World Ranger Day: Celebrating the Guardians of a Changing Planet To celebrate the 20th anniversary of World Ranger Day, WILDTRUST is highlighting the dedicated nature guardians who work tirelessly to protect our wildlife, ecosystems, and communities.

Kelp forests reduce wave energy, protect coastlines, recycle nutrients, and provide shelter for thousands of marine animals. Swipe to see why kelp is essential.

Recently, WILDTRUST’s Communications and Marketing team traveled across northern KwaZulu-Natal to deliver WILDTRUST Communications Skills Training to this year’s cohort of Youth Employment Services (YES) in partnership with Nedbank, community media assistants.

Last week, the uThukela Ocean and Awareness Team (O&A)hosted a four-day ocean literacy training centered on the children’s books Harry the Hammerhead Shark: Volume 1 – Shares the Good News and Volume 2 – Swims Down South.

WILDTRUST brings you another inspiring webinar! Following the success of our engaging and interactive Voices from the Coast webinar, WILDTRUST is excited to invite you to our next online session: Coastal Champions Webinar - Advancing Sustainable Fisheries & Conservation

This Mandela Day, WILDTRUST proudly reflects on the impact made through its programmes and partnerships in communities across Southern Africa and the Western Indian Ocean.

South Africa is home to four incredible kelp species, each playing an important role in our marine ecosystems. Fun fact: WILDTRUST is studying the Golden Kelp forest in iSimangaliso to better understand how it supports biodiversity and climate resilience. Swipe through to meet each species.

Sometimes, the most impactful solutions are also the simplest. For Vumile Mjadu, an efficient cooking stove has meant less time spent worrying about fuel and more time focusing on what matters most.

Every part of kelp has a purpose. The holdfast anchors it to the seabed, the stipe bends with the waves, the float lifts it towards sunlight, and the blades produce food through photosynthesis. Swipe to discover how kelp works.

Meet Patricia Mjadu. Access to an efficient cooking solution has transformed the way she manages her household. As a recipient of a rocket stove and an efficient cooker, she has reduced fuel use, saved time, and made daily cooking more manageable for her family.

Most people have heard of forests on land… but did you know South Africa has forests beneath the waves? Kelp grows up to 60 cm a day, creating underwater forests that protect our coastline, support marine life and help fight climate change. Healthy kelp forests mean healthy oceans.

Many vulnerable young women from disadvantaged communities face significant barriers when applying to tertiary institutions, including limited access to information, internet connectivity, online application platforms, and financial aid support.

“Today you will say with certainty that you walked in our shoes.” Meet Jabu Shandu, a Small-Scale Fisheries Monitor whose work sees her walking kilometers along rivers and coastlines to support fisherfolk, conservation efforts, and sustainable livelihoods.

For Jabu Shandu, conservation begins with community.

“My mother taught me how to farm.” For Phindile Khumalo, what began as a lesson passed down through generations has become a livelihood rooted in sustainability, resilience, and community.

Last week, children at the eNkovukeni Community Resource Hub got their hands dirty during a fun and interactive planting lesson led by several Early Childhood Development (ECD) teachers.

For Phindile Khumalo, farming is a skill rooted in family, resilience, and care for the land. Having learned to farm from her mother at a young age, she now grows and sells fruits and vegetables while using sustainable practices, including organic composting, crop rotation, and companion planting.

70 years old. Nearly 60 years of harvesting incema. Eight children raised. Listening to Gogo Joyce Ngonyama speak about her life was nothing short of inspiring.

WILDTRUST, in partnership with @blueactionfund.org, Bloomberg Philanthropies Ocean Initiative, Blue Ventures, Oceana, and Together for the Ocean, hosted a high-energy event at the Our Ocean Conference yesterday titled "Making 30x30 Work: Community-Led Marine Protection Across Africa."

Yesterday, representatives of the WILDTRUST team attended a session at the 11th Our Ocean Conference titled “From Commitment to Action: Africa’s Ocean Leadership for Effective 30x30” to witness the Environmental Minister of Comoros, Abubakar Ben Mahmoud, announce and pledge their commitment to 30x30

Be part of the conversation! Make sure you don’t miss our webinar on Friday @10h00! Voices From the Coast: Women and Youth Leading Consersation. Please register and be inspired: forms.cloud.microsoft/r/yNq2Rqri08 (virtual, at the comfort of your home)

“While the food is cooking, I can go work in my garden or do other chores.” Meet Sindi Mjadu

WILDTRUST Career Expo Inspires Learners on World Environment Day As the world marked World Environment Day, WILDTRUST celebrated the occasion by empowering young people with knowledge and opportunities for the future through its week-long Career Expo.

Today, we proudly launch the second edition of our Gender Success Stories series spotlighting the extraordinary women of the uThukela MPA and neighbouring communities who are building resilient households and sustainable livelihoods.

The Ocean and Awareness team of the uThukela Marine Protected Area (MPA) Ecosystem-based Adaptation (EbA) project, funded by @blueactionfund.org, recently hosted its first Teachers’ Workshop at Gingindlovu Hall, bringing together educators from 13 participating schools.

Last week, WILDTRUST hosted a Climate-smart Cooking Demonstration, led by the uThukela Marine Protected Area (MPA) Ecosystem-based Adaptation (EbA) Project in the Nqutshini Area under the Macambini Traditional Authority.

Do not miss this inspiring and empowering conversation! Join us for an inspiring webinar, Voices From the Coast: Women and Youth Leading Conservation, featuring powerful stories from women and youth pioneering conservation. forms.cloud.microsoft/r/yNq2Rqri08

The WILDOCEANS programme of the WILDTRUST celebrates the International Day for Biological Diversity under this year’s theme, “Acting Locally for Global Impact,” by recognising the importance of healthy oceans, estuaries, & coastal ecosystems that sustain an extraordinary diversity of marine life.

WILDTRUST’s Communications Coordinator, Lethukuthula Ngubane, recently attended an intensive five-day Science Communication to Policy & Spatial Storytelling Lab in Johannesburg, Gauteng, hosted by the Western Indian Ocean Marine Science Association (WIOMSA).

Last week, 30 representatives from WILDTRUST, Ezemvelo KZN Wildlife, the Department of Forestry, Fisheries, and the Environment, KZN EDTEA, and partner organizations gathered at Mtunzini Forest Lodge for a dynamic two-day capacity-building workshop on best-practice stakeholder engagement.