African Conservation Trust

The African Conservation Trust (ACT) is a South African environmental, conservation and heritage organisation founded in 2000. It began as a volunteer organisation working with communities in Malawi and Botswana, monitoring hippo and wild dog populations, before shifting its focus to South Africa from 2003. ACT describes itself as a broad-based organisation implementing a diverse range of projects and programmes in South Africa, with a strong emphasis on collaboration, teamwork and bringing ecological agriculture to communities. Its stated vision is "People on a profitable planet" — a world able to sustain all life with abundant natural resources. ACT's work spans food security, biodiversity conservation, natural resource management, heritage conservation and the Social Employment Fund. In the heritage sector it uses modern technology to preserve Africa's history and culture, including digital mapping of rock art in the uKhahlamba Drakensberg in partnership with UKZN from 2003. It is a founding member of Project Rhino and managed the ACT Rhino Fund on behalf of the collaborative for its first decade, funding start-up administrative and project management. It also initiated the Upper UThukela Catchment Forum and was instrumental in forming Frackfree SA and the Imfolozi Wilderness Community Alliance. Through its nSimbi programme it has helped other NPOs build capacity and access funding, raising over R20 million for those entities. ACT has received recognition including the SANParks Kudu Award in the Non-Governmental Organisation category, two CyArk 500 Awards for heritage documentation (2013 and 2015), and runner-up prizes in the Mail & Guardian Greening the Future Awards (2013 and 2014). Sheelagh Antrobus received first place in the 2016 Game Rangers Association of Africa Rhino Conservation Awards in the Awareness, Education & Funding category for her work as Project Rhino KZN coordinator and the +R13 million raised by the ACT Rhino Fund. Since 2022 ACT has been a strategic implementing partner on the Social Employment Fund, and it is currently defining a narrative around the Conservation Economy.

The African Conservation Trust (ACT) started in 2000 as a volunteer organisation working with communities in Malawi and Botswana, monitoring hippo and wild dog populations. Its founding Chairman, Carl Grossmann, conceptualised ACT as an organisation that could assist conservation, environment and heritage efforts in the SADC region. Grossmann and Francois du Toit, the current CEO, met in 1983 and together built ACT into a respected and trusted stakeholder. In 2003 ACT partnered with UKZN to digitally map rock art in the uKhahlamba Drakensberg, and from that year its focus shifted to South Africa. Since then ACT has implemented a range of food security, heritage, erosion control and conservation programmes, and has become recognised as an innovative, collaborative partner that builds the sector. It is a proud founding member of Project Rhino, managing the ACT Rhino Fund on behalf of the collaborative for its first decade and funding the start-up administrative and project management before the initiative became sustainable. It initiated the collaboration of the Upper UThukela Catchment Forum and was instrumental in the formation of Frackfree SA and the Imfolozi Wilderness Community Alliance. Through its nSimbi programme it has developed and assisted many other NPOs in the sector to build capacity and access funding, raising over R20 million for those entities. ACT has received several awards. It won the SANParks Kudu Award in the Non-Governmental Organisation category, recognising the work of ACT and Social Employment Fund participants in Mpumalanga and Limpopo to promote conservation and improve livelihoods. Sheelagh Antrobus received first place in the 2016 Game Rangers Association of Africa Rhino Conservation Awards in the Awareness, Education & Funding category, in recognition of her efforts as Project Rhino KZN coordinator and the +R13 million raised by the ACT Rhino Fund. ACT received two CyArk 500 Awards for heritage work: the first for documentation of Drakensberg rock art at the CyArk 500 Challenge Launch & Conference (20–22 October 2013, Tower of London, England), and the second for documentation of corbelled houses in 2015. ACT's GigaBite Guardian received the runner-up prize in the 2014 Mail & Guardian Greening the Future Awards (June/July 2014), and ACT received the runner-up prize in the same awards in the Non-profit category in July 2013. Since 2022 ACT has been a strategic implementing partner on the Social Employment Fund, and it is currently defining a narrative around the Conservation Economy. It remains committed to building a sustainable and collaborative environmental, conservation and heritage sector.

• 2022

  Became a strategic implementing partner on the Social Employment Fund.

• 2016

  Sheelagh Antrobus received first place in the Game Rangers Association of Africa Rhino Conservation Awards, Awareness, Education & Funding category.

• 2015

  Received second CyArk 500 Award for documentation of corbelled houses.

• 2014

  GigaBite Guardian received runner-up prize in the Mail & Guardian Greening the Future Awards.

• 2013

  Received CyArk 500 Award for documentation of Drakensberg rock art at the CyArk 500 Challenge Launch & Conference, Tower of London.

• 2013

  Runner-up in the Mail & Guardian Greening the Future Awards, Non-profit category.

• 2003

  Partnership with UKZN to digitally map rock art in the uKhahlamba Drakensberg; focus shifts to South Africa.

• 2000

  ACT founded as a volunteer organisation working in Malawi and Botswana.

A collaborative, innovative South African conservation and heritage NGO focused on community benefit and the emerging Conservation Economy.

• Food Security

• Biodiversity Conservation

• Natural Resource Management

• Heritage Conservation

• Social Employment Fund

1. 1African Conservation Trust official websiteprojectafrica.com
2. 2Our Story – African Conservation Trustprojectafrica.com
3. 3African Conservation Trust – Wikidatawikidata.org