The Panyame Project: Restoring the Natural Balance in Mozambique

The Panyame Project is a large-scale conservation initiative aimed at reintroducing and stabilising a wild cheetah population within the Panyame ecosystem in Mozambique. This ambitious programme responds directly to the saturation of South African reserves and is part of a long-term ecological restoration strategy.

Origins of the Project

At the turn of the 20th century, cheetah populations in southern Africa suffered a critical decline. Thanks to the efforts of organisations such as “The Metapopulation Initiative”, numbers in South African private reserves grew from 214 to nearly 600 individuals. This success, however, created a new challenge: habitat saturation in South Africa.

The Panyame Project, led by The Origins Foundation and Blood Origins, was structured to address this need for spatial expansion. The goal is to relocate genetically diverse individuals to the Panyame ecosystem in Mozambique, where an optimal environment awaits them.

In the heart of rural Zimbabwe, in the forgotten district of Mangwa South, brothers Guav and Courteney Johnson decided to act where so many others had given up. Their Wire & Water project rests on a simple but powerful idea: to provide the villagers of Dukwe with the two resources essential to life and coexistence with wildlife.

The wire: kilometres of fencing installed by and for the community, to protect crops, define grazing zones and allow wildlife to recover without conflict with farmers. The water: boreholes, permanent drinking points, and reliable access for men, women and livestock.

But Wire & Water goes much further. Local anti-poaching units have been trained and funded. Community gardens and fruit orchards have been established. Sustainable hunting provides protein and alternative income to families who previously had no resources. Every initiative is designed to make conservation the most rational economic choice for those who live alongside the wild.

When war broke out in Ukraine in February 2022, Stéphane Alsac mobilised alongside partners to provide immediate, concrete aid to displaced families.

In partnership with JABIL, Tonnellerie du Monde and MBE Logistics, several fully loaded trucks of essential supplies — food, medicine, hygiene products, warm clothing — were transported directly to Uzhgorod in western Ukraine in March 2022.

The funds for this operation were raised through the auction of original artworks and signed prints. Every euro raised went directly to purchasing supplies and covering transport costs. No intermediary, no administrative overhead — just rapid, direct action in the field.

In the Eastern Cape of South Africa, in the township of Carlisle Bridge, children used to play on bare ground without any proper facilities. Origins Foundation decided to change that — from the ground up.

Through the auction of an original watercolour and limited prints, the funds raised made it possible to build a full-size football pitch and two netball courts, complete with proper markings, goals and nets.

The project was carried out with and by the community: local workers were involved at every stage of construction. Sport is not a luxury — it is a vector of social cohesion, physical well-being and shared pride. Everyone Deserves to Play.

During the catastrophic Australian bushfire season of 2019–2020, hundreds of thousands of animals were killed or injured, including a significant portion of the country’s koala population. WIRES (Wildlife Information, Rescue and Education Service) was on the front line of the rescue effort, treating and rehabilitating thousands of animals.

Stéphane Alsac contributed through the auction of an original watercolour and a series of numbered prints, with 100% of proceeds directed to WIRES. The funds supported the rescue, veterinary care and long-term rehabilitation of koalas across New South Wales, Queensland and Victoria.

This project illustrates a conviction at the heart of Alsac’s work: art can be a direct lever for conservation, turning a painting into tangible action for the most vulnerable species.