ABOUT US
OUR PHILOSOPHY
Deep Ecology is the belief that nature’s intrinsic value must be appreciated, that humanity has to undergo a fundamental shift in consciousness to become aware and mindful of our interconnectedness with nature, and to ultimately solve the ecological crisis the planets’ environment is currently faced with. The principles of Deep Ecology are rooted in the appreciation and protection of all life-forms on earth (including humans), irrespective of monetary (resource) value, and that all policies should be changed to restore and ensure sustainability beyond.
Our philosophy is based on these principles and wanting to make positive impact and change for people, wildlife and the environment.
We believe in the transformational power of nature and wilderness and in the words of Sir Laurens von der Post, “What wilderness does is present us with a blueprint, as if it were of what creation was about in the beginning when all the plants and trees and animals were magnetic, fresh from the hands of whatever created them. This blueprint is still there, and those of us who see it find an incredible nostalgia rising in us, an impulse to return and discover it again... through wilderness we remember and are brought home again.”
WHO ARE WE
Tswehe Wildlife Reserve is run by married couple, Lloyd Gillespie and Isabel Wolf-Gillespie. The couple lives by the values of integrity, kindness, empathy and respect, which are intrinsically linked with their work and business. Together they also run In the Company of Horses, a horse trail and training company based in Houtbosdorp, South Africa. More information about the horse work can be found on www.inthecompanyofhorses.co.za.
Lloyd Gillespie
Lloyd Gillespie has over 25 years’ experience in tourism and reserve management in Southern Africa. He is a FGASA qualified Lead Horse Guide Dangerous Game and Trails Guide and as such has managed and owned numerous horse safari and wildlife tourism businesses. His extensive bush knowledge, authenticity, communication and leadership skills are the foundation of his successful career. Tswehe Wildlife Reserve has been a dream come true and a project he has been working towards for many years.
Isabel Wolf-Gillespie
Isabel Wolf-Gillespie was born into hospitality with her parents running a restaurant, which has been in her family for 120 years. Her skills and professional experience range from tourism and hospitality, to an environmental education, life skills development and coaching organisation Earth Awareness Coaching www.earthawareness.co.za, to a diploma in Leadership Development for nonprofits, a nursing degree, to managing In the Company of Horses whilst at the same time completing a Masters of Philosophy in Management Coaching. Her passion is rooted in sustainability leadership, environmental education and wildlife protection which is enabled through responsible tourism and leadership.