Landscapes
Living Lands is active in two diverse landscapes in the Eastern Cape of South Africa.
Each landscape has its own character, be it the rugged, remote Baviaanskloof, or the quaint rural towns of the Langkloof.
Baviaanskloof
The Baviaanskloof in the Eastern Cape is the most remote of the three landscapes. It is situated over 1 hour away on a rough gravel road from the nearest small town of Willowmore and 3.5 hours from the nearest city of George. Living Lands has had the longest presence in the Baviaanskloof and is embedded in this small farming community.
WHAT WE DO:
Collaborations are centred on the rehabilitation of degraded areas through active field rehabilitation, employing regenerative farming practices and wildlife management.
THE LOGISTICS:
As the location is very remote, PLN participants are required to be highly flexible and self-sufficient. For instance, logistics such as transport and grocery shopping are challenging and there is extremely limited cell phone signal. The student house is situated on one of the farms, a 15-minute drive from the Living Lands Baviaanskloof field office. The house is equipped with Wi-Fi as well as a basic but comfortable set-up.
Langkloof
The Langkloof comprises the Kouga and Krom river catchments and straddles the Eastern Cape and Western Cape border. It is 2 hours away from both George and Port Elizabeth by road. The area encompasses multiple small rural towns, servicing the wide-scale commercial deciduous fruit farming community.
WHAT WE DO:
Collaborations focus on the management of invasive alien tree infestations, fire regimes, wild plant harvesting, regenerative cultivation of indigenous plants and understanding complex social dynamics.
THE LOGISTICS:
The student house is based next to the Living Lands Langkloof field office, a 5-minute drive from the nearest town and accessible by bicycle. As the house is next to the office, students work closely with the Living Lands Langkloof team. The house has views of the Kouga and Tsitsikamma mountains from the deck. As well as that, it is equipped with Wi-Fi and has a large kitchen/dining/lounge area.