The Robberg Coastal Corridor Protected Environment NGO is absolutely delighted to have secured Kei Heyns as its Conservation Manager.

Kei came to the attention of Bitou Trust’s Chris von Christierson who read an article about Kei and his achievements as Senior Conservation Ranger at the Gourits-East Coastal Corridor, the Fransmanshoek Conservancy. Kei had just won The Cape Fox Best Managed Conservancy Award, a tremendous achievement ; he was subsequently elected onto the Executive Council of Conservation at Work, an umbrella organisation for all the Conservancies in the Western Cape.

It was obvious that Kei had the knowledge, motivation, passion and skills to become both the Senior Ranger of the Robberg Coastal Corridor Protected Environment and to set up and run the Wildside Hiking Trail. Most fortunately for Plettenberg Bay, a sixth-generation Plettenbergian, he accepted the challenge and returned home to commence a highly demanding position.

After sailing from Trinidad to Croatia as a crew member on a 39′ Dudley Dix monohull, Kei studied Nature Conservation at Nelson Mandela University. He won the top student of the year award in 2011, an award he won annually together with the Fairfield Award for two years, with distinctions in all subjects and B Tech cum laude for both his Diploma and 4th Year Studies. He turned down the offer of fully sponsored tuition for his Masters’s degree for the opportunity of a job at the Fransmanshoek Conservancy.

Kei brings a wealth of experience to his position which is not just a job but a deep-seated passion and philosophy and connection with nature. Conservation is a personal endeavour and he is a firm believer in “Socio-ecological systems thinking” – landscape and human interaction; every system has resilience and forward planning can assist in handling shocking events such as we have witnessed over the past few years.

Both by character and education, Kei is eminently fitted for the challenging position of Senior Conservation Ranger of the Robberg Coastal Corridor Protected Environment and the myriad challenges it raises.

Honours and Awards

• Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University, Merit Award for Academic Excellence – 2012 2013 and 2014
• Special Award for top 3rd Nature Conservation Student – 2013
• Fairfield Tours Nature Conservation Award – 2012
• NSFAS Bursary Award – 2012
• Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University, Special Award for the top First Year Nature Conservation Student – 2011

We have to thank, most especially, donors to the Bitou Trust whose immense support in 2018 helped us to secure Kei for the past two years.