Garden Route Environmental Forum and NMU co-hosting Sustainability Seminar in Gqeberha

ENVIRONMENTAL NEWS - The Garden Route Environmental Forum (GREF) and Nelson Mandela University (NMU) will co-host its annual Sustainability Seminar for 2025 at the NMU South Campus in Gqeberha.

The event theme, 'Building partnerships for people, land and nature', highlights the importance of collaboration in responding to environmental challenges affecting both the Garden Route and the Eastern Cape, according to GREF convener, Cobus Meiring.

Peter du Toit of Future iQ in Knysna will deliver the keynote presentation on 'Empowering better climate decisions through science and simulation'. His address will focus on how science-based planning and modelling can support effective climate adaptation and better long-term decision-making.

The Garden Route and Eastern Cape share extensive environmental connectivity well beyond formal boundaries. This includes marine and coastal systems, river catchments, estuaries and shared climate pressures.

A major area of joint interest is the Garden Route Biosphere Reserve, stretching from George to the Van Stadens River and extending into the Klein Karoo. Alongside it, the Gouritz Cluster Biosphere Reserve (GCBR), managed from Riversdale, forms the second biosphere reserve in the region. Together, these internationally recognised areas reinforce the need for cooperative landscape-level management.

GREF, GRDM and NMU have maintained a strategic working relationship for many years, strengthened further by the involvement of the NMU Faculty: Life, Earth, Environmental and Agricultural Sciences. This year’s seminar continues to build on that partnership by bringing academia, conservation authorities and practitioners into a shared space for learning and planning.

SANParks will also participate, with Dr Nomvuselelo (SANParks: Social Cohesion) providing insights into the future of conservation and new opportunities for inter-institutional collaboration.

The Tsitsikamma National Park, which forms part of the Garden Route National Park, is a central ecological node within the Garden Route Biosphere Reserve and reflects the region’s interconnected environmental heritage.

The seminar takes place on Thursday 4 December at NMU South Campus.

It will also mark the official launch of the Eastern Cape Sustainability Forum (ECSF), which will serve as a sister platform to GREF and help strengthen cross-provincial cooperation.

For more information, contact louiselouisamare@gmail.com.

The Garden Route Environmental Forum (GREF) is a public platform for environmental managers and practitioners and serves as a regional climate-change think-tank.
More information: www.grefecsf.org.za.

The Garden Route Biosphere reserve.