For several years, we have supported initiatives led by local guides from Pondoland on South Africa’s Wild Coast. This breathtaking, unspoilt wilderness—where land and ocean exist in delicate balance—is under increasing threat from development. Our work seeks to strengthen the custodianship of the AmaMpondo people, whose rural, subsistence lifestyle is deeply intertwined with the health of their land and sea. Their culture, livelihoods, and identity depend on these spaces remaining intact.

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Renowned for its dramatic beauty, the Wild Coast is a place of towering cliffs where waterfalls plunge directly into the ocean, rolling green hills cut by rivers that carve spectacular gorges on their journey to the sea, and a remarkable diversity of endemic flora and fauna, both terrestrial and marine. It is a rare and irreplaceable wilderness that demands protection.

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The ocean, in particular, lies at the heart of life on the Wild Coast. It sustains local livelihoods and serves as a vital sanctuary for countless marine species. Each year, migrating whales pass close to shore on their journey north to calve in the warmer waters beyond Mozambique, returning months later with their newborns. This fragile marine wilderness is under serious threat from seismic testing for oil and gas exploration.

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Wildlife Foundation values the commitment shown by the AmaMpondo people as custodians of their natural heritage, and we are proud to support initiatives that strengthen and deepen this relationship. Community-led trails have created opportunities to slow down, to listen—to the land, the ocean, and the wisdom carried by indigenous plants, animals, and people. These experiences invite participants to reconnect with knowledge held within the place itself, and within those who walk it.

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Our most recent trail brought together 14 local guides—the voices that bridge this wild landscape and those fortunate enough to visit it. For once, they were offered their own journey along familiar paths, with time and space to feel, listen, and grow. These trails are facilitated by three guides whose connection to this place is profound and unwavering: Sinegugu Zukulu, Vuyani Mbuzwa, and Artist Gqwetha. We are deeply grateful for their leadership, care, and dedication to protecting this extraordinary wilderness.

 

We would like to make special mention of the incredible work that has been ongoing on the Wild Coast in the fight against the threats from oil and gas prospecting mentioned above.  Sinegugu together with Nonhle Mbuthuma have been at the forefront of the fight to protect this ocean realm. Their tireless advocacy earned them the Goldman Environmental Award in 2024. Their work has helped safeguard migratory whales, dolphins, and other marine life, while also demonstrating the power of community-led conservation rooted in a deep understanding of the intrinsic value of wilderness—on land and at sea—and of humanity’s profound connection to it.

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If you would like to find out more about Sinegugu, Nonhle or the work that they do, please take a look at these links:

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Sinegugu:  Sustaining the Wild Coast

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Nonhle: Amadiba Crisis Committee