Nuwejaars River Nature Reserve
Annual Report 2025/26
A Landscape in Recovery
Across the Nuwejaars Wetlands Special Management Area, recovery is taking shape. Wetlands and fynbos are being restored, threatened species are finding a future, knowledge is being shared, and people are working together to reconnect a remarkable landscape. This report tells the story of that recovery – and the many hands helping to make it possible.
FROM THE CHAIRPERSON, DIRK HUMAN
To gain 20 years of experience takes 20 years. There are no shortcuts.
The same is true for conservation. To see 20 years of recovery takes 20 years. It takes commitment, patience and the willingness to keep going, even when the results are not immediately visible.
As I look across the Nuwejaars landscape today, I believe we are seeing the rewards of that long-term commitment. Since the establishment of the Nuwejaars Wetlands Special Management Area in 2008, countless people have contributed to this journey. Some have worked behind the scenes, others in the field, and many have supported us as members, partners and donors. Together, their efforts have resulted in something remarkable: a landscape in recovery.
READ MORE
Throughout this report you will see what that recovery looks like. Wetlands are being restored. Threatened species are being protected. New partnerships are strengthening our work, and innovative projects are helping us build a more sustainable future for conservation. None of these achievements happened overnight. They are the result of many individual actions, taken consistently over many years.
That doesn’t mean the work is done. Far from it.
The challenges facing our landscapes continue to grow. Invasive alien plants remain a constant threat and will require ongoing management long into the future. Climate change is adding new pressures and increasing the frequency and intensity of extreme events.
We experienced this first-hand during the devastating Pearly Beach fire in January 2026. The fire travelled approximately 25 kilometres in less than three hours before reaching my farm within the NWSMA. When the wind changed direction, it headed towards the historic village of Elim. It was only through the combined efforts of our landowners, farming community, NWSMA team, Greater Overberg Fire Protection Association, Overberg District Municipality fire fighters and many others that the fire was eventually brought under control.
Yet even during that fire we saw why restoration matters. In places where healthy wetlands remained, the fire lost momentum as it reached the wetland reeds. It showed us once again that functioning ecosystems do more than support biodiversity; they also help make our landscapes more resilient.
Recovery is therefore not simply about restoring nature. It is about strengthening the landscapes that sustain people, agriculture and biodiversity alike.
As Chairperson, it gives me great confidence to see how far this organisation has come, and even greater confidence in where it is headed. On behalf of the Board, I would like to thank our dedicated staff, members, landowners, donors, partners and supporters. Your commitment over many years has made this recovery possible, and together we will continue building a stronger, healthier and more resilient Nuwejaars landscape.
Dirk Human
Chair: NRNR
MESSAGE FROM OUR CEO, ROSS KETTLES
1 | RESTORING THE WETLANDS
Restoration by numbers
hectares invasive alien clearing
hectares initial alien clearing
hectares follow-up clearing
restoration team members
temporary jobs
corridors protected
The Nuwejaars wetlands are among South Africa’s most important freshwater ecosystems. They filter water, reduce floods, store carbon, provide habitat for threatened species and support farming, communities and towns across the landscape. Yet decades of invasive alien plants and habitat fragmentation have placed these wetlands under pressure.
Our NWSMA restoration projects help to support these waterscapes to function as nature intended.
Stitching a landscape back together
Work over the past year has focused on important ecological corridors. Four degraded areas were identified as key linking corridors requiring active intervention to restore ecological functioning. These corridors help reconnect separated natural habitats, support biodiversity, reduce fragmentation and improve the movement of species through the landscape. READ MORE
“Conservation corridors are helping the NWSMA reconnect a living landscape – and show what landscape-scale conservation can achieve.”
– Erica Brink, Conservation Manager
Growing the wetlands of tomorrow
South Africa’s wetlands are vanishing. That’s why restoring degraded wetlands is essential. And it all starts with growing wetland plants to the point that they are strong enough to play this role. For this, we’ve developed a wetlands nursery and aquaponics system. READ MORE
Innovation for restoration
The aquaponics system is allowing us to explore new ways of propagating wetland plants for restoration in degraded areas. Take a quick trip through our aquaponics system. WATCH HERE
Why wetlands matter
WETLANDS:
Store and filter water
support biodiversity
provide habitat
store carbon
reduce wildfire impacts
2 | PROTECTING SPECIES
Agulhas redfin today
Saving one of South Africa’s rarest fish
The Nuwejaars landscape is home to hundreds of rare, threatened and endemic species found nowhere else on Earth. Protecting them starts with understanding where they occur, what they need to survive and the threats they face. From tiny freshwater fish and threatened plants to unexpected discoveries, these records help guide conservation action.
