Thanks to the support of the Toronga Conservation Society Australia through their Field Conservation Grant, Wild Tomorrow is making significant strides in our Sand Forest Restoration Project. This two-year partnership is helping us continue to safegaurd and restore one of the most endangered habitat in southern Africa, found within our Greater Ukuwela Nature Reserve. Learn more about the progress in our latest blog below.

*The iconic Lebombo Wattle trees of the Sand Forest form a breathtaking canopy, their crowns delicately separated in a phenomenon known as canopy shyness.*

WHY SAND FOREST MATTERS

The Sand Forest is a rare and fragile ecosystem, home to unique species found nowhere else on Earth. Sadly, this forest type has been severely reduced over the years due to farming, development, and human impact. Our vision is to bring back what was lost, ensuring that this remarkable ecosystem continues to thrive for generations to come.

PROGRESS SO FAR

Our Sand Forest restoration journey began in 2022, when L’Occitane Foundation awarded Wild Tomorrow a grant to kickstart the project. With their support, we were able to launch our first propogation and restoration efforts, laying the foundation for a long-term program to revive this endangered habitat.

*The newly expanded Sand Forest Nursery on site at our Wild Tomorrow Conservation Centre.*

Fast forward to today, and we are thrilled to be continuing this momentum thanks to the Taronga Conservation Society Australia, who have provided a two-year Field Conservation Grant to scale up our work. This funding has allowed us to expand our nursery capacity, invest in active restoration on newly protected land, and continue empowering our local Green Mambas team to lead the habitat recovery on the ground.

Together, these partnerships present a powerful chain of global support for a local, endangered ecosystem - proof that when we work across borders, we can bring forests back to life.

SEEDS OF HOPE FROM OUR NEIGHBORS

We are especially grateful to our neighbors and friends at andBeyond Phinda Private Game Reserve, whose rangers recently collected and donated seed pods from key Sand Forest tree species:

Balanites maughamii (Torchwood)
Strophanthus petersianus (Sand Forest Poison Rope)
Erythrophleum lasianthum (Maputo Ordeal Tree)
Pteliopsis myrtifolia (Stink Bushwillow)
Hippocrates delagoensis (Zulu Paddle-pod)
Newtonia hildebrandtii (Lebombo Wattle)

These seeds are now safely in our nursery, where they will be nurtered until ready to be planted back into the wild. This collaboration is a wonderful step forward in restoring and protecting this unique ecosystem.

NURSERY UPGRADES AND TREE TARGETS

Our Sand Forest Nursery recently received upgrades, making it better equipped to raise the next generation of trees. Our nursery is now thriving with hundreds of young trees…some generously donated by partner nurseries, and others purchased from local native plant nurseries thanks to the support of Taronga’s Field Conservation Grant.

*The new piece of land that Wild Tomorrow has acquired - to be restored and protected over time to ultimately form part of our corridor.*

Over the next year, our initial goal is to plant nearly 1,000 trees at the new key piece of 148-acre piece of land we purchased earlier this year. The farm, once used for pineapple farming (last harvest was in 2014), is slowly healing through natural succession - but with our help, this recovery will be accelerated.

Some areas will be left to regenerate naturally, while other areas - that we have identified with historical maps as previously being home to Sand Forest habitat - will be actively planted with a combination of pioneer canopy species and shade-dependent Sand Forest plants. This approach gives the new forest the best chance to establish and flourish.

BEHIND THE SCENES

*Vumani - our incredible Nursery Manager!*

At the heart of this work is our Community Nursery Manager, Vumani, who is thriving at his role! Not only is he deepening his knowledge of Sand Forest plants in both English and Zulu, but he is also sharing this knowledge with the Green Mambas (our all-female habitat restoration team) and the wider community.

Recently, volunteers from our Children’s Book Creators for Conservation trip visited the nursery and learned about the ecological importance of Sand Forest…and even captured its beauty through sketches! A creative reminder of why protecting this habitat is so important.

LOOKING AHEAD

We are currently in a waiting pattern - holding for the rains to arrive before planting begins. In the meantime, our nursery continues to grow, our seeds are taking root, and our plans are falling into place.

We are grateful to the Taronga Conservation Society Australia for their belief in this work, to the andBeyond Phinda rangers for their generous seed donations, and to our supporters around the world who make this ambitious restoration possible.

Together, we are not just protecting land - we are restoring a vanishing forest.

RESTORING A VANISHING FOREST: PROGRESS ON OUR SAND FOREST RESTORATION PROJECT