HFM Stream Interview: Protecting the Blyde and why it matters to Hoedspruit

Much of Hoedspruit’s water security begins high in the mountains of the Upper Blyde Catchment.

In this HFM interview, K2C Senior Project Manager Nicholas Theron explains why these mountain systems are so important to communities, agriculture, conservation and businesses downstream, and why protecting them is about far more than conservation.

“𝘛𝘩𝘰𝘴𝘦 𝘮𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘵𝘢𝘪𝘯𝘴 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘤𝘳𝘪𝘵𝘪𝘤𝘢𝘭 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘥𝘶𝘤𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘸𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘳. 𝘈𝘯𝘥 𝘪𝘧 𝘸𝘦 𝘥𝘰𝘯’𝘵 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘸𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘳, 𝘸𝘦 𝘥𝘰𝘯’𝘵 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘦𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘰𝘮𝘪𝘦𝘴.”

Nick discusses two of the biggest threats currently facing the catchment, invasive alien plants and illegal mining, as well as K2C’s work to restore invaded grasslands, protect water flows and better understand sedimentation in the Blyde Dam.

He also looks at the bigger challenge ahead: how to finance catchment restoration at the scale and over the timeframes needed to secure this natural water infrastructure.

Listen to the full interview to hear what is being done in the Upper Blyde, what the latest work is showing, and why a healthy catchment is fundamental to long-term water security in Hoedspruit and beyond.

Thank you to HFM Stream for giving K2C this platform to share our story!