The Five Rivers Conservancy was initiated by a group of landowners who have a vision and sense of custodianship for the future conservation of this uniquely valuable region with its multitude of sensitive ecosystems. The Conservancy is situated in between Tsitsikamma and Port Elizabeth, within the scenic Eastern Cape Province of South Africa, and draws its name from five prominent river systems in the area: the Kabeljous, Gamtoos, Van Stadens, Maitlands and Elands Rivers.

The initial boundary of the Five Rivers Conservancy spans over 150 000 hectares, and was informed by a bioregional perspective outlining a distinct geographical area, cultural landscape, and sense of place. Given the mixture of ruggedly mountainous terrain, densely forested valleys, and the wide white sand beaches hugging the bay in the Indian Ocean, the tertiary water catchment areas were identified as primary boundaries which would optimise our integrated management approach.

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