Land Rehabilitation Society of Southern Africa

What Land Rehabilitation Society of Southern Africa does

The Land Rehabilitation Society of Southern Africa (LaRSSA) is a non-profit professional society founded on 8 August 2012 and publicly inaugurated on 15 November 2012, headquartered in Gauteng, South Africa. It operates as the primary multidisciplinary forum for land rehabilitation practitioners across Southern Africa, serving individuals (researchers, consultants, government officials), students, and corporate members including mining operators, engineering consultancies, biodiversity institutes, and government departments. LaRSSA's mission is to improve, facilitate, support, grow, and communicate land rehabilitation practice that is scientific, technically robust, economically viable, and socially acceptable.

LaRSSA's core products are organized around membership services rather than technology. The membership catalog comprises Professional/Land Rehabilitation Specialist (LRS), Associate, Regular, Student, and Corporate tiers, with annual fees of R400 (Student), R700 (Individual), and R25,000 (Corporate), the last bundling conference attendance, LRS registration, early bookings, website and social media features, and a discounted exhibition stand. Supporting offerings include the Annual Conference (13th edition scheduled for 16–18 September 2026 at Tshikwalo Lodge, Dinokeng Nature Reserve, Gauteng, themed 'Land Rehabilitation Progress through Innovation'), Technical Field Workshops and Tours (including mine site visits at De Beers Voorspoed Mine and Elandsfontein Phosphate Mine), and online Land Rehabilitation Discussion Forums. The LRS accreditation, conferred through a Council vetting process, provides the society's primary professional credential.

LaRSSA is governed by an elected Council that rotates leadership annually — the 2025–2026 Council is led by President Danie Otto and Vice President/Treasurer Emma Fourie, with Prof Wayne Truter and Fanus van Wyk serving as Executive Directors and Prof Klaus Kellner as an Honorary Member with active UNCCD Science-Policy Interface involvement. Revenue is generated through membership dues, conference and workshop registration fees, exhibition stand sales, and corporate sponsorship — 14 institutional sponsors are publicly listed including Minerals Council South Africa, WSP, SANBI, LiF AgriScience, De Beers Voorspoed Mine, the University of the Free State, and several rehabilitation product suppliers. As a non-profit, LaRSSA does not raise venture or institutional capital and operates independently of any parent entity.

Name

Land Rehabilitation Society of Southern Africa

Legal name

Land Rehabilitation Society of Southern Africa

Website

https://larssa.co.za

Company type

Private

Founded year

2012

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

LaRSSA is a South African non-profit professional society, founded in 2012, that serves ~250 land rehabilitation practitioners, students, and corporate members across Southern Africa through membership services, an annual conference, technical field workshops, discussion forums, and LRS professional accreditation.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Gauteng

HQ country

South Africa

HQ region

Africa

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Membership Dues: LaRSSA generates revenue through annual membership fees from Individual, Student, and Corporate members. Individual membership is R 700.00 per year, Student membership is R 400.00 per year, and Corporate membership is R 25,000 per year with additional beneficiaries at R 500 per person.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

LaRSSA is a non-profit professional society that provides paid membership services, an annual conference, technical field workshops and tours, and online discussion forums for land rehabilitation practitioners. Its core commercial offering is tiered annual membership (Individual, Student, Corporate) that grants voting rights, professional accreditation as a Land Rehabilitation Specialist (LRS), discounts on activities, and access to a peer network of approximately 250 members.

Product overview

LaRSSA is a non-profit professional society (not a product company) offering membership services, annual conferences, technical workshops, and discussion forums for land rehabilitation specialists in Southern Africa. The core offering consists of membership categories (Professional/LRS, Associate, Regular, Student, and Corporate) that provide voting rights, CPD accreditation, discounts on society activities, and professional recognition. Supporting offerings include annual conferences for sharing scientific research and case studies, technical field workshops and tours for hands-on training, and online discussion forums for peer engagement. The society was founded in 2012 and serves approximately 250 current members with a potential database of over 2,500 professionals.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• LaRSSA Membership Services Tiered professional society membership with Individual (R700/year), Student (R400/year), and Corporate (R25,000/year) categories, offering voting rights, discounts on society activities, professional recognition, and (for Corporate) one free conference attendance, website feature, social media feature, and discounted exhibition stand.
• LaRSSA Annual Conference Annual conference hosting scientific research presentations, case studies, and success/failure stories on land rehabilitation topics. The 13th Annual Conference is scheduled for 16-18 September 2026 at Tshikwalo Lodge, Dinokeng Nature Reserve, Gauteng, under the theme 'Land Rehabilitation Progress through Innovation'.
• Technical Workshops and Field Tours Technical field workshops and site tours providing hands-on exposure to land rehabilitation solutions, including mine site visits (e.g., De Beers Voorspoed Mine, scheduled 26 February 2026) and the Western Cape Technical Tour covering Strandveld mine rehabilitation and alien invasive management.
• Land Rehabilitation Discussion Forums Online platform providing land rehabilitation discussion forums and credible scientific information for knowledge sharing and collaboration among professionals in the field.

