Photographer Buys Farms, Restores Wilderness in Southern Africa

Wildlife photographer Chris Fallows, renowned for his 'Air Jaws' series capturing great white sharks, has pivoted his career towards land restoration. Decades spent photographing these sharks off the coast of South Africa led him and his wife, Monique, to purchase degraded farmland. Their efforts began in 2017 on the western bank of the Breede River, an area choked with invasive alien trees.

Conservationists were brought in to remove the invasive growth, aiming to revive the native fynbos, a unique plant community vital to the Cape Floral Kingdom. The initiative proved successful, with the land beginning to recover and flourish.

Motivated by this success, neighboring landowners joined the Fallows' project. Through voluntary agreements and further land purchases, their initial plot expanded into a private reserve of approximately 3,200 acres by 2021. This growing reserve is now restoring habitat for diverse wildlife and threatened plant species.

The Fallows have since extended their conservation model to Namibia, acquiring desert country farmland for restoration. Their ultimate ambition is to link these private reserves to existing conservation areas and wildlife corridors across Southern Africa, creating connected wilderness areas.