Skip to content

A wildlife conservation success story

Meet Sango

Our Essence

From game-reserve to game-changer

Sango stands as a living example of long-term ecological recovery. Once degraded and depleted, this land has been restored through decades of dedicated conservation—offering space and time for nature to heal.

Today, its rivers, woodlands, and savannahs once again support thriving wildlife populations, including some of the continent’s most endangered species. It is also part of the larger Greater Limpopo Transfrontier Conservation Area.

Our approach is grounded in respect—for the land, for the species that inhabit it, and for the communities that surround it. It goes beyond simply returning certain species; it’s a genuine commitment to rewilding that restores functional ecosystems and thus effectively fighting climate change.

 

At Sango, conservation is not just about protection—it’s about restoring the intricate connections between the land, wildlife, and surrounding communities. Through anti-poaching operations, carbon and biodiversity monitoring, and hence ecosystem services enhancement, we protect what matters most—our shared future.

True conservation uplifts both nature and people. At Sango, we work in close collaboration with local communities – investing in education, creating sustainable livelihoods, and championing peaceful coexistence, building resilience for both people and Nature.

In a rapidly changing world, Sango is not just a place where nature is preserved. It is a working landscape where ecosystems are given the space to thrive and where people are part of the solution. Because when Nature prospers, so can we.

Our Mission

Building long-term economic sustainability through positive environmental and social outcomes

“

To maintain and safeguard the natural biodiversity of the area through the application of sound and scientific ecological management practices, and to maximize the area’s economic viability and social uplifting and development through the sustainable utilization of its consumptive and non-consumptive use of our natural resources, subject to accepted business principles and without deriving said benefits at the expense of Sango’s fauna and flora.

” 

Our KEY Features

Building a stronger, interconnected conservation landscape

For more than 30 years, Sango has been at the forefront of wildlife reintroduction, ecological management, and nature conservation. After dismantling old cattle infrastructure, the land began to heal. Significant efforts were made to restore the ecosystem, starting with the reintroduction of lions and white rhinos in 2005 and 2006, brought in from the Malilangwe Reserve to the Savé Valley Conservancy. Isolated from human activity and infrastructures, the species and the surrounding ecosystem began to recover, with populations gradually growing.

Today, Sango encompasses close to 60,000 hectares of protected savanna, woodland, and the species that inhabit these ecosystems— an area almost the size of Singapore. The conservancy also stretches along 24 kilometers of the mighty Savé River and its wetlands. The Savé River, which flows for 640 kilometers in total, originates 80 kilometers from Harare, Zimbabwe’s capital, and traverses Mozambique before reaching the Indian Ocean. The river is a vital source of irrigation for agriculture, supporting crops like citrus, cotton, and sugar-cane.

Sango aims to protect its exceptional resource values which include a unique combination of flora, large population of fauna, including critically and endangered species, rivers and wetlands and threatened bird species, ecosystem services and cultural values. Thus Sango is protecting a significant part of the remaining 6500 critically endangered black rhinos in Africa, and overall, 10% of Zimbabwe’s black and white rhino population, It is home to many other endangered species, including wild dogs, pangolins, and hooded and white-backed vultures.

Sango is protected under the German-Zimbabwean-Investment-Promotion and Protection Treaty. This agreement was signed in 1995 by both governments and ratified by both Parliaments and aims at creating favourable conditions for investments by nationals and companies of either State in the territory of the other State. In the case of Sango, it ensures secure land-ownership, hence ensuring the long-term protection of its ecosystem.

Building a stronger, interconnected conservation landscape

Sango forms about 1/4 of the greater Savé Valley Conservancy, which itself is one of the largest private reserves in Africa,covering more than 300 000 ha of diverse wildlife habitat. This conservancy lies within the Greater Limpopo Trans-Frontier Conservation Area (GLTFCA), a vast conservation landscape that spans over 10 millions ha across three countries: Mozambique, South Africa, and Zimbabwe. The GLTFCA includes renowned national parks such as the Limpopo National Park in Mozambique, Kruger National Park in South Africa, and Gonarezhou National Park in Zimbabwe, and is home to a rich biodiversity, supporting 147 mammal species, 116 reptile species, 49 species of fish, 34 species of frogs, over 500 bird species, and at least 2,000 plant species.

Being part of a vast conservancy and lying within a trans-frontier conservation area allows Sango’s efforts to extend beyond its borders, contributing to the restoration and resilience of the broader regional ecosystem.

Protecting the land and its asset

In Zimbabwe, between 1991-2008, woodland cover has dropped by 20% due to agricultural expansion. Secure land protection is hence paramount, for ecosystems and the service it provides – Sango’s ecosystems are storing 8.5 million tonnes of CO2, which are certified, transparently monitored and protected.

