Across the Kruger to Canyons Biosphere Region, the question is not only how we protect nature, but how people are able to live well alongside it.

The Nature Positive Livelihoods Demonstration Team works with communities to explore what that looks like in practice.

At demonstration sites across the region, community members are testing and refining ways of farming, producing and managing resources that restore rather than degrade the land. From climate-smart agriculture and sustainable rangeland management to reusable hygiene solutions and small enterprise development, these are practical, working examples of what a nature-positive economy can look like.

This work is hands-on and locally led. Community members receive training, build skills, and are supported to develop their own enterprises. Through Eco-Savings and Credit Groups, households are also able to strengthen their financial resilience, creating a foundation for longer-term stability and growth.

What begins as participation can grow into ownership, of ideas, of enterprises, and of the future of the landscape itself.

By connecting livelihoods with restoration, the team demonstrates a simple but powerful idea: when people are supported to care for the land, the land is better able to support them in return.

24

Eco-Savings & Credit Groups established and maintatined

635

people with responsible means to improve livelihoods

xxx

families accessed reusable diaper starter packs

xxx

Seamstresses trained to make & sell reusable saniary pads

SMME mentorship and training support community members to develop and grow small enterprises linked to sustainable livelihoods. Through practical guidance, skills development and ongoing support, participants build the confidence and capability to move from idea to income.

110

Micro Businesses trained and mentored

48 tonnes

Recycled waste sold