In the tourism industry eco-travel has become mainstream as travellers turn to environmentally-conscious options when planning their holidays. Many hotels and reserves seek to offset their carbon footprint through a variety of measures. In the case of Samara Private Game Reserve in the arid Karoo region of the Eastern Cape, carbon offsetting measures have taken the form of land restoration, particularly with Spekboom.
Research indicates that pristine thicket areas hold more carbon compared to transformed or overgrazed land. Further to this, certain specific plant species exhibit particularly effective levels of carbon absorption under semi arid conditions (or sequestration as it is known scientifically). One of these plants, known as Spekboom (Portulacaria afra), grows predominantly in the Eastern Cape. Samara Private Game Reserve is rich in spekboom habitat and has launched a project to facilitate the regeneration of previously overgrazed land on the reserve through the planting of Spekboom. In order to maintain biodiversity heterogeneity of the area, additional plant species are also planted.
Samara’s first batch of Spekboom was planted on 4 May 2011 by a class of school learners from Spandau Secondary School, Graaff-Reinet. Since then, Samara has run a community environmental awareness project through which groups of learners from each of the schools in Graaff-Reinet come out to the reserve to learn about the environment and to gain exposure to the hospitality industry. By helping us to regenerate the land, they are ensuring a section of pristine wilderness will still exist for their children to visit after them.
Samara Private Game Reserve is a luxury Big Five safari destination with a difference. Guests are invited behind the scenes of a passionate conservation journey to restore a unique South African wilderness. This genuine conservation participation combines with heartfelt Karoo hospitality and breathtaking landscapes to offer a safari that feeds the soul.
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Wow that’s some incredible work, I am a Student At St Mary’s school and my Grade is doing a project on spekboom, I am so encouraged to know that there are other people who are concerned about this affair and who are doing something to make a difference, well done! You are such an inspiration.
Are there any alien threats for the Spekboom e.g. plants or animals?