The Otter African Trail Run gives back to local conservation
The Otter African Trail Run is South Africa’s most prestigious trail running event and is within some of the most beautiful and pristine wilderness in the World.
For the past 13 years, South Africa’s trail running fraternity has descended on the Garden Route to partake in this spectacularly beautiful but grueling 42km race, stretching between Storms River and Nature’s Valley.
When brothers Mark and John Collins and their wives, of Magnetic South, dreamt up the Otter African Trail Run, it was important to them that the area was better off because they were there.
Trail running events can create benefits for the area: not only do they encourage people to re-connect with nature, but they also have a very low environmental impact relative to other outdoor recreational events.
The Collins brothers have taken great care to ensure that the event not only treads lightly on the environment but in fact restores it as much as possible. This has been attained through generous contributions to community development in Covie and to the conservation efforts of Natures Valley Trust (NVT).
The donation to the Natures Valley Trust from the 2020 Otter African Trail Run will contribute to, amongst others, the shorebird conservation project #ShareTheShores.
This project is working towards better understanding the threats posed to shorebirds on our beaches and action is being taken to ensure that these key species are protected, and their breeding activities are undisturbed.
Our coastal and marine environments are under increasing pressures from land as well as the ocean; climate change, increasing encroachment, and human development leave a very small strip of land for shorebirds to thrive in.
Nature’s Valley Trust is extremely grateful for the generous donation from Magnetic South and is very excited to be partnering with them in the future to promote trail running, conservation, and community development in the area.