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| Area Conserved: |
| 581 ha |
| Wine District: |
| Stellenbosch |
| Owner / Contact Person: |
| Gerald Wright |
| Phone: |
| (021) 847 1334 |
| Website: |
| www.vergelegen.co.za |
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Biodiversity highlights: Area conserved – 581ha.
First producer to become a BWI champion in March 2005! Have made remarkable progress with a large-scale alien clearing and fire management program to restore 2000ha of their 3000ha estate. The pristine, unploughed habitats include 316ha of Boland Granite Fynbos, 250ha of two types of critically endangered lowland ecosystems. |
Vergelegen were awarded champion status on 22 March 2005 by Valli Moosa (current president of the IUCN), the chairman of the SAWB and Executive Director of the Botanical Society. Over the past 10 years Vergelegen has taken extraordinary steps to look after the land it owns, as Anglo America’s flagship estate, including making commendable progress in implementing a large-scale alien clearing and fire management program for 2000ha of the 3000ha estate, allowing indigenous plant and animal species to return to vast tracts of land. Vergelegen's current project to return the non-arable lands to a natural example of Cape fynbos is the largest private project of this nature. To date, R3.9 million rand has been spent on conservation measures on Vergelegen. It is important to note that these funds were fully generated from the profits of Vergelegen's wine sales and not provided by Anglo American.
Vergelegen has also avoided planting vines on their 250ha of critically endangered renosterveld situated on the Scapenberg ridge. The renosterveld soils are renowned for their superior viticulture potential. Considering the quality of Vergelegen's wines, the temptation must obviously have been there! The estate also boasts some 316ha of pristine Boland Granite Fynbos, which has been completely restored from alien infestation to its former, pristine condition. The estate contains a further 250ha of Swartland Shale Renosterveld and a small area of Lourensford Alluvial Fynbos – both of which are critically endangered vegetation types according to the latest South African vegetation map. Vergelegen have employed an independent conservation manager (Gerald Wright) to oversee the implementation of their veld management plan, who is doing so with tireless gusto.
In the spirit of sustainable development, Vergelegen's conservation commitments also include a number of complementary goals, including a Centre of Learning Excellence for environmental skills, a structured outreach programme and an opportunity to benefit the surrounding communities. Already 50 jobs have been generated through the B.E.E. company undertaking conservation work and the flow and quality of water to neighbouring communities has improved.
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