Gauteng Province is a hub for South Africa’s economic growth. Still, the urbanisation and population growth in the province places significant stress on its natural resources. The supportive ecological infrastructure is under threat, and it is necessary to implement conservation measures now. Protected area expansion is a priority in Gauteng, and in 2015 the Gauteng Department of Agriculture and Rural Development (GDARD) partnered with the Endangered Wildlife Trust (EWT) to establish the Gauteng Biodiversity Stewardship Programme (GBSP),  funded by the WWF Nedbank Green Trust. The GBSP was intended to catalyse the implementation of biodiversity stewardship (BDS) in Gauteng by increasing capacity within the GDARD and develop robust and relevant institutional structures for the sustainability of BDS in the province. The GBSP target was to publish the intent to declare 5,000 ha of private land as protected under the National Environmental Management: Protected Areas Act, 57 of 2003, within three years.