Timeline: A race to save the Agulhas redfin
Monitoring begins
Conservation gains momentum
Alarm bells ring
Planning a sanctuary
Creating insurance populations
A species gets its name
Support continues
A stark reality
A new threat emerges
Sanctuary developments
Naming a river relic
For a long but uncertain span of evolutionary history, a small freshwater fish species has been slowly evolving – nameless and unknown – in the rivers at Africa’s southernmost tip. Now, at last, the only redfin living there not only has a name but has been formally described. READ MORE
Creating sanctuaries for redfins
During the reporting period, the Nuwejaars Fynbos Fish Project team started catching and releasing Agulhas redfins into two specially selected safe, off-stream dams, where they can breed and grow numbers for later release. READ MORE
Environmental Monitor Breyton Murtz shows how the team has released redfins into off-stream dams: WATCH HERE
Heading further: The Kars River
During the past year, the Fynbos Fish Project team started monitoring in the Kars River and its tributaries – including in the Hansies and Leeuwen Rivers. The results were deeply concerning, with redfin populations monitored in these rivers in the past largely lost due to invasive alien fish.
Knowing what grows here
During a fynbos conservation project, we logged:
sightings
species identified
species of conservation concern
% are species of conservation concern
Fynbos
You can’t protect what you don’t know exists
The Nuwejaars River Nature Reserve embarked on its most ambitious fynbos survey yet: walking, recording, identifying and analysing fynbos across the full 47 000 hectares of the Nuwejaars Wetlands Special Management Area – building a clearer, more complete picture of this landscape. READ MORE
Fynbos Species of Conservation Concern
Erica agglutinans
© mikebrunke
Elegia prominens
© linkie
Pteronia scabra
© Eugene Hahndiek
Carex capensis
© sharndreheuvel
Pauridia minuta
© Eugene Hahndiek
Pelargonium caledonicum
© Eugene Hahndiek
Tritoniopsis flexuosa
© Kobus Visser
Discoveries
Fascinating finds
Nature still surprised us this past year. Two unexpected discoveries were made in our Nuwejaars Wetlands Special Management Area.
An unexpected mussel discovery
The Nuwejaars River and Wetlands have enabled a significant range expansion for a freshwater mussel known as the Cape River Mussel. Prior to this, there had been only five records of the species (Unio caffer) in the Western Cape, with the Nuwejaars now representing a new distribution record. READ MORE
A beetle breakthrough
A newly described species of beetle was found on the Nuwejaars Wetlands SMA. It was our first record of Stegopterus agulhas – and the only record of this newly described species on iNaturalist.org. Before this sighting, it was only known from one location, in the Agulhas National Park. READ MORE
A win for the Micro Frog
One of the conservation highlights of the year was the downlisting of the Micro Frog (Microbatrachella capensis) from Critically Endangered to Endangered, supported in part by the healthy populations found within the Nuwejaars Wetlands SMA. Although the species remains threatened and a key conservation priority, this achievement highlights the positive impact that sustained conservation action can have on the recovery of vulnerable species.
Harrier monitoring
The Nuwejaars Wetlands remain a stronghold for African Marsh Harriers. Marsh Harriers are listed as Vulnerable on the Regional Red Data Book 2025. As such, they’re a Species of Conservation Concern. Harrier expert Eric Hermann undertook his annual Marsh Harrier survey in October 2025. Poor conditions during his visit affected the number of birds he could definitively count. However, he concluded 12 proposed nests in the wetlands – seven confirmed and five highly probable.
Counting our waterbirds
Twice a year the conservation team heads to the various wetland and lake sites across the Nuwejaars Wetlands to undertake CWAC counts (Coordinated Waterbird Counts). This year was no exception, with the team once again counting species such as Yellow-billed Duck, Cape Shoveler and even Egyptian Goose to better understand species numbers.
3 | MANAGING WILDLIFE
Restoring landscapes
is only part of the story. Healthy wildlife populations also require careful management. From monitoring threatened species to moving animals between areas, these interventions help maintain resilient populations and ensure wildlife can continue to thrive across the Nuwejaars landscape.
Animals on the move
WHY MOVE WILDLIFE?
Maintain genetic diversity
Match animals to suitable habitat
Prevent overgrazing and ecosystem damage
Strengthen vulnerable populations
Support conservation beyond the NWSMA
Bontebok are not in the clear
Bontebok were recently removed from Appendix II of CITES. This decision was based on the fact that national numbers have increased sufficiently and that trade could incentivise landowners to keep the species, and therefore increase the economic value of the species. But this does not tell the full story. And the NRNR believes strongly that more than ever, the ecotypical southern bontebok needs protecting.
