Budding Entrepreneur in Luphisi

Luphisi entrepeneur Thulisile Mohale displays the comforters she sews on her friend’s machine, and hopes in time to purchase her own machine and grow her business Picture taken by: Hlengiwe Mthembu Wildlands /Conservation Trust

An entrepreneur has emerged  from a tree-growing project in Luphisi and a sewing business is now developing that also teaches learners between grade seven and twelve how to sew for themselves.

Indigenous Trees for Life is a livelihoods project that employs Thulisile Mohale as lead facilitator where she teaches needy individuals to grow indigenous trees from seed until they reach a certain height, when the trees are traded for goods such as groceries, school uniforms, clothing and household items. Mohale is one of the most successful tree growers herself (they are known as tree-preneurs) which makes her an ideal facilitator.

The qualities of patience, discipline and determination needed to ensure that trees survive and grow, are just those needed by entrepreneurs looking to establish a small business. Mohale’s facilitator role exposed her to the “green future stores”, the market places set up by Wildlands for tree-preneurs to exchange their tree credit for goods. The popularity of the comforters/bedspreads as well as school uniforms showed Mohale where she could provide a product for her community.

“People trade 40 trees at a value of R 5 each for the comforters, so I started making these with my friend’s sewing machine,” she said. “I purchase the material in Nelspruit, but I need to buy more and I would like my own sewing machine. I plan to teach a group of the tree-preneurs how to sew. This can show the young people opportunities for their future.”

Indigenous Trees for Life is part of the Wildlands Conservation Trust’s Sustainable Communities Programme aimed at supporting the transformation of the Trust’s partner communities into healthy, vibrant and sustainable communities. Identifying the highest producers amongst the tree-preneurs and facilitators, and incubating them as entrepreneurs, is one of the new strategies Wildlands is adopting in reaching this goal of developing the communities in which they operate.

Wildlands has therefore committed to purchasing comforters for the green future stores from Mohale in order to assist her. Charmaine Veldman, the Wildlands Conservation Trust’s Sustainable Communities Programme Manager, explains: “By identifying the most successful tree-preneurs to support in a business venture, we are finding those with the kind of initiative and entrepreneurial spirit needed to make a success and start something from nothing,” she said.

The Luphisi Indigenous Trees for Life Programme is sponsored by Old Mutual.

GPS tracking units for Somkhanda Rhino

South of the Pongola River, in the heart of Zululand, is the 16 000 hectare Somkhanda Game Reserve. The Gumbi Community made history in 2009 by signing an agreement to proclaim the magnificent tract of land as a Nature Reserve in one of the first efforts at achieving a community-owned nature reserve in South Africa. The management of the land is currently supervised jointly by the Gumbi community, Wildlands Conservation Trust and Zululand Hunters. The eLan Property Group also has a vested interest in the well-being of the game reserve having been involved since its inception. Together with the support of the Gumbi community, the Group has future plans for a low-density lodge and residential estate. And in an exciting rhino capture expedition last week (12-14 January), the Somkhanda Nature Reserve has now made history once again!

For the first time in Kwa-Zulu Natal the introduction of a specialised GPS unit, developed by a company called Protagtor, has been utilised in the plight to save the Somkhanda Rhino spurred by the two recent white rhino poaching incidents at the end of 2010. The unit is placed into the horn and relays information on the tagged animal every 60 seconds, the tracking technology is designed to give essential early warning on potential poaching occurrences by noting irregular movements of the animal.

To help finance this conservation endeavor and to ensure the long-term safety and security of these rhino, a number of paying volunteers where offered the opportunity to work alongside the professional conservation team to capture and insert the GPS units into the rhino’s horns. The eLan Property Group jumped at the opportunity to be able to offer this unique experience to its’ Investor Club members and found an overwhelming response – including two international volunteers from the United States.

The eLan Land and Conservation Manager, Pete Coulon, who co-hosted the expedition with Roelie Kloppers from Wildlands Conservation Trust, said that the game capture expedition was an overwhelming success. All seven adult white rhino’s were captured, tagged and fitted with a GPS unit in the 3 day long capture expedition. The ten volunteers were afforded the opportunity to get up close and personal with the rhino by completing hands-on tasks that they were given.

The process begins by helicopter with the vet and pilot trying to locate a rhino by air. Once they spot one, the pilot gently herds the animal to an opening to which the game vehicle can acquire easy access. From the air, metres above the animal, the vet darts the rhino and follows the animal until it drops to make sure that the animal causes no injury to itself. The rhino is then blindfolded and ear plugs inserted so not to cause the animal any discomfort or stress. Then the drilling can begin. The drill, powered by a battery pack on the back of the game vehicle, takes a good ten minutes to drill a sizeable hole into which the GPS device can be inserted. Throughout this process a volunteer was asked to wet down the animal to combat the raised body temperature from the chase and the heat of the day. Non-toxic epoxy resin is poured into the cavity and then the device is inserted. The vet wraps the horn with tape to keep the transmitter in place until the resin sets before he injects the animal with an antidote to reverse the affects of tranquiliser.  The rhino is closely monitored by the vet while it wakes to ensure that the animal is unharmed and ready to go off on its own again.

