Rogge Cloof Conservation Blog

The original section of the Rogge Cloof Reserve, was established by European settler Joachim Scholtz in 1756. Settled in a ravine in the beautiful region known as the Roggeveld, for many generations, the land was used to raise sheep. The land was abounding with game, and the ravines and waterways were lined with nutritious Roggeveld Rye Grass. Such was the abundance in this area that the prevailing sense at the time was that the natural resources would never run out. Little thought was given, for lack of research at the time, to the long-term effects of overgrazing… and so things continued as they did for the next 200+ years. In the year 1991, the current owners bought Rogge Cloof, that very same piece of land that Joachim Scholtz established into a farm all those years ago. It is a small section of what is now the Rogge Cloof Reserve, but in buying that first piece, so they also sowed the seeds of change. Removing the stock fences and livestock, replacing them with game, the change began to take place. Over many years the land was nurtured, and it began to return to nature, with man and wilderness in harmony, once again. The owners, with their endless enthusiasm and passion, born of childhoods spent climbing and exploring the valleys and plains, hope to leave a legacy to future generations visiting this area.