A special place deserves special care.  Haut Espoir is a member of the [Biodiversity and Wine Initiative] – a partnership between the wine industry and the conservation sector.
The initiative was started in early 2004 and its aim is to minimise further losses of the natural habitat of the Cape Floral Kingdom and contribute to sustainable wine producing practices.  Haut Espoir is also a Corporate Explorer Member of the Endangered Wildlife Trust.  For a recent EWT function in Johannesburg, at which Rob gave a presentation on the BWI, the farm donated twelve specially bottled magnums for the auction which raised R55 000.

On Haut Espoir, we have been addressing environmental concerns since 2000, when we removed alien vegetation (pines and blue gums) and dedicated over 3 hectares of mountain land to re-establishing natural fynbos floral species.  That area is now covered with fynbos.
With the return of the indigenous fynbos, we have experienced an increase of many bird species, and are now seeing evidence of Cape Mountain leopard, Caracal and Grey Mongoose on the farm.  Sightings of the following birds have increased over the years:  Grey Heron, African Black Duck, Yellow Billed Duck, Black Eagle, African Fish Eagle, Steppe Buzzard, Jackal Buzzard, Black Shouldered Kite, Gymnogene, Yellow Billed Kite, Pale Chanting Goshawk, Peregrine Falcon, Helmeted Guineafowl, Cape Francolin,  Cape Eagle Owl, Spotted Eagle Owl, Fiery Necked Nightjar, Giant Kingfisher, Cardinal Woodpecker, Fork Tailed Drongo, Fairy Flycatcher, Malachite Sunbird, Swee Waxbill, and Common Waxbill. 

The baboons have behaved themselves for the past few seasons and have restricted their pilfering activities to the top slopes of the shiraz, with an occasional foray down the mountain for figs and quinces.
We have also set up a nursery to propogate cuttings of tecomaria, sand olives, and otholobium, and also to grow proteas and ericas sp.  

The Otholobium is used  as an indigenous cover crop, and after an initial test block in our Petit verdot, we plan to cover the entire vineyard footprint of the farm to Otholbium.   Not only does it encourage the indigenous pest controllers, but aerates the soil wonderfully and fixes Nitrogen.