Conservation Focused
Earthkeepers: shape the landscape
Water dictates survival in the Soutpansberg
The Earthkeepers programme invites you to physically shape the landscape and protect this vital resource. Years of historical degradation have left scars on the mountain, accelerating soil erosion and altering natural watercourses. This expedition allows you to step in to reverse the damage.
Guided by our land management team and Chief Ecologist Dr Dawn Booyens, you engage in the essential work of making a fractured ecosystem whole again. Years of historical degradation have left scars on the mountain, accelerating soil erosion and altering natural watercourses. You step in to physically reverse this damage.
Water shapes the lowveld, dictating which plants or animals survive the harsh climate. You help build tactical, natural interventions across gullies and slopes to protect this vital resource. You move heavy stones, pack dense brush and arrange fallen logs to slow rushing water. These physical barriers trap nutrient-rich topsoil, retain moisture and allow native grasses to take root again.
Make a lasting difference
The work extends deep into the bushveld. You leave the 4x4 behind to walk snare lines with our anti-poaching unit, sweeping the thick undergrowth to clear hazards. You pull invasive wattle saplings that choke indigenous forests and repair critical wildlife waterholes. Working alongside our research teams, you might set butterfly traps, geo-tag specific flora or check remote camera traps, directly assisting Panthera with vital leopard population monitoring.
This is immensely rewarding, tactile work that grounds you in the raw mechanics of the ecosystem. Long after you leave the reserve, the physical barriers you construct, the data you gather and the roots you plant will continue to heal and fortify the mountain.
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