Conservation collaboration transforms lives and catalyses meaningful change

The collaboration between the African Conservation Trust (ACT) and the Social Employment Fund (SEF) is not only transforming lives and landscapes, but is a catalyst for meaningful change.

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Francois du Toit, CEO of ACT, says: “As one of the Strategic Implementing Partners of the SEF, we connect unemployed individuals with meaningful work that benefits both communities and ecosystems.”

ACT has a large footprint across four provinces – KwaZulu-Natal, the Free State, Limpopo and Mpumalanga – and manages diverse projects.

These include community food gardens, agro-ecological training, invasive species-eradication programmes, soil erosion rehabilitation, rock art monitoring projects and energy solutions for small businesses.

All are aimed at building a legacy of sustainability in the environmental and conservation sectors. Collaboration with traditional structures and communitybased organisations ensures these initiatives are hyper-local and impactful.

ACT, a 24-year-old NGO, is leading a transformative vision for Southern Africa’s conservation economy. Du Toit explains: “Our goal is a world where people thrive on a profitable planet by investing in our most precious asset – planet earth – through a system that is socially equitable, environmentally restorative and economically just.”

FOOD SECURITY MEETS CONSERVATION