Bushmans River Biodiversity Corridor
We are Restoring the Roam
Our founders, Catherine Pruett and Brett Sommermeyer, launched Project WildRange in 2023, purchasing and committing a nearly 2,000-acre farm they named “WildRange” to help" establish and catalyze the multi-partner Bushmans River Biodiversity Corridor in the Eastern Cape province of South Africa.
Building on this foundation, Law of the Wild is working with corridor partners, including neighboring landowners, local communities, and conservation allies, to effectively reconnect fragmented habitats, reestablish ecosystem function, and - as we like to call it - “Restore the Roam” for countless species of wildlife.
A story of recovery, resilience, and hope
An expanding protected landscape born from the vision of a multi-partner initiative, the Bushmans River Biodiversity Corridor will ultimately reconnect fragmented lands stretching from Addo Elephant National Park to the Great Fish River Nature Reserve—a region once freely traversed by elephant, rhino, lion, cheetah, and countless other species. At full scale, the Corridor will encompass millions of hectares, restoring connectivity to one of the most important biodiversity landscapes in southern Africa.
From Fragmentation . . .
For centuries, the Eastern Cape has been fenced and divided. These practices severely fragmented habitats, restricted wildlife movement and genetic flow, replaced native flora and fauna, and reduced ecosystem function.
. . . to Connectivity
Together, we are reversing the legacy of fragmentation by re-wilding land, removing barriers to wildlife movement, mitigating climate change through soil rehabilitation and improved carbon storage, and uplifting and securing healthy futures for local communities.
In Tandem With Communities
We developed Project WildRange with local community priorities in mind. As part of the Bushmans River Biodiversity Corridor initiative, we support career training and are creating jobs to help reduce poverty—ensuring conservation benefits reach the people living alongside these landscapes, while preserving cultural heritage and minimizing human-wildlife conflict.
Our commitment helps alleviate the recent and severe global cutbacks in social program funding, by empowering local people with the skills, income, and opportunities needed to access health care, education, and other essential services.
A Global Conservation Priority
The Bushmans River Biodiversity Corridor - an ecologically extraordinary landscape -
is home to 7 of South Africa’s 9 biomes.
lies within the Maputaland-Pondoland-Albany Biodiversity Hotspot–the second richest floristic region in southern Africa.
encompasses two Key Biodiversity Areas (KBAs), including the Kenton–Alexandria–Paterson KBA and the Woody Cape Section: Addo KBA.
Recognized Nationally and Internationally
The region has been prioritized for conservation by both national and international bodies. We are very grateful to South Africa’s Eastern Cape Parks and Tourism Agency for its guidance and oversight in the formal process of attaining Protected Environment status and its recognition of the Corridor’s core area as the ideal habitat for a range of imperiled species and location for the advancement of the Black Rhino Range Expansion Project.
Connect With Us
info@lawofthewild.org
United States
7511 Greenwood Ave. North #4214 Seattle, Washington 98103
+1 206 774-0048
South Africa
26 Nature’s Landing Bushmans River Eastern Cape 6191
+27 (0)79-891-6635