About Us

Eden to Addo’s primary goal is to assist and engage with landowners and stakeholders in identifying and developing a living corridor from Eden to Addo. By applying sound land-use practices and encouraging a diversity of environmentally sustainable livelihoods, the initiative aims to link ecologically important areas for the benefit of biodiversity and the extended community.

Who we are

Uniting Landscapes, Restoring Balance, Inspiring a Regenerative Future

OUR VISION

To link three mega-reserves, namely the Garden Route National Park, The Baviaanskloof Mega Reserve and the Addo Elephant National Park by means of natural corridors to protect and restore the integrity of biodiversity and ecosystem functioning.

OUR MISSION

To assist and engage with landowners and all stakeholders to identify and develop a living corridor from Eden to Addo by applying sound land-use practices, encouraging a diversity of environmentally sustainable livelihoods and linking ecological important areas, for the benefit of biodiversity and the extended community

THE DREAM

The Eden to Addo vision is based on the practical potential within the landscape connecting the Western and Eastern Cape of South Africa, but this vision is guided by a deeper question and dream: What if we could re-establish ancient elephant migration paths across the Cape, what then? What other wildlife will benefit and how will that restore the ecological balance of the region.

Get to know us

Eden to Addo has initiated the protection of over 55 000ha of land towards interconnected corridors thus far, with associated management plans to restore habitats, mitigating the effects of climate change and biodiversity loss. There is little to no point in protecting species without protecting their habitat. Fragmentation of the landscape is one of the greatest causes of biodiversity loss and protecting and restoring natural corridors is paramount to restoring biodiversity and ecosystems.

Our focus areas are the Robberg Coastal Corridor, the Keurbooms Corridor, the Langkloof Corridor and the Springbokvlakte Corridor. Eden to Addo supports farmers and other landowners who would like to be biodiversity stewards and facilitates the declaration and management of protected areas.

We provide hands-on support for research, invasive species control, veld restoration and sustainable nature-based income streams. We strategize and partner with local, provincial and national stakeholder groups to establish and restore ecological corridors in our interconnected habitats and biomes, for the benefit of biodiversity, ecosystem resilience and healthy human communities – simply for the benefit of all life.

Corridors are living landscapes for fauna, flora and people. Eden to Addo encourages sustainable livelihoods that benefit both people and the land, including carefully managed agriculture, ecotourism and nature-friendly micro-enterprises. Living corridors necessitate wise land-use practices, restoration of the veld and healthy human communities where both nature and people thrive.

The Team

Who we are

Who are the people involved?

Rhian Berning

Rhian Berning

E2A CEO

Rhian Berning is an environmental scientist and educator. She has worked for 25 years in the environmental field with a focus on interconnected systems, biodiversity, resilient ecosystems, education, job creation, restoration, regeneration and social justice. She imagines a time when we are cognisant again of the direct impact our everyday choices have on the people and living systems which support us, a time when we live in reciprocal relationship. So she focuses on impactful and tangible projects to activate the dynamic part we play in the entangled web of life, enabling a viable future for all, in service to life.
Brian Reeves

Brian Reeves

E2A Corridor Coordinator

As Corridor Coordinator Brian Reeves focuses on engaging with landowners, biodiversity assessments and protected area declarations. Brian is a Professional Natural Scientist with over 20 years’ experience in ecology. He spent more than a decade at the Eastern Cape Parks & Tourism Agency, where he managed research and monitoring on threatened species (such as black rhino, leopard, and Cape mountain zebra) and ecological processes like fire. He is experienced in biodiversity assessments, conservation planning, environmental impact assessments, and the application of international sustainability standards. Brian has also contributed to biodiversity stewardship, helping establish the KwaZulu-Natal, Eastern Cape, Gauteng, and Nelson Mandela Bay programmes.
Joan Berning

