Pioneering Restoration: A Collaborative Networking Session

In February 2025, the Grootvadersbosch Conservancy hosted a Restoration Practitioners Networking Session. Over two days, 26 practitioners from 19 organisations from the Western Cape came together to share practical knowledge, successes, and challenges in the field of ecological restoration.

Unlike traditional academic conferences, this session focused on peer-to-peer learning and hands-on experience. Topics were selected by participants during an online session in December 2024, ensuring discussions were relevant to real-world restoration efforts. The networking started with a classic bring and braai, followed by a fun ice breaker where practitioners stationed themselves outside on a built landscape replica of the Western Cape to express their climate, working conditions and surroundings. Brainstorming exercises and practical field sessions encouraged collaboration, and knowledge was shared in actionable ways. 

​Beyond the valuable exchange of insights, the event fostered strong professional relationships and a sense of camaraderie among practitioners. One of the most significant outcomes was the collective decision to initiate a process for formalising national restoration approaches. Developed by experienced practitioners, these approaches will serve as a guiding framework for funders, landowners, and training programs, ensuring more effective and consistent restoration efforts across South Africa.

The success of this inaugural networking session highlights the power of collaboration in advancing restoration work. As efforts to establish collective approaches move forward, this gathering marks the beginning of a more unified restoration community in the Western Cape and beyond.

Stay tuned for updates as this initiative progresses, and join us in celebrating the work being done to restore and protect our natural landscapes. If you are a restoration practitioner interested in becoming part of this initiative please reach out to Corne at [email protected] , the more the merrier!

Click here for a video of the event