Tswalu Kalahari Reserve Rewilding Project
Project Description
The Tswalu Kalahari Reserve Rewilding Project, developed in partnership between Tswalu Kalahari Reserve (Tswalu), Rewild Capital and Oppenheimer Generations Research and Conservation, is dedicated to increasing carbon soil sequestration and reducing emissions through a combination of reducing grazing pressure and converting to renewable energy sources. The ambitious project is based in the Northern Cape province of South Africa, within the scenic Tswalu Kalahari Reserve (TKR), which is known for its sandy plains, dunes, and the majestic Korannenberg Mountains. The philosophy underlying Tswalu’s management is to ‘leave the world better than how we found it’, with an active focus on rewilding degraded land to improve ecosystem functioning, promoting biodiversity conservation and improving socio-economic opportunities for local communities.
In keeping with the Credible Carbon® Standard’s commitment to poverty alleviation and decarbonisation, The Tswalu Kalahari Rewilding Project uses 50% of its carbon revenue to expand its welfare and poverty alleviation initiatives.
Key Interventions
The project involves two primary interventions aimed at restoring ecosystem functioning and combating climate change. The third intervention is aimed at poverty alleviation. All three interventions have required significant upfront investment and go beyond existing regulatory requirements in South Africa:
This intervention aims to improve soil health and sequester carbon by reducing grazing pressure. This was done by incorporating former cattle farms into the reserve and rewilding them, as well as reducing the overall stocking rate of wildlife across the reserve. Modelled relationships between grazing intensity and grass productivity revealed that lowering grazing pressure across the landscape would result in greater soil carbon sequestration. Simultaneously, by lowering the number of wildlife and livestock large stock units, the project reduces methane emissions from enteric fermentation.
The installation of solar photovoltaic panels reduces reliance on coal-intensive grid electricity. Other energy-saving initiatives are in place and will be expanded in the future.
Total Impact
Between January 2020 and December 2022 when the fist audit was completed, these three interventions reduced 34 471 tCO2e.
Community and Environmental Benefits
The Tswalu Kalahari Carbon Project is more than just a carbon removals and emission reduction initiative. In keeping with the Credible Carbon® Standard’s commitment to poverty alleviation and decarbonisation, The Tswalu Kalahari Carbon Project uses 50% of its carbon revenue to expand its welfare and poverty alleviation initiatives. All employees and their families receive free accommodation inclusive of electricity and water; free use of the community clinic and access to doctor consultations. Tswalu also contributes to both a medical fund and a pension fund and provides free enrollment to Montessori Early Development School for Children. The community clinic serves the surrounding communities in the region too and is fully funded by Tswalu. Since 2019, total Tswalu expenditure on community benefit projects has been R7.9 million, equating to an average annual cost of R2.63 million. Carbon revenue will be used to help expand these welfare and poverty alleviation expenditures up by an average of 10% per year, generating an additional R42 million in community investment over 2022-30.
Tswalu currently has 265 employees, enabled by its ecotourism offering. This is a significantly higher permanent job density than counterfactual cattle farming operations.
This project supports the rewilding of degraded lands, promoting biodiversity and improving ecosystem functionality. Rewilding Tswalu has been a major conservation success with several biodiversity surveys revealing the significant improvement of biodiversity on the property, including: 70 dung beetle species, 75 mammal species, 7 endemic plant species and 24 protected plant species, 6 threatened or near threatened carnivore species and 5 ecosystem types.
The funds from carbon credits will be reinvested into the reserve for continued rewilding efforts and community development.
Contribution to SDG goals
 | SDG 1: Tswalu contributes to community housing, health and financial well-being, and education |
 | SDG 5: 41% of Tswalu’s are female, which is higher than the average of 24% for the agricultural sector in the Northern Cape (StatSA Agricultural Census 2017) |
 | SDG 13: Tswalu is removing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere through soil carbon sequestration as well as reducing emissions from animal enteric fermentation and converting to renewable energy sources and energy efficiency |
 | SDG 15: Tswalu invests significantly in biodiversity conservation and protection through rewilding, improving ecosystem condition, conducting anti-poaching operations and conducting applied research projects on species and ecosystem functioning |
Monitoring and Verification
Rewild Capital employs advanced remote sensing technology to transparently measure ecosystem metrics over time. Additionally, Rewild Capital established a permanent network of 59 soil carbon mointoring plots, aligned to existing vegetation mointoring plots, to measure realized sequestration gains and contribute to ongoing research on the relationship between rewilding and climate change mitigation.
Get Involved
Support the Tswalu Kalahari Rewilding Project by purchasing carbon credits and contribute to the ongoing efforts to restore and protect this unique and valuable landscape. Your involvement will help ensure a sustainable future for the Tswalu Kalahari Reserve and its surrounding communities.
Project Idea Note
A Project Idea Note (PIN) was drawn up to formalise the project scope with regards to carbon credits.
Audits
Project Auditor – phase 1: Professor Brett Cohen – Thinka
Key Methodologies
- ‘Methodology for the Adoption of Sustainable Grasslands through Adjustment of Fire and Grazing’ based on VM 0032
- AMS1-A onsite PV electricity generation by the user
Project Timeframe: 2020-2041 subject to audits every three years
Total Credits Sold: 6 104