Joan Berning

E2A Chairperson

Passionate about wild places, Joan spends her free time hiking along the coast and in the mountains. After studying science at the University of Cape Town she started her own business farming and making cheese on the foothills of the Outeniqua Mountains near Plettenberg Bay, South Africa. Living adjacent to a National Park, The Garden of Eden, where South Africa's last truly free elephant still roams, she dreamt of restoring ancient migratory paths. What if we could establish corridors across the fragmented landscape between the Garden of Eden and Addo? The Knysna elephant became a symbol to her of fragmentation in the landscape and what that does to all of nature. The dream became a reality when the Eden to Addo Corridor Initiative was founded in 2006.
Anna-Marie de Vos

Anna-Marie de Vos

E2A Director

Anna-Marie de Vos is a seasoned legal professional currently serving as one of the directors of Eden to Addo. She earned her LLB and LLM (Intellectual Property) degrees from UNISA, joined the Pretoria Bar in 1985, was granted silk in 1997, and in 2001 was appointed as a Judge on the North Gauteng High Court bench. She then shifted focus to human rights law and in her spare time concentrates on agriculture and sustainable living on a farm in Harkerville on the Garden Route. She works with NGOs such as the Legal Resources Centre and champions environmental stewardship through her role at Eden to Addo.
Ian Michler

Ian Michler

E2A Director

Ian is a graduate of the Sustainability Institute at Stellenbosch University and has spent over 35 years working across Africa as an ecotourism operator, environmental photojournalist and wilderness guide. He is involved in various conservation efforts, including the global campaign of the award-winning feature documentary Blood Lions. He has published ten books on topics ranging from natural history and travel in Africa to the current environmental and sustainability crisis. The latest, Living in Two Worlds – Addressing Humanity’s Greatest Challenge was released in November 2022. Ian currently lives in Plettenberg Bay, South Africa where he is a managing partner and Director of Invent Africa, a safari company that runs specialist trips to 18 countries across Africa.
Maphiko Mncedisi Ncedani

Maphiko Mncedisi Ncedani

E2A Director

Maphiko Mncedisi Ncedani is a creative and cultural practitioner dedicated to environmental sustainability and community empowerment. With Lunchbox Theatre, he develops impactful productions such as The Whale Show, Dog’s Life, and The Water Show, raising awareness on marine ecosystems, animal welfare, and water conservation. A passionate advocate for Indigenous knowledge systems, Maphiko motivates audiences through his speaking engagements, focusing on the interplay between environmental stewardship, spirituality, community resilience and cultural heritage. He is a respected Traditional Healer, integrating ancient practices of healing into his holistic approach to wellness.
Jeff Liss

Jeff Liss

Director

Jeff had an extensive career in manufacturing and corporate retail including commercial trading and corporate social responsibility and finally building portfolios of sustainable business practices, ethical sourcing and small business development for one of South Africa’s leading retailers. On leaving corporate life Jeff built a family business which dedicates a percentage of all sales to the conservation of wild bees and to the protection of their natural habitat. He is passionate about: the arts, wildlife and natural spaces, surfing and family.
Dick Carr

Dick Carr

Advisor to the Board

Dick Carr began his conservation career in 1975 with the Mammal Research Institute, contributing to the Bushveld Savanna Ecosystem Project at Nylsvley. His early work included research on impala and cattle, followed by support for postgraduate studies and diverse fieldwork in Antarctica, Marion Island, oNgoye Forest, and Kruger National Park. He spent 20 years with Transvaal Nature Conservation, advancing to Deputy Director, before consulting for EMOA and WTA. In 2004 he farmed in the Little Karoo, declaring his land a reserve and co-founding the GCBR. From 2014 to 2024 he coordinated Eden to Addo’s corridors.
Who we are

Our History

The Eden to Addo Corridor Initiative was born when a group of locals were invited to a public meeting by Joan Berning and Elbie Pama in 2003. The response to Joan’s idea of establishing a corridor of privately owned land linking the Garden Route to Addo Elephant Park was overwhelming with the result that the proposed corridor starts within the Eden District Municipality in the west incorporating the coastal towns of Knysna, Sedgefield, Wilderness and George and ends at Greater Addo National Park.

