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CapeNature is proud to announce that its Damara Trail video series has won the Silver Award in the Tourism – Products category at the prestigious International Tourism Film Festival Africa (ITFFA) 2025.

CapeNature’s videos stood out for their compelling storytelling, visual excellence, and ability to capture the essence of nature-based tourism in the Western Cape.

“We are incredibly proud that the Damara Trail videos have been recognised on an international platform. This award helps to underline our commitment to sustainable tourism offerings. Much like the Damara Trail itself, the video helps to tell the unique history and story of the Waenhuiskrans area to visitors both far and near,” said Sheraaz Ismail, Executive Director: Eco-Tourism and Access.

Biodiversity forms the bedrock of life on Earth. It is essential not only for sustaining healthy ecosystems but also for ensuring human wellbeing. Last week, on 22 May, we celebrated International Day for Biological Diversity, to raise awareness, educate, and build understanding around biodiversity issues, while inspiring collective effort to conserve it for future generations.

A successful HeliHack operation has cleared 15 194 invasive pine trees from the rugged slopes of the Boosmansbos Wilderness Area – a CapeNature-managed World Heritage Site and crucial catchment area feeding the Duivenhoks Dam.

From 3–5 May 2025, the latest mission to tackle the invasive alien vegetation marked the most successful pine removal in the initiative’s history.

A young female Humpback whale that was stranded on the Island Beach at Robberg Nature Reserve on Monday, 19 May 2025, was humanely euthanised the following morning after multiple failed rescue attempts and a subsequent expert assessment.

The whale appeared to have run aground on a sandbank and Robberg Nature Reserve personnel were on site to monitor the whale and manage public access to prevent further distress or harm. 

One of the Western Cape’s most mysterious mammals, the Boosmansbos long-tailed forest shrew (Myosorex longicaudatus boosmani), has made a reappearance, 46 years after it was last recorded! Conservationists from CapeNature, Grootvadersbosch Conservancy and Helihack, together with volunteer biologists found one of these tiny mammals in CapeNature’s Boosmansbos Wilderness Area.

In celebration of the invaluable role played by professional tourist guides, CapeNature, in collaboration with the Western Cape Department of Economic Development and Tourism, hosted an interactive event at Walker Bay Nature Reserve to mark International Tourist Guide Day.