How WWF South Africa support is helping rebuild corridors for birds, biodiversity and people.
At Africa’s southernmost tip lies one of South Africa’s largest wetland systems – a living landscape that acts as a natural corridor for wildlife. These wetlands allow animals and plants to move across the landscape, while also providing benefits that people depend on, from water and food production to resilience in the face of a changing climate.
But over past decades, the Nuwejaars Wetlands came under growing pressure. Invasive alien plants were among the most serious threats, degrading this important landscape and breaking down the ecological corridors that keep it functioning.
With support from WWF South Africa to restore degraded areas, the Nuwejaars Wetlands are slowly becoming whole again.
This restoration work is rebuilding critical corridors, restoring wetland and riparian habitats, and strengthening the long-term health of one of the country’s most important wetland systems.
And while this work is already making a tangible difference on the ground, it is also contributing to something far bigger.
The Nuwejaars Wetlands Special Management Area (NWSMA) itself serves as a landscape-scale corridor across 47 000 hectares, helping plants, wildlife and ecological processes move through a connected system of wetlands, rivers, floodplains and natural vegetation.
Corridors taking shape on the ground
WWF South Africa has supported the NWSMA for the past eight years. Over the past year in particular, this support has helped advance work on a number of 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.
This work has included follow-up alien clearing, erosion mitigation and preparation for active restoration.
Where active restoration is needed
In some degraded areas, natural recovery is slow. This means active restoration is needed to help ecological function return. This work does not only remove the threats degrading the landscape, but also supports the processes needed to heal it.
To support this, and with WWF South Africa’s backing, a specialised wetland nursery and aquaponics system was established alongside a trial fynbos nursery. These are being used to propagate indigenous species for planting into degraded corridors and stepping-stone habitats.
Looking at the bigger picture
These restored and recovering corridors form part of something much larger. The NWSMA is itself a connected conservation landscape spanning the Agulhas Plain between Bredasdorp, Elim and Napier. It is made up of farms and natural areas working together to protect biodiversity and ecological function across the region.
In a world where natural systems are increasingly fragmented, the NWSMA helps maintain connected space for plants and wildlife across wetlands, rivers, floodplains and surrounding natural vegetation. It creates resilience for species movement, habitat recovery and ecosystem function at scale.
This is one of the reasons the NWSMA is such an important model. Conservation here is not taking place only in fenced-off pockets, but across a working landscape – through landowner members who care deeply about this place, and with the support of donors who understand the value of long-term restoration.
Real impact on the ground
Alien clearing remains the essential first step in restoring natural vegetation structure and biodiversity. Over the past two years, since this project began, 545 hectares of densely invaded land and waterscapes have been cleared of invasive alien plants. This is exceptionally hard work, often requiring manual clearing with chainsaws in difficult conditions.
Follow-up clearing has also continued at scale. Over the past year, teams carried out follow-up clearing across 714 hectares, both within the original project boundary and in additional areas beyond it.
This work is helping reduce channel choking by alien plants, expand riparian and floodplain habitat, and improve resources for local and migratory bird species that depend on these wetlands.
Building habitat for birds
Because the Nuwejaars wetlands are so important for wetland bird species, the WWF South Africa-supported project has also focused on expanding avian habitat through practical interventions.
The NWSMA ecosystem services team led by Denver Engel developed a new heronry structure with stabilised poles to better support nesting material over time. Alongside earlier brush islands, these structures are already being used by birds for roosting and resting.
This is a good example of the NWSMA’s broader approach: restoration that is ambitious in vision, but practical in delivery.
Restoration that creates green opportunities
This work is also creating socio-economic value. A local restoration team led by Gerty Holtzhauzen has been central to the work on the ground. In the past year alone, this project supported 23 jobs. Gerty plays an important role not only in overseeing restoration activities and quality control, but also in helping plan priority areas for intervention.
Through the NWSMA’s Environmental Education Programme, 301 learners from Elim Primary School, Mispah School for Learners with Special Educational Needs, and Bredasdorp Primary School also took part in the youth environmental outreach programme.
The programme introduced learners to fish and aquatic ecosystems, birds and wetland environments, and animals and terrestrial landscapes. It gave them practical, close-up exposure to biodiversity and conservation tools – from handling fish and observing bird ringing to learning about threats to ecosystems and how they can make a difference in daily life.
Creating access for all
The African Marsh Harrier Trail and associated bird-viewing infrastructure have also continued to play an important role in conservation awareness, helping young people, local community members and visitors connect with the wetlands and their significance.
While the trail was already in place, new infrastructure was recently added to improve the visitor experience and provide even better bird-viewing opportunities.
Why this partnership matters
This work would not be possible without the support of WWF South Africa.
Their support is helping fund restoration on the ground, while also advancing a broader strategic vision for the NWSMA – one in which corridor restoration, wetland rehabilitation, biodiversity conservation, environmental education and local livelihoods all work together to strengthen a connected, resilient landscape.
Looking ahead
There is still much work to be done. While these corridors are already playing an important role in reconnecting functioning ecosystems, it will take continued time, resources and capacity to restore connectivity across the full 47 000-hectare landscape.
But the direction is clear. Conservation corridors are helping the NWSMA reconnect a living landscape – and show what collaborative, landscape-scale conservation can achieve.
Thank you
A sincere thank you to WWF South Africa for supporting this restoration work. Alongside WWF South Africa, we are also deeply grateful to the donors whose co-funding helps strengthen this work across the landscape and makes it possible to achieve so much more. These donors include the Hans Hoheisen Charitable Trust, the Mapula Trust, the Rolf-Stephan Nussbaum Foundation and the Mohamed bin Zayed Species Conservation Fund.
We work with
We work with
