19 September 2024 - Paul Clüver
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The Burgeoning Indigenous Forest Project

A BURGEONING INDIGENOUS FOREST has been planted on the De Rust Farm in Elgin, home of Paul Clüver Family Wines in an initiative aimed at furthering natural and community sustainability. The more than 340 endemic tree species planted, including Yellowwood, Cape Chestnut and Wild Olive, is a combined endeavour between Paul Clüver Family, the Fairtree Foundation and irrigation specialists Agrico. Agrico is owned by the Andrag family who are related to the Clüvers through Getrude Clüver – née Andrag – the late mother of Dr Paul Clüver.

The Fairtree Foundation donated 140 trees, as well as R50 000 to the De Rust Futura Academy primary and secondary school situated on De Rust farm. This school was founded in 1957 by Getrude Clüver, mother of Dr Paul Clüver, to provide education for the children from local communities whose parents were working on the surrounding farms. Today the school has over 1 300 pupils from Grade 1 to Matric and besides providing education and meals for pupils, offers an array of extra-curricular activities.

The newly-planted indigenous trees are irrigated with equipment donated by Agrico.

Paul Clüver Jnr, managing director of Paul Clüver Family Wines, says the project is the culmination of an informal campfire discussion between himself, Walter Andrag of Agrico, Fairtree group chairman André Malan and Hendrik Pfaff from the Longmountain Trust in the importance of re-establishing indigenous ecosystems and the need for inter-generational sustainability of people and communities through education.

“Fairtree, an asset management company, had already established indigenous forests in the Eastern Cape, and on De Rust farm, we are continually removing alien vegetation and replacing it with indigenous flora,” says Clüver. “Over a bottle or two of Pinot Noir – Paul Clüver, of course – next to the fire under the Karoo skies, we decided to put thought into practice. Fairtree would donate the indigenous trees to complement those, my father, Dr Paul Clüver, had established as well as a capital sum for the De Rust Futura Academy. With my second-cousin Walter being in the irrigation business, he offered to lay down the watering system to get these beautiful trees off to a great start.

“And then we engaged some of the pupils of the De Rust Futura Academy to help with the planting – besides the donation from Fairtree, it is these children who as adults will one day benefit from an environment enriched by the splendours of an indigenous forest.”