Grootbos Foundation

The Grootbos Foundation is part of eco-tourism destination Grootbos Private Nature

Reserve, based outside of Cape Town, South Africa. t emphasi!es environmenta"
preservation and education throu#hout the countr$.
%ichae" &ut!e$er of the Grootbos Private Nature Reserve founded the Grootbos
Foundation in '((). The reserve itse"f has near"$ *(( species of F$nbos, a t$pe of
shrub native to South Africa. The reserve serves as a tourism destination that
focuses on the uni+ue ecos$stem of the area. t offers #uided tours and
environmenta" activities to its #uests. Profit made at the reseve #oes toward fundin#
the Grootbos Foundation,s pro-ects. The photo on the "eft shows the two "od#es at
the reserve.
Location
The Grootbos Nature Reserve is on the A#u"has P"ain in South Africa.
The reserve is on the southern tip of South Africa, which is one of the most
eco"o#ica""$ diverse countries in the wor"d. t is home to near"$ .( percent of the
p"anet/s p"ant species and 0 percent of the repti"e, bird and mamma" species, even
thou#h the countr$ on"$ ma1es up ' percent of the wor"d,s "and mass.
2'3
The South
African #overnment reco#ni!es habitat fra#mentation, invasive species, over-
e4p"oitation and c"imate chan#e as factors that have "ed to the recent dec"ine of
biodiversit$ in the countr$.
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The Grootbos Foundation aims to raise awareness about
these prob"ems, and see1s to preserve and conduct research on South Africa,s
natura" environment.
Mission and objectives
The foundation's mission statement is, "The conservation of biodiversity of Grootbos
and its surrounds and development of sustainable nature based livelihoods through
ecotourism, research, management and education."
Projects
The foundation runs pro-ects throu#hout the countr$, the most popu"ar of which are
Spaces for Sports, the Green Futures 6orticu"ture and &ife S1i""s Co""e#e and the
7ducation Fund. t a"so wor1s c"ose"$ with 8$er s"and Conservation Trust
98CT:, the 87AT Pro-ect in ;a"1er <a$ and the F"ower =a""e$ Conservation Trust.
Spaces for Sports/FFSA
n preparation for hostin# '(.(,s FFA ;or"d Cup, Grootbos Foundation,s founder,
%ichae" &ut!e$er, decided to bui"d a mu"ti-purpose soccer fie"d in Gansbaai, an area
that "ac1ed sports faci"ities for chi"dren.
"The Grootbos Foundation believes that through the development of these facilities
and thus the creation of opportunities for young people - especially those who are
deprived of these opportunities, to participate in sport, have access to professional
coaching, and learn about the environment, our vision of improved social integration
and development of community will be realised." - The Grootbos Foundation
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<ecause of the pro-ect,s success, the foundation be#an the Footba"" Foundation of
South Africa 9FFSA:, which provides sports e+uipment and sponsors teams
throu#hout South Africa. The be"ow video shows the Spaces for Sports pro#ram in
action.
Green Futures Horticulture and Life Skills College
The Green Futures Pro#ram.
n '(.(, South Africa,s unemp"o$ment rate was '> percent and more than )(
percent of South Africans are current"$ impoverished.
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&ut!e$er and the foundation
decided to "aunch the Green Futures 6orticu"ture and &ife S1i""s Co""e#e in order to
train wor1ers for #reen -obs. The co""e#e has been e4treme"$ successfu". @There have
been no drop-outs since the inception of the schoo" and a"" of past students have
#ained wor1 in horticu"tura", conservation or eco-tourism businesses,@ accordin# to
the foundation,s website.
Funding
The Grootbos Foundation is a re#istered non-profit or#ani!ation and depends so"e"$
on donations to run. Some we""-1nown donors inc"ude <%, <%; and A" Gore. To
donate, visit the foundation,s donation pa#e
Preserving our Precious Natural Heritage
Grootbos Nature Reserve is situated on the Agulhas Plain in the heart of
the Cape Floral Kingdom, a region of unprecedented biodiversit value,
under e!treme pressure from factors such as e!panding urbani"ation,
agriculture, poaching, uncontrolled fires and invasive alien plants#
$ocioeconomic issues are amplifing the effect of these threats# For generations the
plight of poor rural communities has been largel ignored# %n man of the to&ns and
villages povert is rife and as much as half of the inhabitants are unemploed# %t is
imperative that solutions combine the needs of the region's people &ith that of the
environment#
At Grootbos our conservation initiatives are therefore focused on providing sustainable
nature based livelihoods for local people as &ell as protecting and restoring our uni(ue
natural heritage# To achieve these goals, the non)profit Grootbos Foundation &as
established during *++,#
Funds generated b the Grootbos ecotourism business, together &ith donations received
from guests and other donors are invested through the foundation into implementing -e
conservation and development pro.ects# %n this &a all Grootbos guests are directl
supporting biodiversit conservation and social upliftment in the /al-er 0a region#
The -e pro.ects developed b the foundation to achieve its goals are1 Green Futures,
Gro&ing the Future, the 2outh 3evelopment Programme and Future Trees# To visit these
innovative pro.ects and meet the inspiring people behind the scenes, .oin Grootbos on a
guided $ocial Responsibilit Tour#
Restoration and Responsible Tourism
$ince 4554, Grootbos has gro&n from a 4*6)hectare farm to no& include seven farms
totaling *7++ hectares of land under conservation# 8uch of this land had previousl been
poorl managed as cattle and flo&er harvesting farms to the detriment of the region's
biodiversit, and provided fe& livelihood opportunities# 9ver the ears Grootbos staff
have cleared all alien vegetation from the propert, restored damaged areas and no&
manage the land according to strict ecological principals# The tourism development and
associated non)profit programmes of the Grootbos Foundation no& emplo in e!cess of
47+ full time staff, some :+; of &hom are from local disadvantaged communities#
An Investment in People and the Environment
The Cape fnbos is &orld)reno&ned as a flora biodiversit hotspot and for more than *+
ears, Grootbos has promoted its beaut, interpreted its intricate stories, researched its
man secrets and developed a suite of pro.ects focused on preserving this e!ceptional
natural region#
0 staing at Grootbos ou are directl contributing to the conservation of the reserve
and surrounding natural area as &ell as the development of sustainable nature)based
livelihoods amongst local communities#