Samara Reserve is one of South Africa's most ambitious rewilding projects. It is located in the semi-arid region of the Great Karoo, in one of the world's 36 Global Biodiversity Hotspots and contains five of South Africa's nine vegetation biomes. Once home to the largest terrestrial migration on earth, the springbok migration, and its accompanying predators, by the 18th century this breathtaking landscape had been desiccated by fencing, firearms and the extirpation of much of its wildlife.
Botanists and ornithologists will be familiar with the connection between South Africa and Europe. In the British spring, migratory birds make their way north, travelling a vast distance to reach warmer climes. A handful of these birds make their temporary homes in the meadows at Thyme.
Join Isabelle Tompkins, Head of Strategic Projects alongside her mother Sarah at Samara Karoo Reserve, Dr Olly Fox, ornithologist and member of the West Oxfordshire Farmland Bird Project, and Lucy Cleland, Founding Editor of Country & Town House for a conversation on the interconnectedness of these habitats and the remarkable biodiversity found in such polar ecosystems. Here at Thyme this May, they share stories of hope and the resilience of nature.
10.00 - Guest Arrival
10.30 - Talk Start
11.30 - Q&A
TICKET ONLY - £15 - ACCESS TO THE TALK, WITH WELCOME REFRESHMENTS
Isabelle Tompkins
Just five when her parents founded Samara, Isabelle started working there aged 23 after studying Geography at the University of Cambridge. She has always been motivated by a desire to confront the challenges facing biodiversity, climate and society and, driven by the daily beauty of the Great Karoo landscape, strives to create a replicable conservation model that can influence other purpose-driven businesses in this sphere.
Dr Olly Fox
Olly Fox is an ornithologist working on migratory birds both in the United Kingdom and in West Africa. Since 2013, he has led the scientific research at the Kartong Bird Observatory in The Gambia, undertaking in-depth studies of the local birdlife with a particular focus on the migrant birds which winter in the region and travel to Europe in the breeding season. Back in the UK, he is part of the West Oxfordshire Farmland Bird Project team which has been working with farmers and landowners to monitor and conserve several bird species. Through studying the usage of local wildlife sites, such as the water meadows at Thyme, the importance of an undisturbed meadow habitat intermixed with scrubland for both migratory and resident species has been highlighted.
Lucy Cleland
Lucy is the Founding Editor of Country & Town House and has been in the glossy magazine business for around 20 years, having previously worked at Conde Nast. She divides her time between the glamour of Acton and the mud and wellies of the New Forest with her husband and two children. She is particularly passionate about sustainability and has pledged that 25% of her magazine’s content will reflect the ways we should learn to live; from the brands we buy and how we consume things, to the way we travel. She believes that we can utilise our purchasing power for the greater good of our environment and our community.
Thyme
The Hibbert family moved into Southrop Manor in 2002, and soon after acquired the derelict farm buildings adjacent to the property. Over the following years, they have carefully restored them, creating Thyme. A third of the estate is dedicated to wild space. The water meadows are of particular significance, home to an extraordinary array of plants and animals, including the willow warbler which travels thousands of miles every year from South Africa.
Samara Reserve
In 1997, Sarah and Mark Tompkins founded Samara with a vision to create a three million acre reserve in South Africa's Great Karoo. Their daughter, who now leads the project, Isabelle Tompkins, will be joining us to share their story of restoring this fragile landscape, the return of wildlife, and the excitement of a groundbreaking programme to bring back the endangered desert-adapted black rhino.
Visit Isabelle and Sarah Tompkins at Samara Reserve in November.
