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Lalibela Game Reserve
Conservation Area
Game Reserve
90 km from Port Elizabeth, Eastern Cape, South Africa
-33.46531455, 26.25175459

  

Lalibela Game Reserve is located in the Eastern Cape of South Africa, close to Port Elizabeth and Addo, which means it is not only malaria free, but spans 5 ecosystems, resulting in a breath-taking diversity of flora and fauna.

Lalibela is a conservation project that currently consists of 10,500 hectares and is home to the Big 5 (lion, elephant, rhino, buffalo and leopard) as well as other predators like cheetah, hyena, jackal and lynx.

Unique to our area of South Africa, we are blessed with vast Savannah Grassland, the biome that has by far the highest carrying capacity – this means that we are able to sustain truly vast herds of plains game like zebra, impala, wildebeest, red hartebeest, blesbuck and eland. This in turn allows us to sustain a remarkable density of free-roaming lions.

Our primary focus at Lalibela is the conservation of our indigenous flora and fauna taking into account the community in our area. This is achieved by a huge team of diverse and special people – all who share the vision of long-term sustainability in a fast-changing world.

 

Conservation & Community Highlights:

  1. Alien-tree removal – An ongoing conservation project on Lalibela is the removal of alien wattle trees. As of March 2021, we estimate that we have completed about 75% of the task. The wattle trees are completely removed from the reserve. They are burnt and the ash is worked back into the soil. The ash is full of nutrients that the soil needs in order to thrive. By doing this, we have managed to recover approximately 4000 hectares of land that is completely wattle free.
  2. The continued conservation and protection of endangered species such as white rhino and cheetah.
  3. Children’s feeding scheme – Every day we provide nutritious breakfasts to approximately 130 children in the Seven Fountains Community (the local community neighbouring Lalibela Game Reserve). During the school holidays, we provide both breakfasts and wholesome lunches to the children. We also keep them entertained by providing various fun and educational activities.
  4. Recycling and going plastic-free – Throughout the reserve, from our lodges to staff housing, workshops, community and admin buildings, we have recycling bins. There are recycling bins for glass, plastic, tins and paper. The recycling is collected and taken to a nearby recycling plant where it is recycled. Our goal at Lalibela is to have zero use of plastic on Laliblea. This is a huge tasks and we have already made small changes such as eliminating plastic water bottles and cutting out single-use plastic for jams and butters as well as cutting out plastic bottles for amenities.
  5. Water purification plant - Lalibela has a water purification plant on site. Water from dams and boreholes are put through the filtration process. The water then passes through machines using the reverse osmosis process. Reverse osmosis is the process or the technology which is used to remove ions, mineral chemicals, and other impurities from drinking water. Once the water has passed through these stages, the water is 100 % safe for consumption. Lalibela is able to produce both still and sparkling water on site for use in our lodges.

 

Future Aims:

  1. To continue to purchase and rehabilitate existing farmlands neighbouring Lalibela to add onto the reserve in order to increase its size.
  2. Establish a black rhino breeding programme.
  3. To continue to introduce new genetic bloodlines into our existing wildlife populations.
  4. Continue helping the Seven Fountains Community with our feeding scheme and assist them with skill development and job opportunities.
  5. Reaching out to individuals to find sponsorships for learners who currently attend the local community school. By doing this, we can identify learners that show potential and intelligence and assist them in sending them to a school in a nearby town that will expose learners to quality education so that they can reach their full potential.

 

Images provided.