Our Stories

Pangolin research has become synonymous with Tswalu Kalahari Reserve as scientists supported by the Tswalu Foundation work to understand the impact of environmental changes in the face of climate change on these elusive creatures.

Tswalu is using Weeva, the app-based sustainability management tool, to put sustainability into practice. Modelled on The Long Run’s 4C sustainability framework, it makes measuring, tracking, and improving operational efficiency and impact easier.

Marcus Westberg provides insight into vulture conservation - both the wins and the challenges - and the value of Vulture Safe Zones, like Tswalu, that provide safe habitat for vultures to reestablish populations across Africa.

In Part two in our Q&A with Wits master’s student Daniel Rossouw, find out more about his methodology for gathering data, for example studying soil samples, to determine the pangolin’s role in the ecosystem.

The chance discovery of a Pale Ciliate Blue brings Tswalu’s species count to 83 butterflies, which is remarkable for a semi-arid area in the southern Kalahari according to lepidopterist Reinier Terblanche.

Wits PhD candidate Azraa Ebrahim is studying the thermal physiology of a snake called a puff adder, a project that falls under the climate change focused Kalahari Endangered Ecosystem Project (KEEP).

In part one of a two-part Q&A, Daniel Rossouw tells us how he came to be researching pangolins on the Tswalu reserve, a new project that falls under the umbrella of the Kalahari Endangered Ecosystem Project.

Keeping track of a collared cheetah has been full of surprises for conservator Micole Monteiro. Close monitoring as this mother raises her cubs has given Micole renewed respect for the challenges that face female cheetahs.

Sustainability champions are an integral part of Tswalu’s sustainability journey. These volunteers raise awareness among those who live on the reserve to be more accountable for their carbon footprint.