KwaZulu Natal luxury lodge, South Africa

In a pioneering move for successful land redistribution in South Africa, it was with great pride that we and the Makhasa and Mnqobokazi community leaders recently signed a groundbreaking land-claim settlement in favour of the communities for 9500 hectares of the private game reserve. Firstly we restored misused farmland to its pristine state over 16 years ago, restocking it with the Big Five and other wildlife and developing it into an award-winning ecotourism destination; and have now returned the land to its ancestral owners. The communities own the land and we have a lease agreement for the next 72 years; paying a considerable annual fee to the comunities to lease the land. The pioneering land-claim settlement proves that if the communities surrounding conservation areas truly feel the benefit of ecotourism, they too will support ongoing conservation and biodiversity of pristine reserves for the benefit of future generations.

Also, 90% of our employees are from the local communities, creating ongoing employment opportunities and income generation. 3500 people depend on the reserve for their daily bread and 350 staff members support an average of ten dependants per salary. Over R 1,000,000 per year goes into local community development including the building of classrooms, clinics, craft markets, granting of bursary schemes, a digital eco village bringing the digital world to the local people etc. Local products and services are sought which is intrinsic to the Reserves operations, including local staff transport, contracts and waste removal contractors, as well as the pig farmer who takes kitchen wet waste to feed his pigs.

We have a set of eco-friendly operating guidelines and an annual environmental ecological audit is conducted to ensure best operating practices. This is led by our Conservation Manager, Les Carlisle and a conservation team who boast numerous years of experience in sustainable ecotourism. There is also a group of volunteers among the staff who take on the role of environmental watchdogs. The "Green Team" raises awareness among all staff, and ensures that environmentally-friendly policies are implemented and adhered to. Issues such as water and energy use, waste removal and invasive plant control are high on the agenda of all the Green Teams which compete each year for the company's Green Lodge Award. By encouraging staff to make a personal commitment to Green Team activities, we foster a culture of care and responsibility towards the natural world and the vital ecological processes upon which all humans are ultimately dependent.

We recycle all waste products and use energy saving light bulbs where possible to reduce the amount of energy required to light a room. Eco Audits are run at all our camps and lodges to ensure best green practices are being implemented. CFL’s are used wherever possible and alternative solutions are being sought but we ultimately believe that poverty alleviation and education in the local communities are what is needed from an African perspective to ensure ongoing conservation and biodiversity.

We work closely with our foundation (our social development arm) to ensure sustainable development in the communities surrounding our lodges. Through education, health care, skills building to facilitate income generation, as well as the support of vulnerable children and orphans, the foundation empowers the communities surrounding our lodges to ensure they are able to continue supporting themselves.