The Tau Tree Fund is aimed at giving our guests an opportunity to contribute back to the environment. With trees now days being a precious, renewable, natural resource it has become of growing importance to plant more indigenous trees. Especially the more endangered species, trees such as the Maroela (Sclerocarya birrea subsp. caffra). We have also managed to acquire eight Bushveld Red Balloon trees (Erythrophysa traansvaalensis). These trees are extremely rare and less than 50 of them are known of in the greater Madikwe area. So far we have planted over 50 trees in and around the Tau Lodge area.

With the ever-growing pressure that is put on the environment by man, and domestic and wild animals, it is essential that we start making a concerted effort to conserve our natural surroundings. The Tau Tree Fund was started to allow visitors to the Tau Game Lodge the opportunity to plant protected tree species and to learn a little about the trees that they are planting.
Information supplied to the guests includes the medicinal purposes, African folklore, natural habitat, ecology, animal and plant relationships, etc.of their chosen tree.

There is a selection of indigenous trees to choose from. At the moment we have eight tree species to choose from, but as the fund grows we will be able to increase the amount of species we are able to purchase. Basically how it works is that the guests can choose what tree they wish to plant. The cost is R400.00 per tree. The guests and their guide will choose a suitable area to plant it and dig the hole. A photo is taken to document the guest involvement in planting the tree and placed in a photo album, which has its home on a stand in the main lodge. There is also a plaque that states the name/s of the people that planted the tree, the tree species and the date it was planted, which is added to a board above the photo album. The fund is open to other lodges in Madikwe and anyone else who would want to plant a tree in the reserve.

We are working closely with the Department of Water Affairs and Forestry and our supplying nurseries, so that from time to time when the trees seed, they are able to collect seeds for further regeneration.