Restoration and Rewilding at Scale
Landscapes where restoration and rewilding is needed most tend to lack the capacity, infrastructure and technology needed to support large-scale efforts.
RESTORATION AND REWILDING AT SCALE
Landscapes where restoration and rewilding are needed the most tend to lack the capacity, infrastructure and technology to support large-scale efforts. NATURAL STATE works with local communities, industry, governments and conservation leaders to design and implement large-scale restoration and rewilding projects. We build technical and institutional capacity, assists with technology and infrastructure and help to make the sites financially sustainable. Most projects entail species rewilding, assisted natural regeneration, reforestation as well as carbon and biodiversity positive grazing and agroforestry. We are committed to measuring and demonstrating the biodiversity, carbon and development impacts of each project.
FEATURED PROJECTS
Lewa & Ngare Ndare Restoration, Biodiversity and Development Project
NATURAL STATE is working with Lewa Wildlife Conservancy and the Ngare Ndare Forest Trust to develop a restoration and rewilding project that will capture and store carbon through assisted natural regeneration and tree planting. The project will provide habitat for endangered species, improve local livelihoods and generate revenue for the protected areas. In the process of implementing this project, the latest impact monitoring technology is being tested and developed to produce a state-of-the-art restoration impact monitoring dashboard. This will be used by donors, investors and auditors to assess the carbon, biodiversity and development gains of restoration and conservation projects. The technology is being developed at the NATURAL STATE Research and Technology Centre at the base of Mt Kenya.
Rewilding the Orange River-Karoo Landscape
NATURAL STATE is working with the Orange River-Karoo Conservation Area (ORKCA), local farmers and communities to connect and restore an area larger than Yellowstone. The objective is to ecologically restore the fragile semi-arid ecosystem, quadruple the number of native grazers and predators, restore wildlife migration patterns, secure 15M tCO2e and triple employment in the region through eco-tourism. The region is both culturally and ecologically important being the home of the Nama people and the only point where the succulent Karoo, Nama Karoo and Desert biomes all meet. Only 1% of the Nama Karoo is formally protected and the succulent Karoo is listed among the world’s top 25 biodiversity hotspots. This has the potential to be one of the largest restoration and rewilding projects in the world.