Quantifiable outcome

• 13th Annual Conference scheduled for September 2026 at Tshikwalo Lodge, Dinokeng Nature Reserve, Gauteng

Named customers2 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

14 partnerships are on record, tiered minor.

• LiF AgriScienceminorGTM or Marketing PartnerSponsor of LaRSSA. Displayed in the sponsors section of the LaRSSA website.
• South African National Biodiversity Institute (SANBI)minorGTM or Marketing PartnerSponsor of LaRSSA. Displayed in the sponsors section of the LaRSSA website.
• WSPminorGTM or Marketing PartnerSponsor of LaRSSA. Displayed in the sponsors section of the LaRSSA website.
• TEMA South AfricaminorGTM or Marketing PartnerSponsor of LaRSSA. Displayed in the sponsors section of the LaRSSA website.
• Natural Evolution GroupminorGTM or Marketing PartnerSponsor of LaRSSA. Displayed in the sponsors section of the LaRSSA website.
• Mora EcologicalminorGTM or Marketing PartnerSponsor of LaRSSA. Displayed in the sponsors section of the LaRSSA website.
• University of the Free State (UFS)minorGTM or Marketing PartnerSponsor of LaRSSA. Displayed in the sponsors section of the LaRSSA website.
• ShangoniminorGTM or Marketing PartnerSponsor of LaRSSA. Displayed in the sponsors section of the LaRSSA website.
• Redco ServicesminorGTM or Marketing PartnerSponsor of LaRSSA. Displayed in the sponsors section of the LaRSSA website.
• Minerals Council South AfricaminorGTM or Marketing PartnerSponsor of LaRSSA. Displayed in the sponsors section of the LaRSSA website.
• KaytechminorGTM or Marketing PartnerSponsor of LaRSSA. Displayed in the sponsors section of the LaRSSA website.
• JAWSminorGTM or Marketing PartnerSponsor of LaRSSA. Displayed in the sponsors section of the LaRSSA website.
• HydromulchminorGTM or Marketing PartnerSponsor of LaRSSA. Displayed in the sponsors section of the LaRSSA website.
• AgreencominorGTM or Marketing PartnerSponsor of LaRSSA. Displayed in the sponsors section of the LaRSSA website.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• South African Institute of Mining and Metallurgy (SAIMM): Established South African professional institute for mining and metallurgy professionals. Comparable to LaRSSA as a long-standing membership-based technical society in the mining sector, but covering a broader mining-engineering scope.
• Minerals Council South Africa: Industry body representing the South African mining sector, currently a LaRSSA sponsor. Comparable as a stakeholder-engagement forum for mining-related issues including land rehabilitation, but broader in scope and significantly larger in scale.
• South African National Biodiversity Institute (SANBI): South Africa's statutory body for biodiversity, currently a LaRSSA sponsor. Comparable in the biodiversity-and-land-management domain but operates as a government-linked institution rather than a volunteer professional society.
• Conservation South Africa (CSA): South African branch of a global conservation organization with active programmes in land restoration and stewardship. Comparable to LaRSSA in land rehabilitation mission but operates as a programme-delivery NGO rather than a volunteer-led professional society.

Emerging players

• International Mine Water Association (IMWA): International professional association addressing mine water and related mine environmental issues with conferences and working groups. Comparable to LaRSSA as a niche mining-environment society with a conference-and-membership model.
• International Association for Impact Assessment (IAIA): Global association for impact assessment professionals, with memberships, conferences and special interest groups including mining. Comparable to LaRSSA as an international membership society serving environmental assessment practitioners with overlapping mining-rehabilitation interests.

Direct peers

• Wildlife and Environment Society of South Africa (WESSA): South Africa-based environmental membership society focused on conservation, sustainability and environmental education. Directly comparable to LaRSSA as a regionally-scoped, membership-driven professional society serving environmental practitioners with conferences, awards and advocacy.
• Botanical Society of South Africa: South African membership society for botanists and plant conservationists, offering individual and corporate memberships and field-based events. Comparable to LaRSSA as a long-running, regionally-scoped professional society in an adjacent environmental discipline.
• Society for Ecological Restoration (SER): International scientific society for ecological restoration practitioners, offering memberships, conferences and accreditation. Closely comparable to LaRSSA in mission (land restoration), membership model and conference-driven engagement.

Regional players

• Australian Society for Mine Rehabilitation (ASMR): Mine rehabilitation-focused professional society serving Australia with similar membership tiers, annual conferences and technical site tours. Comparable in scope and audience (mine rehabilitation professionals) but operating in a different geography than LaRSSA.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xlinkedin.com/groups/8249943/profile
• Facebookfacebook.com/pages/Land-Rehabilitation-Society-of-Southern-Africa/587966127882915?fref=ts
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/groups/8249943/profile

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles11 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Land Rehabilitation Society of Southern Africa