Since 1993, Sango Wildlife Conservancy (SWC) has identified approximately 24 historically significant cultural sites, with several being regularly discovered. Although their meaning and creation date is uncertain, they are thought to have been made by former nomad populations living in this part of Africa up to the 16th century. They depict men and women, pregnant women, animals and deities. This brings us back to the distant past of these lands, and of the former type of inhabitation.

A sanctuary for Africas iconic wildlife

Some of Sango's key Species

Our History

Sango, untamed since 1993

Sango is part of the Savé Valley Conservancy (SVC), established in 1991 on lands previously used by the Devuli Cattle Ranch, which had recently gone bankrupt. At the time, there was a growing recognition that the lowveld regions of Southern Africa were better suited for indigenous wildlife reintroduction and conservation than for farming. Wildlife as a land use was recognized as the preferred option in this region, for creating superior values that life-stock and agriculture could.This understanding enabled the SVC and its investors to realize their vision of creating a vast, spectacular, free-roaming wildlife area, lying within the Greater Limpopo Transfrontier Conservation Area.

Acquired by Wilfried Pabst in 1993, Sango represents the largest landholding within the Savé Valley Conservancy, covering close to 25% of its total area.

For over three decades, Sango has been supported primarily by philanthropy, with additional revenue from eco-tourism and responsible hunting. Today, like many conservancies in Southern Africa, Sango is focused on strengthening its business model by diversifying revenue streams and leveraging Nature Finance tools to make a stronger economic case for conservation.

The Project Team

Our People

Project Director

Laurent Gross

Entrepreneur
• 35 years of experience in processes and management
• Based in Andorra

Project Manager

Martin Seitz

Engineering diploma in Forestry, Forest Carbon Experpert
• 20 years of experience in forestry consulting and certification of forest carbon projects/forest management systems
• 2.5 years’ work experience in management position in Ghana
• Based in Germany

Lead Carbon Analyst and Data Manager

Michael Krause-Besan

M.Sc. of Forestry, PhD in Agricultural Economics, at Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research
• 19 years of experience as a technical advisor in LULUCF/carbon projects
• Focus on scientific methods application, data management
• R programming and spatial analysis
• Based in Germany 

Biodiversity Lead, IUCN Green List Site Manager

Lourette Joubert

B.Sc Honors Plant and Animal Science, GIS, M&E.,
• Over 25 years of experience in conservation and biodiversity fields within Zimbabwe, South Africa and Zambia and experience with carbon project development and monitoring
• Focus on GIS analysis incorporated with Monitoring and Evaluation
• Based in Zambia 

Community Lead, B Corp Manager

Sharon T. George

M.Sc. Conservation Biology; B.Sc. Ecology, Natural Resource Management
• Over 15 years of combined consulting, industry and teaching experience in the fields of conservation and environmental management in Southern Africa
• 4 years of experience in carbon project development in Southern Africa
• Based in Zambia and in the USA

Marketing Lead

Naomi Delille

MsC in Environmental Economics
• 7 years of experience in Nature consulting for organisations
• Focus on biodiversity economics
• CSR strategies and marketing
• Based in London

Nature Finance Lead

Heliabel Bomstein

MsC in Conservation Biology
• 10 years of experience in the implementation of conservation and restoration initiatives, including Nature strategies for companies
• Focus on Nature finance
• CSR strategies and fundraising
• Based in France

Wildlife Filmmaker and photographer

Kim Wolhuter

Degree in Grassland Science
• Over 35 years in wildlife conservation and documentary filmmaking [with previous roles managing a game farm in Botswana and serving as Senior Warden of Mlawula Nature Reserve in Swaziland.]
• Deep, immersive wildlife filmmaking; [unique ability to build intimate relationships with wild animals];
• Expert in documenting natural behaviour of predators such as leopard, hyena, cheetah, and wild dog
• Based in Sango, Zimbabwe

The Implementation Team

General Manager

William
Young

PGDip in Management and IT
• Over 25 years of experience in leadership and project management across Zimbabwe and the UK
• Focus on driving operational excellence, and building strong, capable teams
• Based in Sango, Zimbabwe

Community Liaison Manager

Tsumbei Nemabwe

Diploma in Professional Hunting (Certified Professional Hunter)
• Over 30 years of experience in wildlife conservation and biodiversity at Sango Wildlife Conservancy Zimbabwe
• Focus on anti-poaching efforts, bush pump installations and Community engagement
• Based in Sango, Zimbabwe

Ecological Consultant

Dusty (CJ) Joubert

MSc Wildlife Management, Terrestrial Ecology
• Over 25 years of experience in Biodiversity conservation in Zimbabwe, South Africa, and Zambia
• Focus on ecosystem functioning and conservation
• Based in Zambia

Ecological Manager

Abby Taylor-Freeme

BSc (Hons) in Veterinary Bioscience
• Safari Guides License
• Background guiding in wildlife areas
• Based in Sango, Zimbabwe