Somehow, Addo Elephant National Park has achieved a fine balance between effective conservation and expansion while earning the goodwill of its neighbours.

If ever an elephant reserve could serve as a template for effective conservation, it is Addo. What makes it remarkable is not only its thriving elephant population, but the way it has grown, adapted and coexisted with neighbouring farms and communities over nearly a century.

Addo Elephant National Park is not just a sanctuary; it is a living, breathing organism that has expanded its borders, healed degraded lands and fostered a model of conservation that many others could learn from.

Addo has recently introduced 72 elephants into their Kabouga section to relieve pressure from the Main Camp and Colchester sections. In 2018, at least 27 elephants were translocated to the Nama Karoo section around Darlington Dam. The park has also purchased several old farms around Kirkwood to incorporate into its expanding footprint.

Since the 1980s, the Greater Addo Elephant National Park has actively expanded to increase habitat for elephants as well as other wildlife and endangered plant communities. This expansion has included forest reserves, provincial conservation areas and private lands - transforming old and degraded agricultural areas into protected spaces given time to rest, regenerate and become an elephant habitat.

Addo has also reintroduced elephants to adjoining private reserves in...