1995 – NEGI (North East Gauteng Initiative) initially intended only to form a Big 5 game reserve.
1996/7 – Approx – First efforts to form the reserve under the name Amakulu.
1998 – The IUCN feasibility report, again the intent was to form only a biosphere reserve. The report indicated that there was sufficient financial and socio-economic reason to continue with a reserve, but the cost did not merit forming only a biosphere reserve.
2000 – The project was amalgamated into the Strategic Economic Infrastructure Investment Programme (SEIIP) and later Blue IQ. The project was dubbed “Dinokeng” (The place of rivers) for first time. Project staff were employed and the master planning begun.
2001 The concluded Dinokeng Master plan now proposed a wider regional tourism destination development rather than just the biosphere Dinokeng Game Reserve (DGR), although the DGR remained as the ‘anchor project’.
2002 – Blue IQ appointed KWENA Consortium to provide implementation principles as well as consulting services related to the project implementation. The DGR concept was unsuccessfully “sold” to the large landowners in the northern area of Gauteng.
2003 – Smaller landowners in the Hammanskraal area indicated their willingness to participate in the project. A total revision of the master plan was required, along with a revision of DGR concepts.
2004 – Three Land Owners Associations (LOA) were formed. Three separate constitutions were negotiated between Blue IQ and the landowners. Basic concepts and structure of the reserve were negotiated between the LOA’s and Blue IQ, under the guidance and leadership of KWENA consortium, which later formed the Integrated Business Plan (IBP).