At the next public meeting members of South African National Parks, Cape Nature and The Baviaanskloof Mega Reserve were invited to tell of their respective conservation initiatives and provide input on how Eden to Addo could best be implemented. Jill Gordon spoke about the work being done in Addo, Bool Smuts presented his work in the Baviaanskloof Mega Reserve, Peet Joubert presented his dream of the Garden Route Mega Park and Justine Sharples explained the role of CapeNature’s Stewardship programme with the result that everybody who attended was inspired by the idea that their little piece of land could one day form part of a biodiversity conservation corridor, filling the gaps between, and buffering existing parks and reserves. Pam Booth approached Joan Berning at this meeting expressing her interest in the project.

A firm commitment was made to plan the corridor according to biodiversity conservation principles. Critical partnerships were identified with SANParks, CapeNature and the newly formed Garden Route Initiative for phase one of the project. Future partners were identified such as the Baviaanskloof Mega Reserve and Addo Elephant Park but most importantly the private sector was asked to think about what they would want.

Did they want development to continue in an ad hoc fashion as it has been or could they envision a collage of different land uses and human activities underpinned by sound environmental management? The kind of management that respects human and animal life that allows the biodiversity of the region to thrive while encouraging a diversity of livelihoods – that allows the conservation of processes as opposed to individual habitats or species.

Their suggestions were incorporated into a working document that was presented to stakeholders in a series of follow up public meetings. Attendance lists and minutes were recorded at each meeting and input regarding the design and implementation of the initiative including the mission and vision statements was integrated into the project design. Representatives of SANParks, Cape Nature, CAPE, the Bioregional Programmes Co-ordinator for the Eastern Cape and local environmental NGO’s such as WESSA, The Botanical Society, Dendrological Society and the South African Mountain Club attended most of these public meetings and provided additional input on each occasion. A draft Steering Committee including representatives from of SANParks, Cape Nature and landowners was identified at a meeting in Knysna at the end of 2003. A list of stakeholder organisations and individual stakeholder ‘members’ who attended public meetings held in Knysna, Plett, Sedgefield and George between Oct 2003 and August 2005 was recorded and is in excess of 150 individuals and organisations. A project manager, Pam Booth, was nominated at a public meeting and a mission and vision agreed upon.

A total of R30 000 seed funding was raised between 2003 and 2005 as follows:

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Landowners (R7000), the Wilderness Foundation (R15 000) and the Landmark Foundation (R8000)
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A section 21 Company was registered in the name of Eden to Addo Corridor Initiative in May 2006 with founder members Joan Berning, Elbie Pama, Pam Booth, Galeo Saintz, Dr. Robbie Robinson, Julie Carlisle and Sebastian Andrews. Elbie Pama resigned in January 2010 and Sue Swain was appointed
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An application to raise funds from the Critical Ecosystem and Partnership Fund, Washington, was initiated by Pam Booth in 2005. $ 70000.00 for initial work in the Bitou and Crags Corridor’s was received in September 2006. Close working partnerships with SANParks, and CapeNature were formed during the execution of the first project which still exist today in the form of quarterly stewardship working group meetings.
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Joan Berning presented the dream to hike the full extent of the corridor to Galeo Saintz in 2005. He researched and executed the first Eden to Addo 400km Great Corridor Hike in September 2006. A total amount of R70 000.00 was raised for Eden to Addo. The hike became a popular annual fund raising event.

Our Partners

WWF
SAN Parks
Cape Nature
Eastern Cape
Rewilding
Cape floristic region
Conservation outcomes
Wildernaess Foundation
Senckenberg
Stellenbosch
Cape Leopard trust
Conservation landscapes institute
Endangered wildlife trust
Plc
Hans

“Protection and restoration of connectivity is not an artificial change to the landscape: rather it is the loss of connectivity and the isolation of natural environments that is the artefact of human land use (Noss 1991).”