Rewilding, Restoration, and Hope: Kevin Jolliffe and the Wild Tomorrow Story

What does it look like when conservation becomes a long view, a daily practice, and a promise to the future? In Episode 198 of the Adventures in Learning Podcast, Dr. Diane Jackson Schnoor welcomes Kevin Jolliffe, reserve manager at Wild Tomorrow, for a rich conversation about rewilding, restoration, community partnership, and the patience it takes to care for a landscape over time.

In Part 3 of the Wild Tomorrow series, Kevin shares how a childhood rooted in nature grew into a career in conservation that has taken him around the world and back again. From sea turtles in the Seychelles to habitat restoration in South Africa, he reflects on what it means to steward land, manage wildlife, and think in terms of generations rather than quick fixes.

This episode also continues the Wild Tomorrow story through the lens of balance and hope. Kevin and Dr. Diane talk about what it means to let nature lead when appropriate, step in when human action caused the harm, and support the surrounding community as part of the larger conservation mission. If you’ve loved the earlier Wild Tomorrow conversations with co-founders John Steward and Wendy Hapgood, and community conservation manager Aphiwe Notshaya, this episode deepens that story in a meaningful way.

Chapters

• 01:19 A childhood in nature
• 02:45 Studying conservation and meeting his wife
• 03:33 Work in the Seychelles and the Bahamas
• 04:56 How Kevin joined Wild Tomorrow
• 05:56 What a reserve manager does
• 06:53 A "typical day" on the reserve
• 08:42 Rewilding the land
• 10:15 Man-made problems and nature’s balance
• 13:05 Species brought back to the reserve
• 14:37 Anti-poaching and community partnership
• 16:29 Working with local herders and land use
• 19:32 Nursery work and growing trees
• 21:22 Reconnecting with nature
• 24:23 Quiet moments with hippos
• 27:01 How to care about conservation
• 29:34 Thinking in generations, not instant fixes
• 30:24 Favorite trees, birds, and animals
• 32:02 What gives Kevin hope

About Kevin Jolliffe

Kevin was born in Pietermaritzburg, South Africa. His early holidays with his aunt and uncle in Hluhluwe sparked his love for Zululand and determined the career he would later pursue. As the youngest of five siblings and the odd man out with the neighbourhood children, Kevin developed a passion for nature. Afternoons were spent exploring the Botanic Gardens where he honed his bird watching skills, collected butterflies and developed an interest in plants, including collecting and growing orchids at the age of seven, becoming the youngest orchid grower in South Africa for over 10 years. Kevin is currently writing and illustrating a book on the orchids of KZN and his vast knowledge has been put to good use while working with the Pollination Ecology department at the University of KwaZulu-Natal. 

Kevin was always determined to work in nature conservation. He attained a National Diploma in Nature Conservation from the Cape Peninsula University of Technology, where he met his conservationist wife. They have been working together ever since. He has worked at government run, Ndumo Game Reserve as well as a number of private reserves in KZN, the Western and Eastern Cape, Swaziland and Limpopo provinces. He was the conservation manager for Cousine Island in the Seychelles for five 5 years conducting in-depth monitoring of nesting Hawksbill sea turtles, sea birds and endangered land birds. From there he took up the position of landscape manager in the Bahamas, before returning to South Africa to manage a private nature reserve in the Western Cape. He is now proudly Wild Tomorrow Fund’s Reserve Manager at The Greater Ukuwela Nature Reserve.

Links and resources

• Learn more about Dr. Diane's Adventures in Learning: drdianadventures.com
• Explore Wild Tomorrowand follow on Instagram and LinkedIn
• Listen to the Wild Tomorrow Series, featuring John Steward and Wendy Hapgood and Aphiwe Notshaya
• Join Wild Tomorrow for the Junior Wildlife Crime Scene Detective Event on July 20, 2026

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