Our valley has been farmed commercially since the early 1700’s. Below is the painting by explorer Robert Jacob Gordon done in 1777 of the “Gezicht van de Camdebo”. The original painting is in the Rijksmuseum in the Netherlands.
Our Conservancy is situated in the Great Karoo, to the west of Graaff-Reinet. It covers the area from the Camdeboo Mountain (De Reuse Kasteel) in the west, Toorberg in the north and the Valley of Desolation in the east. This area covers 76,021 hectares.
In 1999, as private landowners, we established the Camdeboo Conservancy with the main purpose, and it still remains, to “Promote the protection of indigenous plants and animals, undisturbed or important biological communities and landscapes of exceptional beauty.” This is where traditional sheep, cattle and game farming co-exist with nature.
The Camdeboo Conservancy falls within the 800,000 hectare Great Karoo Wilderness Protected Environment (see www.greatkaroowilderness.co.za) Link, and most landowners are committed to the Karoo Vulture Safe Zone (see Birds of Prey | Endangered Wildlife Trust). Link
The Camdeboo Conservancy, currently comprising 20 private landowner members, supports – either by way of employment or housing – about 160 adults, 20 young adult school leavers, almost 100 school going children and a further 50 small children not yet of school going age.
In order to achieve our purpose, as well as an expanded commitment to the people LINK COMMINITY who live and work in the Conservancy, fund raising has become a crucial element of the members’ activities.
Over the years, numerous projects have been undertaken in the community to assist and uplift the workers and their families, such as knitting and sewing classes for the women; licenses for drivers, farm training courses, reading and writing lessons for adults; extra lessons, clothing and stationery for school children, as well as equipment, furniture and support of their school hostels in town.
Our fund raising efforts have put the members of the Conservancy in the fortunate position to have been able to support and nurture the people who live and work in the Conservancy, whilst additionally having been able to make sizable donations to local charitable organizations outside of the Conservancy.
The very popular annual Hunt Weekend has been an anchor in our fund raising efforts, which has now been supplemented, since 2020, by the Camdeboo Cycle Challenge. Camdeboo Cycle Challenge LINK.
It should be noted that these events involve many of the landowners and the workers. Truly a team effort.
