Ferncliffe Forest Wilding

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Ferncliffe Forest Wilding

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Forest restoration & rewilding in a degraded (but gorgeous!) mistbelt forest in Kwazulu-Natal

18/10/2026

A curious rainbow effect on the local dam, possibly caused by a layer of black wattles pollen on the surface (" thin-film interference ").

02/10/2026

Boulder Dam picnic site before and after. Happy to report that Safcol graded the picnic area after using it as a timber loading bay. Safcol has also repaired the access road from Town Bush Rd. A big thank you to Arthwell Mashanzhi for making it happen 🙏🏽.

29/06/2026

Janine Joy Stephen
03.08.1972 – 19.06.2026
It is with a broken heart that I share with you the passing of Janine Joy Stephen, my partner in life and co-founder of Ferncliffe forest wilding. Janine died of cancer on 19 June 2026, having fought bravely for five years.
Janine is remembered as gentle, kind, intelligent and fun-loving. She was also selfless, and this was especially evident in her forest restoration work; Janine knew that she would never sit in the shade of the trees she planted, but this reality never dampened her passion for the land and the work that meant so much to her.
Looking to the future, I would like to emphasise the fact that Ferncliffe forest wilding will continue its work seeking to restore this beautiful part of the world. The project will keep moving forward: in honour and memory of Janine, and in keeping with the ethos and spirit she played such a vital role in creating.

03/05/2026

Dr Costas Zachariades releases a biocontrol agent for Tradescantia fluminensis (Small-leaf Spiderwort) at Ferncliffe. Native tree seeds don't stand a chance of germinating under the thick carpet of Tradescantia, so we're very excited to test a Brazilian s**t fungus that targets it. Dr Alan Wood couriered samples of s**t covered leaves from Stellenbosch which Dr Zachariades carefully set out. We'll be monitoring the apread of the fungus with great interest!
A big thank you to Alan and Costas of the Agricultural Research Council.

09/04/2026

Who needs chocolate? A troop of Vervet Monkeys (Cercopithecus pygerythrus) made short work of a bunch of bananas in the garden. A strict pecking order was visible. The dominant male; who managed to cram at least ten bananas down before relinquishing his position. Then other adults, and females with babies. Finally, the rat pack of teens and youngsters, by which time the larder was just about bare...
The monkeys stuffed their cheeks, a bit like hamsters.

PS: Vervets can swim... but maybe not after a whole bunch of bananas

Address

90 Warwick Road
Pietermaritzburg North
3201

Website

https://ferncliffe.org/

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