘂𝗻𝗱 𝘁𝗼 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗣𝗼𝗹𝗶𝗰𝘆 𝗧𝗮𝗯𝗹𝗲

For the past 25 years, the Kruger to Canyons Biosphere has worked in a landscape where mountain catchments feed Lowveld rivers, protected areas meet communal land, wildlife, agriculture and communities exist side-by-side, and livelihoods are shaped by the health of the natural systems around them.

It is a landscape of rangelands and rivers, conservation areas and agriculture, tourism routes and traditional authority areas, community enterprises and ecological systems that are constantly influencing one another.

That complexity is not a backdrop to our work - navigating it is the work.
It takes time to build relationships. It takes active listening to first understand the pressures, priorities and hopes of communities, partners and stakeholders, and then to facilitate discussions towards a collective way forward.

It takes patient, practical work on the ground to understand how ecological systems shape, and are shaped by, the people living and working within them.
It is through this long-term work that K2C is increasingly contributing beyond implementation alone.

Today, our role includes teaching skills to the next generation of custodians, so they can manage the real-life tensions that landscape management requires. It includes helping to co-develop locally relevant solutions across sectors, and bringing grounded experience into the policy and planning spaces that shape the future of landscapes like ours.

As K2C marks its 25th anniversary, we will be sharing stories from across the landscape: of water and rangelands, clean cooking and community enterprise, conservation and coexistence, science and local knowledge, partnerships and policy, and the patient work that helps people and nature belong in the same future.

03/06/2026

𝗣𝗮𝗿𝘁𝗻𝗲𝗿 𝗦𝗲𝗿𝗶𝗲𝘀 - 𝗣𝗹𝗮𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗰𝘀 𝗦𝗔
Our partners are the driving force behind biodiversity conservation and sustainable livelihoods in our landscape. In our , we highlight the powerful partnerships helping to shape a more sustainable, resilient future in the K2C Biosphere Region.

Plastics SA is a non-profit company representing the South African plastics industry. Their work brings together polymer producers and importers, converters, machine suppliers, fabricators, recyclers, government institutions and communities to promote responsible plastic use, strengthen recycling systems, support circular economy initiatives and address plastics-related challenges.

Within the K2C Region, Plastics SA is implementing the Innovative Solutions for Waste (ISOW) project, with K2C as one of the project partners alongside other key stakeholders.

The ISOW project promotes separation at source of recyclables, recycling initiatives, waste collection, environmental awareness and improved waste management in schools and communities in our region. The project also supports the creation of green jobs, trains waste ambassadors, reduces plastic pollution across the K2C landscape and supports SMMEs through the formation of a beneficiation centre.

This work is critical in a region where waste and plastic pollution are placing increasing pressure on peoples' health, biodiversity and water resources. By supporting cleaner communities, environmental education and local livelihood opportunities, the ISOW project contributes to practical, community-based solutions that support both people and nature.

𝗔 𝗰𝗿𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗰𝗮𝗹 𝗽𝗮𝗿𝘁𝗻𝗲𝗿 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝘄𝗮𝘀𝘁𝗲 𝗶𝗻𝗻𝗼𝘃𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻
Through the ISOW project, Plastics SA is helping to strengthen community participation in environmental stewardship and build practical pathways into the green economy.

For K2C's Hope Morema, who is directly involved in this work, the partnership also carries a strong personal purpose. It is an opportunity to contribute meaningfully to conservation and improved waste management within her own community, while building experience in project management, stakeholder engagement, environmental education and waste management.

Her sentiments reflect the wider value of this partnership: empowering people to take part in creating local solutions for cleaner, healthier communities for themselves as well as future generations.

We are proud to work alongside Plastics SA in supporting waste innovation, circular economy action and community-led environmental stewardship across the K2C landscape!

Learn more at www.plasticsinfo.co.za

29/05/2026

𝗣𝗮𝗿𝘁𝗻𝗲𝗿 𝗦𝗲𝗿𝗶𝗲𝘀: 𝗨𝗻𝗶𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝗼𝗳 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗪𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗻 𝗖𝗮𝗽𝗲
Our partners are the driving force behind biodiversity conservation and sustainable livelihoods. In our , we highlight the powerful partnerships helping to shape a more sustainable, resilient future in the K2C Biosphere Region.

The University of the Western Cape (UWC) is a key academic and programme implementation partner in our work to co-create climate-smart, inclusive solutions to waste and environmental challenges. Their expertise in community-based governance, environmental justice and applied research has been central to several innovative initiatives in the K2C Region.

Most notably, UWC in collaboration with Aquila Environmental Consultancy is a co-lead on our Absorbent Hygiene Product (AHP) Project, a collaborative, bottom-up initiative tackling the hidden crisis of diaper waste in rural communities. Through multi-stakeholder governance, the AHP project is piloting new models for responsible waste disposal in areas without formal waste services - grounded in local leadership and co-designed with the communities themselves.

UWC also partnered with K2C in the production of two powerful short films:
Our Waste Documentary (won 2nd place in the International Solid Waste Association (ISWA) Video Awards 2024), and
Our Governance.
Watch them here: www.kruger2canyons.org/links-2/

To enable the project, UWC were funded by the Department by Science, Technology and Innovation Waste RDI Roadmap – managed by Prof Linda Godfrey from the CSIR.

