PARTNERS
The Overberg Crane Group has partnered with the following organisations:
OVERBERG RENOSTERVELD CONSERVATION TRUST
This Trust works to save renosterveld, one of the most threatened habitats on Earth. The Trust has partnered with the Overberg Crane Group, and together they offer extension support to land users and others, to raise awareness of the region’s unique biodiversity. www.overbergrenosterveld.org.za
BIRDLIFE SOUTH AFRICA
BirdLife South Africa’s main goal is the conservation of South Africa’s birds and their habitats. www.birdlife.org.za
ENDANGERED WILDLIFE TRUST
The EWT is a non-profit conservation organisation that promotes sustainable living. It has a number of awareness raising programmes, and undertakes research, fieldwork and direct engagement with stakeholders. www.ewt.org.za
INTERNATIONAL CRANE FOUNDATION
The International Crane Foundation works worldwide to conserve cranes and the ecosystems, watersheds and flyways on which they depend. www.savingcranes.org
CAPENATURE
CapeNature is the conservation authority of the Western Cape – responsible for protecting the province’s biodiversity. www.capenature.co.za
NUWEJAARS WETLANDS SPECIAL MANAGEMENT AREA
The NWSMA has brought 25 landowners and the community of Elim together, to farm sustainably while conserving the rich biodiversity of the Agulhas Plain. www.nuwejaars.com
AGULHAS BIODIVERSITY INITIATIVE
ABI is a landscape initiative, where partners work together to encourage healthy productive natural landscapes. ABI is currently set up as a voluntary association. www.agulhasbiodiversity.com
ANIMAL DEMOGRAPHY UNIT
The ADU is the research unit of the University of Cape Town, and works to understand animal populations better, and therefore also how to best conserve animals. They undertake long-term monitoring projects, statistical modeling and interpretation of results. www.adu.org.za
DR ROB SIMMONS
Rob is a behavioural ecologist, conservation biologist and ornithologist specialising in the ecology of raptors and other fauna, including cats. He is an Honorary Research Associate at the Percy Fitzpatrick Institute at the University of Cape Town. He also hosts a Black Harrier blog.
THE FYNBOS TRUST
The Fynbos Trust works to enable and support landscape-scale conservation across the Overberg. The Fynbos Trust and the OCG work together through a variety of projects, such as the Agulhas Plain African Grass Owl Research Project. The Trust’s Managing Director, Chris Martens, also serves on the board of the OCG.
BIONERDS
Bionerds.co.za are environmental consultants based in the Overberg. The company was founded and is run by husband and wife partnership, Keir and Alouise Lynch (both serve on the OCG’s board). They are also implementing the Agulhas Plain African Grass Owl Research Project, which is supported by the OCG.
GROOTBOS FOUNDATION
The Grootbos Foundation is a non-profit organisation, established in 2003 with the vision of conserving the Cape Floral Kingdom and uplifting the communities therein. Their strong conservation team are represented on the OCG’s board, working with the OCG’s extension support officer.
BARTON VINEYARDS
Barton Vineyards is a wine farm based close to the town of Bot River. Barton’s logo is that of the Blue Crane – and the winery contributes a percentage of profit to the OCG for every bottle of wine sold.
DONORS AND FRIENDS
BARTON WINES
Barton Wines is a wine farm set in the Kogelberg in the Botriver Valley. The winery uses the Blue Crane as its logo, and donates a percentage of its sales to the Overberg Crane Group. www.bartonvineyards.co.za
NATIONAL LOTTERY DISTRIBUTION TRUST FUND
The NLDTF awarded a grant to the Overberg Crane Group in 2008 – a grant that played an important role in securing the Crane Group’s work for the following seven years.
The Overberg Crane Group has also enjoyed great support and donations from a number of friends
- Dale & Mel Elliot
- Riviersonderend Quilting Guild
- Caledon Tourism Office
- Engen
- Agulhas Wines
- Cape Hunt
- Somerset West Motor Club
- Overberg Explorer
- FNB
- Goedverwacht Wines
- Bayer CropScience
- Hermanus Animal Hospital
- Swellendam SPCA
- Bredasdorp Diere Kliniek
- Animal Anti-Cruelty League – Bredasdorp
PHOTOGRAPHY
Thank you to our partners and friends for the photographs used on this site: Sharon Brink, Warwick Tarboton, Odette Curtis, The Overberg Renosterveld Conservation Trust, Andre Botha, Anton Odendaal (BirdLife Overberg), Rob Simmons, Jessie Walton and Heather D’Alton.
HOW YOU CAN HELP
You can get involved in conserving our birds in the Overberg.
DEAD OR INJURED BIRDS
Blue Cranes and other birds are often found dead or injured in the Overberg. Please report dead or injured birds to our OCG Extension Officer, Keir Lynch by email to support@bluecrane.org.za or phone 084 369 0969.
REPORT RINGED BIRDS
Hundreds of Blue Cranes have had rings placed on their legs over the years. We use these rings to identify Blue Cranes. With this information, we can learn more about them. If you see a Blue Crane with rings on its legs, please let us know.
SUPPORT
The Overberg Crane Group is the only organisation dedicated to protecting our Overberg's birds, like Blue Cranes and Cape Vultures. We need your help to protect our threatened bird species from possible future extinction.
BIRDLASSER APP
There’s a convenient way for bird lovers to note the birds they see – using the BirdLasser app. You can download the BirdLasser app to your cellphone. It’s also a great tool for bird lovers to keep accurate records of their sightings