Ingcungcu Sunbird Restoration is a pioneering conservation initiative and registered non-profit company dedicated to reviving and maintaining pollinator pathways in Cape Town, South Africa. Named after the isiXhosa word for “sunbird,” the organization focuses on restoring fynbos (a unique type of vegetation that only grows in South Africa) to support and sustain pollinator populations, particularly birds and insects essential for the ecological health of the region.

This remarkable organization aims to link Table Mountain National Park with the Boland Mountains via a series of strategically located pollinator gardens, placed on local school grounds, that will act as “filling stations” for sunbirds and sugarbirds crossing the densely urbanized Cape Flats. This movement pathway is especially important where fires, which are a critical part of the fynbos system, have temporarily decimated the vegetation, forcing the birds to leave in search of nectar.

In Ingcungcu’s Eco-Club Programme, students participate in after-school environmental workshops and plant gardens in their schools. Learners have the opportunity to intimately observe and document nature using creative processes such as photography, art and poetry. They also learn skills such as bird monitoring, research, writing, and landscape architecture. With a deepened connection to nature, these future custodians will learn to look after and protect our natural world, creating communities who care for the earth forgenerations to come.

To learn more, visit their website here: ingcungcu – Connecting Plants, Birds and People (wordpress.com)

To contribute directly, see here: BackaBuddy | Your SA fundraising platform

Or check them out on social media: @ingcungcu.sunbird.restoration on Instagram