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REHABILITATION FEATURE
The reforestation project has brought about significant job creation
The reforestation Spekboom project View of the 5 000 000 rooted Spekboom cuttings in the nursery
he project is a direct response
REFORESTATION TUN Decade on Ecosystem
to the call for action by the
Restoration, for organisations and
PROJECT IN THE individuals to rapidly upscale the
implementation
ecosystem
of
restoration projects so that millions of
hectares of degraded land are restored
EASTERN CAPE by 2030.
Like many parts of the Eastern
Cape, the land at Kuzuko has been
degraded by more than 150 years of
An extensive reforestation project in the Eastern Cape unsustainable goat farming practices
and was purchased in 2002 as a
recently commenced on the Kuzuko Private Game rewilding project designed to create
jobs in an area of 70% unemployment.
Reserve. It will see more than 25 million Spekboom It has since been operated as a ‘big
five’ private game reserve and lodge
cuttings (Portulacaria afra) planted during the next managed by Legacy Hotels & Resorts,
18 months, and is part of a rewilding process which with ecotourism continuing to fund its
social and conservation programmes.
will boost biodiversity and create jobs in the region. Lodge has become a hospitality
Known as the “place of glory”, Kuzuko
At the same time, it will also tackle climate change by establishment, just 170km from Port
capturing approximately 1.5 million tonnes of carbon Elizabeth (Gqeberha) and close to the
Eastern Cape coastline. It is accessible
dioxide from the atmosphere over the next 30 years. to nature lovers who enjoy activities
such as game drives, safaris, walks,
flyfishing and wild cheetah tracking.
26 Landscape SA • Issue 124 2023
