CapeNature’s long-standing and successful Goukou-Duivenhoks wetlands project has created 55 jobs for people from the nearby Hessequa towns of Heidelberg and Riversdale – and won numerous South African National Biodiversity Institute awards.

The project, which has been sustainably implemented for 10 years, aims to rehabilitate this threatened ecosystem, enhancing water storage and quality and ensuring the conservation of the habitat and its species.

Despite the challenges of working in constantly changing conditions, with fluctuating water levels and the need for constant adjustments, the project has developed a core group of contractors who are all running their own viable businesses.