Beyond the AHP project, UWC in collaboration with The Moss Group and PLasticsSA and funded by GIZ, is working with K2C on a Waste Beneficiation Centre Baseline Study in Bushbuckridge. Through engagements with local waste coordinators, municipal representatives, businesses and waste reclaimers, we are investigating the full waste landscape, from informal recycling systems to new infrastructure being developed. These insights will directly inform future planning and support for sustainable, community-driven waste solutions.

𝗔 𝗰𝗿𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗰𝗮𝗹 𝗽𝗮𝗿𝘁𝗻𝗲𝗿 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗶𝗻𝗰𝗹𝘂𝘀𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝗶𝗻𝗻𝗼𝘃𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻
Whether in academic research, story-telling though film, or on-the-ground collaboration, UWC brings rigour, integrity and a strong commitment to environmental justice. Their work helps drive sustainable development outcomes across the region.

We are proud to work alongside UWC in building a cleaner, fairer future for people and the planet.

Learn more at www.uwc.ac.za

27/05/2026

Africa’s rangelands are increasingly being recognised as one of the continent’s most important climate opportunities.

This Mail & Guardian article speaks directly to work already underway in the Kruger to Canyons Biosphere Region, where rangeland management forms a critical part of our Catchment Investment Programme and Nature-Positive Livelihoods Demonstration.

Healthy rangelands are not only spaces for grazing - they are areas of vital soil cover, water infiltration, biodiversity, carbon storage, food security and the long-term resilience of people and livestock. When rangelands are overused or poorly managed, soil erodes and vegetation is lost resulting in carbon stores lost, and water moves too quickly through the landscape, causing erosion and flooding. When they are managed with care, they help hold water where it is needed, support healthier ecosystems and strengthen livelihoods.

Through K2C’s work in securing carbon, rangeland monitoring, planned grazing, community engagement and nature-positive livelihoods, we are not only supporting practical approaches that connect climate action with the daily realities of people who live and work in this landscape, but creating important investment models to secure this work into the future.

Landscape-level work needs a deep understanding of how restoring catchments, supporting communities and strengthening local knowledge all build resilience from the ground up.

Because water security, climate resilience and sustainable livelihoods do not sit in separate boxes - they are part of the same living landscape.

https://mg.co.za/the-green-guardian/2026-04-29-africas-rangelands-emerge-as-biggest-climate-opportunity-in-new-nature-roadmap/

A new Africa nature transition roadmap shows improved grazing, fire management and farming could unlock major carbon reductions while strengthening food securit

26/05/2026

𝗟𝗼𝗰𝗮𝗹 𝘁𝗼𝘂𝗿𝗶𝘀𝗺 𝗼𝗻 𝗮𝗻 𝗶𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗻𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝗮𝗹 𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗴𝗲

The Bapedi Ba-Dinkwanyane tourism Association (BTA) had the opportunity to attend Africa’s Travel Indaba in Durban from 11 - 14 May 2026. This was an invaluable opportunity to showcase local tourism products, strengthen partnerships and build visibility not only for the Phiring tourism products, but for community-based tourism across the landscape.

Supported by the and hosted within a shared Limpopo Tourism Agency stall, Peggy Ngele from the BTA joined others from across the province’s tourism value chain in promoting the people, places and experiences that make this region unique.

“Thank you so much Shoki, the Indaba served as a valuable platform for networking, showcasing our products, our Biosphere, strengthening partnerships and promoting the growth of local tourism and economic growth and development within the Biosphere. And Dumisa supported me all the way, kea leboga.”
Peggy Ngele, Ba-Dinkwanyane Tourism Association

Opportunities such as this give local tourism an equal voice, showing that they belong in bigger conversations within the industry, all the while empowering community-led enterprises in our region.

22/05/2026

Yesterday marked 𝗪𝗼𝗿𝗹𝗱 𝗗𝗮𝘆 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗖𝘂𝗹𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗮𝗹 𝗗𝗶𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗗𝗶𝗮𝗹𝗼𝗴𝘂𝗲 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗗𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗹𝗼𝗽𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁. Today marks 𝗜𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗻𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝗮𝗹 𝗗𝗮𝘆 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗕𝗶𝗼𝗹𝗼𝗴𝗶𝗰𝗮𝗹 𝗗𝗶𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗶𝘁𝘆.

For the Kruger to Canyons Biosphere Region, these are not separate ideas - they sit interwoven at the heart of our work.

A biosphere region is a place where people and nature are understood as part of the same living system. It is where biodiversity is protected not by removing people from the story, but by working with the knowledge, cultures, livelihoods and day-to-day realities of the people who live and work in this landscape.

Across the K2C landscape, cultural diversity is present in the languages spoken, the histories carried, the ways people farm, gather, teach, lead, care for livestock, manage natural resources and respond to change.

Biological diversity is present in the mountains, rivers, grasslands, forests, wetlands, wildlife corridors, rangelands and productive landscapes that sustain life across the region.

Our work is to weave these these together through dialogue, partnerships and daily action. We work alongside communities, traditional leaders, landowners, farmers, researchers, schools, conservation partners and local organisations to support solutions that care for both people and nature.

Because development that ignores culture is incomplete. And conservation that ignores people cannot last.

In the K2C Biosphere, cultural diversity and biological diversity are not only recognised on international days. They are lived, negotiated, protected and strengthened through the everyday work of building a more resilient future for all life in the landscape.