Let’s save the baobabs

Thanks to donations from Skoon Skincare (South Africa), Dr Jackson Skincare (UK), Lather (USA) and BaoMed (Netherlands) the Baobab Foundation has managed to raise enough funds to protect another fifty baobab trees. In October (2023) Mphadeni Nthangeni (Park Manager), Steven Khosa (SanParks Ecologist), the Honorary Rangers (Mapungubwe Cluster) and Sarah Venter (Baobab Foundation) will be starting this daunting task. There [...] Continue Reading

Big Bite Tree Collapses (Video 4)

Big Bite Tree Collapses (Video 4) I visited this tree in November 2022 (Video 1 in this series), less than seven months later this tree collapsed and died.  It was a tragic sight and has emphasised the urgent need for the protection of baobabs from elephant damage in this forgotten park.

Elephants cause damage and death to Mapungubwe baobab trees – what can be done?

Baobabs are a most important feature of Mapungubwe National Park. Management is under mounting pressure from ecologists and the public to find solutions to protect our Baobabs and river-forests of the bordering Limpopo River. Baobabs are part of the historical-cultural landscape at Mapungubwe. They are found on many of the archaeological sites around the park, evidence that they played an […] Continue Reading

Wonderful foster parents for baby Baobabs

Baobab wilding is about enrichment-planting of baobabs back into the wild.  To prepare for this we are growing baobab trees from seed. Some are in Dr Sarah Venter’s nursery at EcoProducts and other trees are being grown by community members in villages around Venda, oftentimes with precious, little available water in the arid environments where Baobabs thrive. The trees in […] Continue Reading

Rescuing Mapungubwe ‘s Baobabs from elephant damage

Baobabs and elephants have been living in the same habitat for centuries. However, as the habitat for elephants shrink due to changing land use, they get boxed into fences with herds ever increasing on smaller and smaller patches of land. Baobabs and other trees are then being browsed more intensely, with the result that many trees do not get enough […] Continue Reading