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K2C impact report shows real change

K2C impact report shows real change

The Citizen28-04-2025
LIMPOPO – Kruger to Canyons Biosphere Region NPC (K2C) has released its 2024-2025 impact report, and the message is clear: through strategic partnerships, innovative projects, and strong community collaboration, real change is taking root across the landscape.
From land restoration and job creation to data-driven conservation and circular economies, K2C is a leading force in building a sustainable future for both people and nature.
'At the heart of the K2C's work is a mission to balance sustainable development and natural resource use with biodiversity conservation. They do this through implementing projects together with strategic partners. This year's report offers inspiring evidence of that mission and collective action,' said Lauren Booth, K2C communications officer.
She said that the landscape of change, with measurable impacts, crosses the region.
'Some of the most impressive outcomes from the past year include 1 544 hectares of land restored, securing vital ecosystems, 15 025 hectares brought under conservation agreements, 838 426 tonnes of carbon emissions avoided and over 300 million litres of water released through alien plant removal, to name a few,' she added.
'We are dedicated to creating a region where people have a sense of pride and belonging, feel empowered to take action and are inspired by the natural world around them every day,' says Romy Antrobus-Wuth, K2C's conservation science and data manager.
'Producing the impact report each year is an important tool for us to share the results of collective action on the ground.'
The K2C Biosphere extends from the Letaba River to the Sabie River, and between the Blyde Escarpment and the Mozambique border.
With a huge landscape to work in, K2C's specific project nodes focus on water and catchment investment, declaring new protected areas to secure conservation corridors, waste management, climate resilience and human wildlife conflict.
Key projects
Some of the projects include financing and implementing a catchment investment programme to protect the state of the Blyde and other key river catchments through invasive plant clearing, sustainable rangeland management and protected area expansion.
They also work to securing and improving management of key biodiversity and water corridors linking the Greater Kruger to the escarpment and Blyde River Canyon Nature Reserve to secure habitats that provide breeding grounds and migratory routes for threatened species and clearing invasive species to restore degraded land and promote indigenous vegetation establishment, as well as investigating the use of off-cuts (e.g. biochar) to support local SMMEs in the areas adjacent to protected areas.
Another project is establishing a citizen science freshwater health monitoring programme in the K2C landscape and documenting indigenous knowledge systems (IKS) aimed at building climate resilience and feeding into early warning systems.
'Beyond the environmental outcomes, K2C continues to invest in people and sustainable livelihoods in the region.
Over 276 individuals were trained in various technical and community skills, four interns were supported, and 35 training sessions were held.
These activities ensure that the region and its custodians not only survive environmental pressures but are positioned to thrive in the face of them,' added Booth.
The full Kruger2Canyon impact report is available on their website at www.kruger2canyons.org.
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