Villiera Wines is situated in the Stellenbosch region and is managed for wine grape production as well as a portion of the farm having been set aside for rehabilitation of old vineyards and fallow land to provide a wildlife sanctuary (220 Ha) for game. Here conservation efforts for both game and vegetation take place alongside a determined indigenous tree- planting project. Well over 100 000 indigenous trees have been planted in an attempt to green fallow land and mitigate our carbon footprint. The wildlife sanctuary has been fenced off and certified to be an area of adequate enclosure by Cape Nature and is stocked with a variety of game species including Eland, Zebra, Springbok, Gemsbok, Bontebok, Giraffe, Kudu, Black Wildebees amongst others. The game within the camp gradually reduces the alien invasive vegetation by actively feeding on these plants.
To add to our sustainable practices, over the past 6 years we have moved to greening our boundary fences. We have been planting double rows of Acacias spaced 1 metre apart along all our boundaries (2 000 trees per km). They become impenetrable and suck up carbon from the atmosphere, clean and cool the air, as well as provide a habitat for insects, birds, reptiles, and small mammals. They look beautiful too.
All the trees are grown by our staff on the farm or in the townships. Initially, Villiera was their only client, but now other businesses are buying acacias to green and protect their properties.
