The last ten years have seen a massive shift from livestock farming to wildlife conservation and ecotourism in the Eastern Cape. Amakhala and Shamwari are two neighbouring private game reserves between Grahamstown and Port Elizabeth. Both were converted from livestock farming to wildlife conservation in the 1990s, and both are now among the premier Big 5 private game reserves in the province. But whereas Amakhala was formed by a group of neighbouring farmers, Shamwari was founded and backed by a successful business venture. The transition from livestock to wildlife has been challenging and rewarding. The reserve managers needed to rehabilitate veld, plan and manage the introduction of various game species, estimate carrying capacities and monitor animal impact, particularly of megaherbivores like elephant and rhino. Added to this, social issues like employment and re-training of farm labour and the long-term economic viability of ecotourism ventures had to be addressed. Both reserves have and support a range of conservation, research and training programmes. This tour will explore and compare these different challenges and initiatives on the two reserves with their different histories.

Tour itinerary: We will travel from Grahamstown to Amakhala, which was formed in 1999 when neighbouring farmers dropped their fences and started managing the area together as a game reserve. After exploring the reserve and stopping for a picnic lunch, we proceed to Shamwari, established in 1992, which at 20,000 ha is the oldest and biggest of the Eastern Cape private game reserves. We will traverse the reserve and return to Grahamstown via Alicedale.

Both reserves are found in thicket-savanna mosaic with magnificent scenery and boast a mixture of wildlife, including the Big 5. The tour will be guided by Prof. Winston Trollope and Wayne Vos, both of whom are active in research in Eastern Cape game reserves. The group will be accompanied by reserve managers or ecologists at Amakhala and Shamwari.

For more information on the two reserves, see www.amakhala.co.za and www.shamwari.com.

Dairying is a major agricultural activity in the Eastern Cape and participants will be visiting three diverse dairy enterprises on a scenic tour not to be missed.

The first stop is at the farm of Graham and Greig Vroom just outside Grahamstown. In 2001 they converted their vegetable farm to a dairy enterprise and have never looked back. Using recycled water for irrigation Greig cultivates pastures to provide fodder for 700 dairy cattle.

This is followed by a visit to Edgar Brotherton, winner of the prestigious Mangold Trophy, for the best conserved and utilised farm in 2006. Sea Rest Farm is situated on the Golden Mile, and carries 500 dairy cows on rain fed, kikuyu pastures.

After lunch at the exclusive Intsomi Lodge, the last stop is at Boschoek Farm of Pierre Scheepers in the drier part of the Alexandria District. Kikuyu based pastures are over sown with ryegrass and supplemented with cereals for over wintering.

Leonie and Rodney Yendall have successfully converted former pineapple lands into lush pastures, where they now run their herd of indigenous Nguni cattle. Leonie presented a talk on the light footprint of the Nguni cow at last year’s Thicket Forum. She pointed out that farming with this well adapted cattle breed is almost like farming with game. Their ability to utilise browse plants and to easily negotiate rugged terrain makes them ideal for farming in Thicket. They also graze less selectively than other breeds and find their fill early on most days, resulting in less soil compaction and erosion caused by continual movement. From the Yendalls we descend on Bathurst, home to the Big Pineapple, and enjoy a pub lunch in this 1820 Settler village.