READ MORE
A Rau Quagga shuffle
A shuffle was on the cards for the Rau Quagga of the Nuwejaars Wetlands SMA. A few of these animals – owned by The Quagga Project but living in our wetlands – headed to their new home in the north of the country. Others were relocated within the Nuwejaars Wetlands to help strengthen genetic diversity in our local population.
Herding buffalo
The NRNR team, with the help of various veterinarians and volunteers – including staff from the Agulhas National Park – darted, measured and tested 18 buffalo, to ensure they were disease-free. And then they were moved to a new camp, before their relocation to their new home.
4 | DISCOVERING THE NUWEJAARS
Conservation starts with curiosity. Guided walks, school visits, research projects and citizen science initiatives help people connect with the Nuwejaars landscape. By sharing knowledge and creating opportunities to experience nature firsthand, we inspire the next generation of conservationists while continually learning from the landscape itself.
Learning by numbers
tourists on wildlife drives
learners reached (aged 5-14)
teachers
“Our environmental education programme is an annual highlight! The children were so engaged, and we know this is how our future conservationists take their first steps in getting to know nature.”
– Erica Brink, Conservation Manager
Learning
A living laboratory
The Nuwejaars Wetlands have served as a living laboratory and learning ground in the last year. That includes:
Experiencing the Nuwejaars Wetlands
Visitors explored the wetlands through guided experiences that revealed this region’s biodiversity hidden within these land and waterscapes. Tours ran from November 2025 to April 2026, and were led by our trained guide Dylan Gill.
The future of conservation
We played hosts to 301 children altogether – including children from the Elim Primary School, the Mispah School for Learners with Special Educational Needs and Bredasdorp Primary School. The children spent a morning with the Nuwejaars conservation team and with experts from the Biodiversity and Development Institute, who brought the wetlands to life.
5 | A SUSTAINABLE FUTURE FOR CONSERVATION
Economic opportunity
Long-term conservation depends on long-term funding. The NRNR is exploring innovative ways to turn ecological restoration into economic opportunity – creating jobs, supporting local livelihoods and helping fund future conservation through the sustainable use of invasive alien biomass.
“Removing invasive trees from our wetlands is a challenge and opportunity. This waste becomes a resource that helps support conservation.”
– Ross Kettles, CEO
Powering restoration through pellets
A new pelleting plant aims to help drive sustainable conservation in the NWSMA. In this pilot initiative, local resources are being turned into feed pellets for animals, while funding critical restoration work in our wetlands. READ MORE
Fund conservation
Looking ahead
This journey has only just started. With the continued support of our donors and our partnership with Sequester, we will continue to grow this circular economy model – turning invasive alien plants into valuable products that restore wetlands, support regenerative agriculture and help fund conservation into the future.
Investing in the future
The NWSMA has established an Endowment Trust to help secure the long-term future of conservation in the Nuwejaars landscape. An endowment is a fund where donations are invested, with the returns used to support conservation over the long term, while protecting the underlying capital. By contributing to the Endowment Trust, donors can create a lasting impact – helping to ensure that wetland restoration, biodiversity conservation and the careful management of this landscape can continue into the future.
The Nuwejaars Endowment Trust can also be considered when planning a bequest, offering an opportunity to leave a lasting conservation legacy and support the Nuwejaars landscape for generations to come.
Interested in getting involved? Contact NRNR CEO Ross Kettles at ross@nuwejaars.com to find out more.
6 | THE PEOPLE BEHIND THE NWSMA
Restored wetlands, protected species and successful conservation projects begin with people. From restoration teams and conservation staff to community knowledge holders, partners and volunteers, it is people who make conservation possible every day.
This year in people
permanent staff
restoration team members
ecosystem services team members
training interns
training events for team members
Conserving more than wetlands
The Nuwejaars waterscapes have not only provided water, but also food, medicine, building materials and grazing over centuries, and likely even longer. This knowledge has been passed down from generation to generation. READ MORE
Investing in people
Conservation happens through people. And investing in a motivated, inspired team is essential for protected landscapes. Here’s some of our capacity building events over the past year:
- Fire-line safety training, hosted by the Greater Overberg Fire Protection Association
- Fire refresher training, hosted by Greater Overberg Fire Protection Association
- Agricultural worker development training, hosted by Overberg Agri
- Invasive alien clearing workshop, hosted by WWF South Africa
- Driver’s licence support for Janus Malherbe
- Nursery development training, hosted by Grootvadersbosch Conservancy
- Nursery Training Course, hosted by Intaba Environmental Services at Weltevrede Farm
- Seed collecting training, hosted by Grootbos Foundation.
