These fragments of Renosterveld – only 5% of the original remains – represent the most endangered vegetation type on earth. I recently tagged along on a media trip with the WWF Nedbank Green Trust to spend time with Dr Odette Curtis-Scott and her team from the Overberg Renosterveld Conservation Trust (ORCT) to find out more about their work in the area.

To the background of welcome rain thrumming on the tin roof of the research centre at Haarwegskloof, ORCT ecologist Keir Lynch told us more about their work. Hard to believe but these 500 ha at Haarwegskloof is the largest single piece of Overberg Renosterveld remaining which makes it pretty special. It lies only 10km from CapeNature’s De Hoop Nature Reserve on the coast, and the dream is to one day secure a corridor of land that connects with De Hoop. An old dairy next to the research centre has been converted into beautiful guest accommodation. Visitors can also explore the reserve on foot, cycle on farm roads or drive to nearby attractions like the pontoon at Malgas – all the while knowing that their support is helping conservation efforts here.

Keir is the manager of the Watercourse Restoration Project, another vital component of the ORCT’s work. Not only do these water courses provide pathways and refuge for animals, plants and pollinators, but they also help to prevent further damage or degradation to the veld which helps the farmers. By mapping water courses, the project is able to prioritise the removal of alien invasive vegetation and erosion control. One of the unexpected surprises of this exercise has been the discovery of a population of critically endangered Heuningnes redfins, a freshwater fish which is now the subject of further study.

Sometimes ecologists also have to let their imaginations run wild. Along with the Renosterveld that disappeared so did many other species such as the quagga (extinct) and the bloubok (a kind of antelope that was endemic to Renosterveld and is also extinct). But there is one elegant creature that could be brought back if Haarwegskloof increased in size. This is the serval or tierboskat – a slender, long-legged, medium-sized cat that once occurred here. Just imagine that!