About us

The Conservancy 

The Western Heads-Goukamma Conservancy is located in the Garden Route District Municipality of the Western Cape Province of South Africa. It covers the area from the western bank of the Knysna Estuary to the eastern bank of the Goukamma Estuary, and from the beach (high water mark) inland to the N2 national highway.

Key Features of the Conservancy

The Western Heads-Goukamma Conservancy contains important flora, including one of the largest remaining patches of the critically endangered Knysna Sand Fynbos vegetation type. The area is also home to several endangered butterflies, of which the Brenton Blue Butterfly is best known, as well as endangered mammals such as Caracal and Honey Badger.

The area is also of geological interest, comprising a series of wind-blown sand dunes running parallel to the coast which formed during the last Ice Age when the coast extended much further seaward. Fairly recent fossils of large mammals are  occasionally exposed in these dunes. The dunes influence the micro-climate which in turn affects what plant species grow where. There are a number of sites of archaeological interest, including Strandloper Shell Middens.

Conservancy Purpose

The Western Heads-Goukamma Conservancy’s purpose is to promote the protection of important indigenous ecosystems, species, archaeological and palaeontological sites, landscapes and geological features.

Conservancy Status

The conservancy has been registered with CapeNature on 4 October 2004. Click here to see the Certificate of Registration.

Click here to see the Constitution of the conservancy.