From New York to South Africa: Fighting for a Wild Tomorrow, Today

The land along the Mzinene River in South Africa’s KwaZulu-Natal province was almost becoming a pineapple farm. This would have meant slashing and burning the entire 1,235 acres (500ha) to make way for agriculture. The diversity of beautiful wildlife would be swallowed up by an endless sea of pineapples. This looming threat endangered the river, its forests, grasslands, its people and the wildlife that called it home. Until, that is, a small group of committed individuals, miles away in New York, answered the call for help.

In this Restor community story, we spoke with Wendy Hapgood, Co-founder and COO of Wild Tomorrow for what was meant to be a quick thirty-minute call—but as the conversation continued, it stretched into over an hour. We love how Wild Tomorrow embodies what Restor is: contributing to reversing biodiversity loss, empowering local communities, learning from one another, creating networks and collaborating, and using science to underpin their work. Enjoy the edited and condensed version of our inspiring discussion with coffee if you’d like.

The beginning

“We realized that the people on the frontlines of conservation were underfunded and under-resourced,” Wendy recalls. “It wasn’t about grand gestures; it was about asking, ‘What do you need?’ and then doing whatever we could to help.”

Wendy Hapgood and John Steward were just two people from New York City who loved animals and stumbled upon a global problem they couldn’t walk away from. On a volunteer vacation to South Africa, John observed that the rangers, who risked their lives daily to protect rhinos from poachers, lacked necessities. No boots. No uniforms. Not even working vehicles. One day, the rangers missed patrol due to flat tires and no money to fix them. John knew he could help right then and there:  “I can buy them tires.” This was the beginning of something bigger, that would become Wild Tomorrow.

But there is more to than what is seen…

South Africa is at the center of a poaching crisis, primarily driven by demand for rhino horn and other wildlife products, largely because of myths (part of a Chinese Traditional Medicine that has been practiced for over 3000 years) and status as a luxury commodity. Rhino poaching, in particular, has been devastating, with thousands killed over the past decade to fuel the illegal wildlife trade. Kruger National Park has been a hotspot, but in recent years, the focus has shifted to KwaZulu-Natal.

Conservationists and anti-poaching units work tirelessly to combat this crisis through increased security, K9 units (anti-poaching dogs), community engagement, and wildlife protection initiatives. While efforts have led to some declines in poaching numbers, the threat remains severe.

The birth of Wild Tomorrow

“What do you need?”

Wild Tomorrow was formed back in 2015 to support those working relentlessly to protect rhinos and other endangered species from poaching by asking one simple question: “what do you need?” Instead of coming to the rangers with ready-made solutions, Wild Tomorrow listened to those working on the frontlines of conservation. 

“We cannot save elephants without saving termites. We cannot save pangolins without saving ants. And we cannot save any of them without saving wild areas from destruction. Everything within an ecosystem is connected in marvelously complex ways. And they all need a safe place to call home.”

Building the first wildlife nature reserve 

A year into their work, a piece of degraded land in KwaZulu-Natal stretching 1235 acres (500 ha) was up for sale. The land was ecologically significant—part of a biodiversity hotspot, connected to a river flowing into a UNESCO World Heritage wetland, and adjacent to a successful private wildlife reserve. If they didn’t act, it would be turned into pineapple farms, with chemical runoff polluting the river and destroying the ecosystem.

“We knew we had to try,” Wendy says. “But the price tag was 1.2million! We’d been asking people for $50 to buy boots—now we needed to raise a million dollars.”

Crowdfunding campaigns started. Bake sales, and tapping into networks of animal-loving friends in New York. People created birthday funds on social media and sponsored zebras and giraffes. 

It was a great community effort to be able to acquire the land. Today, that land, named Ukuwela, is part of a growing wildlife reserve, officially designated as a nature reserve—the highest level of conservation protection in South Africa. And, importantly, it remains locally owned in South Africa.

Image courtesy: Wild Tomorrow. Wildlife in The Greater Ukuwela Nature Reserve

The Greater Ukuwela Nature Reserve 

Ukuwela is a legacy of hope that reflects a vision of wildlife crossing the river and thriving in restored habitat. Over the years, Wild Tomorrow has expanded the reserve, stitching together a wildlife corridor that connects fragmented habitats. The reserve is home to over 1,250 species and contains multiple ecosystems, including grasslands, wetlands, and critically endangered Southern African dry sand forest. 

Image courtesy: Wild Tomorrow. The Greater Ukuwela Nature Reserve connects the iSimangaliso Wetland Park and the Phinda Private Game Reserve.

Helping communities

You may have heard of The Black Mambas, founded in 2013 as the world’s first all-female anti-poaching unit, working in South Africa’s Greater Kruger National Park. The Green Mambas are Wild Tomorrow’s version of this groundbreaking group - an ecosystem restoration team of 14 Zulu women who work full-time to rewild the landscape, removing encroaching and invasive plants and growing and replanting native species.  

Wild Tomorrow places its neighboring Zulu community at the core of its conservation work. In a region that suffers from widespread poverty and unemployment, Wild Tomorrow has created 30 jobs for local people, whose incomes now support over 200 dependents between them. They’re offering an alternative to poaching and extractive monoculture farming, one which will help regenerate and revive the land, empower marginalized groups, and enable future generations. 

“These women are the backbone of our restoration efforts,” Wendy says. “They’re not just employees; they’re conservation heroes.”

Image courtesy: Wild Tomorrow. The Green Mambas, ecosystem restoration team

Next up: creating a wildlife corridor connecting Ukuwela east to west

Wild Tomorrow continues to look for opportunities to restore natural ecosystems and has now secured the 731-acre (296-hectare) Sisonke Farm in addition to their legally protected Greater Ukuwela Nature Reserve in KwaZulu-Natal. Sisonke means “to bridge”, just a perfect name for a keystone property that will join the eastern and western sections of the reserve, so native animals like African savanna elephants, rhinos, lions, and cheetahs can roam freely. 

​Image courtesy: Wild Tomorrow. Newly acquired Sisonke Farm, a wildlife corridor that connects 4000 acres (1620 ha) of protected habitat for wide-roaming species

“We’re not saving the world,” Wendy says. “We’re just doing what we can, one pair of boots, one acre of land, and one giraffe at a time.”

Do you like what you read and want to help?

Wild Tomorrow’s work is far from over. From expanding the reserve to supporting rangers and local communities, there’s still so much to be done. You can donate to Wild Tomorrow here

Wild Tomorrow joined the restoration family on Restor recently. Here is the profile for you to delve deeper into their work and impact: Wild Tomorrow Fund