INTERNS ON THE WAY UP
Hayley Zitsman, Dellvern Booysen and Kaylee October joined the NWSMA team as interns, supported through the Botanical Society of South Africa. They learnt from the best, our Restoration Contractor Gerty Holtzhauzen. In August, the three interns graduated from the BOT SOC programme at a graduation event held at Kirstenbosch National Botanical Garden.
Through this training programme, the graduates gained valuable hands-on skills in conservation, citizen science, alien vegetation clearing and more.
A special thank you to BOT SOC, SANBI and all partners for making this journey possible.
New leadership
Ross Kettles, formerly the NRNR Operations Manager, was appointed as CEO. Ross brings with him a wealth of experience from across South Africa, and has worked for the NRNR since 2019.
Remembering Joey
We lost Joey Cloete during the past year. Joey managed our Nuwejaars Wetlands ecosystem services team for many years, and then rejoined the NRNR after his retirement to manage the pelleting plant and biochar team. He was one of the most dependable and inspiring leaders we could have asked for.
New opportunities
After 13 years of service to protecting the Nuwejaars wetlands, we said farewell to Eugéne Hahndiek. Eugéne served as one of our Conservation Managers. We also said goodbye to our Financial Manager Liza Luyt after four years working for the NRNR.
"Conservation is about people. It's their knowledge and willingness that makes restoration possible."
– Ross Kettles, CEO
7 | PARTNERSHIPS IN ACTION
landscape scale
Conservation succeeds when people and organisations work together. Throughout the year, the NRNR strengthened partnerships locally, nationally and internationally – sharing knowledge, attracting investment and working alongside others to protect biodiversity on a landscape scale.
Partnering for Research
Good conservation is built on good science.
The NRNR works with a range of scientific partners whose research and expertise help us better understand, protect and restore the Nuwejaars wetlands.
- The University of the Western Cape
- Anura Africa
- Grootbos Foundation
- South African National Biodiversity Institute (SANBI)
- South African Environmental Observation Network (SAEON)
- NRF-South African Institute for Aquatic Biodiversity (NRF-SAIAB)
- Overberg Renosterveld Trust
- Freshwater Research Centre
- Fynbos Fish Trust
- Agulhas National Parks
- Cape Leopard Trust
- University of Cape Town
- Western Cape Department of Agriculture
- Biodiversity and Development Institute (BDI)
- University of Jena
- Eric Hermann
- Corrie du Toit
- Ryan Tippett
8 | SHARING THE NUWEJAARS STORY
raisING awareness
Every story shared helps more people understand the value of the Nuwejaars Wetlands. Through media coverage, our website and social media platforms, we continue to raise awareness of this landscape, the people who care for it and the importance of conserving it into the future.
“Conservation depends on more than fieldwork. By sharing stories of restoration, research and collaboration, we build support for conservation, inspire action and create partnerships to protect the Nuwejaars landscape.”
– Ross Kettles, CEO
Nuwejaars in the media
Throughout the year, the NWSMA featured in local, national and international media, highlighting our work in wetland restoration, freshwater fish conservation and landscape-scale conservation. Explore our media coverage here.
SUMMARISED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS FOR YEAR ENDED
28 FEBRUARY 2026
The accompanying summary financial statements, which comprise the summary statement of comprehensive income and statement of financial position for the year ended 28 February 2026, were derived from the audited annual financial statements of the Nuwejaars River Nature Reserve NPC for the year then ended that was approved and signed on 22 June 2026. We expressed a modified audit opinion on those annual financial statements which have been explained in the applicable audit report.
Directors Responsibility for the Summary Annual Financial Statements
The directors are responsible for the preparation of the summary of the audited annual financial statements of the company.
Auditor’s Response
We have been requested to judge whether the summary financial statements are consistent with the audited annual financial statements. The summary financial statements were derived from the audited annual financial statements of the Nuwejaars River Nature Reserve NPC for the year ended 28 February 2026 and appear consistent.
Villet & De Wet Inc
Registered Auditors
Statement of financial position as at 28 February 2026
Statement of comprehensive income for the year ended 28 February 2026
To our donors, thank you for your generous support over the past year. Your investment in the Nuwejaars River Nature Reserve makes our work possible – from restoring wetlands and protecting threatened species to creating opportunities for people and building a more resilient landscape. We are deeply grateful for your trust in our vision.
To our partners, thank you for standing alongside us. Conservation is a shared endeavour, and your expertise, collaboration and commitment strengthen every aspect of our work. Together, we are protecting the unique biodiversity of the Nuwejaars landscape, not just for today, but for the years to come.
Funders & Donors
Partners
