SLR acquires Anchor Environmental Consultants

SLR is pleased to announce the acquisition of Anchor Environmental Consultants (Anchor), a highly respected specialist marine and natural capital consultancy headquartered in Cape Town, South Africa.

Advising governments, development agencies, NGOs, mining, energy, fisheries, aquaculture, and port development companies, as well as international finance institutions, Anchor brings a strong track record of supporting decision-making, planning, policy, and strategy across complex sustainability challenges.

Founded in the 1990s by Barry Clark and Jane Turpie, Anchor has built an international reputation for excellence in ecological, social and economic assessment, research, monitoring, ecosystem services assessment, and natural capital accounting. The business comprises more than 45 highly skilled professionals, working from its headquarters in Cape Town and satellite office in Windhoek, Namibia. It also operates a marine taxonomy laboratory in Cape Town, which is currently a member of the North Atlantic Marine Biological Analytical Quality Control (NMBAQC) Scheme. Anchor also has extensive marine field sampling capabilities and equipment, including a large team of certified scientific divers, dive supervisors, small craft skippers, and scientific staff with inshore and offshore survey experience.

This acquisition significantly strengthens SLR’s capability to support clients in increasingly complex marine and coastal developments and expands expertise in natural capital, biodiversity, conservation, and sustainable development advisory services. It further enhances our ability to support clients throughout their sustainability journey - from planning through to implementation - and reinforces our commitment to Making Sustainability Happen.

Anchor and SLR have worked together for several years on projects across Southern Africa. Recent collaborations include support for ESIA-related work on major green hydrogen and ammonia developments, as well as mining, infrastructure, offshore gas, and offshore wind projects. This acquisition formalises a long-standing and successful partnership built on shared values and complementary expertise.

Over the coming months, the combined teams will be brought together to leverage shared strengths and create new opportunities to help organisations accelerate sustainable outcomes.

“Joining the SLR global network significantly enhances Anchor’s reach and capabilities, enabling improved client service and increased impact in the marine science, natural capital and environmental economics and policy space. SLR and Anchor share core values centred on delivering high-quality scientific and technical advice derived from data-driven analyses. I am confident that the combined offering will strengthen our capacity to guide both private and public sector activities along a sustainable development path across the continent and beyond.”

Jane Turpie, former CEO of Anchor and now Business Unit Director for SLR’s Environmental Sciences unit

“The integration of Anchor into SLR’s Middle East and Africa team strengthens our position as a leading provider of services in estuarine, coastal, marine and offshore environments, and aligns with SLR’s strategy to develop global capability in the ports and marine sector. Anchor’s work in natural capital is world-class, and this combination will further enhance delivery, supported by SLR’s strengths in sustainable finance, corporate sustainability, ecology, and digital services.”

Tasman Graham, SLR’s Managing Director for the Middle East & Africa