The success of this proactive conservation effort displays the need for more interactive and experiential encounters with wildlife that could be leveraged to help support conservation endeavors by NGO’s or NPO’s.  One volunteer, Riaan Botes, reflected after the expedition: “This was an incredible experience, firstly to be able to contribute to a conservation effort like this that is applying technology in a practical way to combat poaching, and secondly, to have had the opportunity to be involved and work up close with these magnificent animals. A truly unforgettable experience. I met some fantastic dedicated people and made some friends on this trip.”

Game Ranger Training Uplifts Communities

Ranger training funded by the Wildlands Conservation Trust (Wildlands) for between 25 and 30 community rangers from three community owned reserves, Somkhanda, Tshnini, Usuthu Gorge, and the Dalton Private Nature Reserve, has provided practical skills for members of the community. It has also helped to entrench the concept of sustainable ecotourism with local people hoping to realize the benefits of reserves developed in the wake of land claims, and better protect the wildlife in these reserves against poaching. These communities derive direct benefit from ecotourism jobs in the reserves, and indirect benefits from related spending by tourists.

According to Wildlands Conservation Programmes Director, Dr Roelie Kloppers, the training is an NQF-accredited field ranger course presented by the Game Rangers Association of Africa. “The 25-day continuous course at Somkhanda covered all aspects of being a field ranger. The training was funded through Wildlands with US$100,000 donated by Paul Newman’s “Newman’s Own Foundation” (www.newmansownfoundation.org).  To carry on the actor’s philanthropic legacy, Newman’s Own Foundation donates all net royalties and profits after taxes it receives from the sale of Newman’s Own products to charity. To date, Paul Newman and Newman’s Own Foundation have given over $300 million to thousands of charities around the world. Apart from covering the cost of the course, community rangers received a full kit including uniforms and equipment such as boots and binoculars. In addition, funding was also provided for on-going workplace training allowing rangers to gain essential skills over a one-year period.

Andre Botha, chairman of the Game rangers Association of Africa which subcontracted the training to one of its foremost providers, African Field Ranger Training Services, points out that it is vitally important to train new field rangers in a context where poachers are killing almost one rhino per day. “Given the level of threat to our wildlife, there will probably always be a place for these skills. We evaluate each individual to ensure the person is both physically and intellectually suitable, before we start with the actual course material,” Botha explains. The training itself focuses mainly on law enforcement, informing the new field rangers of what they are empowered to do, and operational skills such as bushcraft and tracking that enable them to enforce relevant legislation.
Saziso Ephraim Ndlovu, a Wildlands employee trained alongside the community rangers says the training was challenging. “We learned patrol and ambush tactics for day and night patrols, and gained knowledge of nature and how to protect it through poaching prevention. I would like to become a field ranger – I enjoy law enforcement and I’d like to help stop poachers from stealing our wildlife.”

Kloppers says training local community members as rangers is vital for the effective conservation of these areas. “Our philosophy is not simply to provide a local reserve with game, fences and some equipment,” says Kloppers. “We believe in ongoing partnerships to ensure that local communities have the capacity to maintain an area on their own before they are left to do so.”

Apart from paying rangers’ salaries on an ongoing basis, Wildlands also assists with fundraising and business models to enable communities to help themselves – as their capacity to do so is developed. Communities retain ownership of the land while learning to manage it better.

T-shirts aid tree planting

Duesouth store window display promoting the sale of their Graphic Tees to support the planting of trees.  Picture taken by: Duesouth Marketing

Duesouth, the outdoor lifestyle clothing brand, has raised R 20 000 for the purchase and planting of trees through an in-store campaign for their Graphic Tee range. The t-shirts carry environmental messages and bold icons of nature, and the added incentive of planting a tree with the purchase of a t-shirt has been a hit with Duesouth customers.

“Duesouth got involved with the Wildlands Conservation Trust and their Indigenous Trees for Life Programme as it ties in well with our new Graphic Tee range launched in stores between 14 August and 15 September 2010, said Ruhshana Parker from Duesouth’s Marketing department . “These t-shirts talk the environmental message and as outdoor lifestyle enthusiasts, Duesouth customers are very conscious of the environment.”
With these funds trees are being planted at Ke-Ditselane Multi-cultural Village in Kathorus on the East Rand in Gauteng, a site chosen due to its close proximity to the Indigenous Trees for Life Project run by the Wildlands Conservation Trust in the Vosloorus community. This is one of the 24 Indigenous Trees for Life Projects run within Wildlands’ Sustainable Communities Programme.

The Wildlands Conservation Trust’s primary concern is the effective conservation of biodiversity in Southern Africa. However, it recognizes that this is simply not possible whilst a significant proportion of South Africans live in conditions that do not afford them the luxury of appreciating this biodiversity.

Wildlands’ Sustainable Communities Programme aims to support the transformation of marginalised peri-urban, squatter and rural communities through recycling, tree and vegetable growing projects, as well as creating the means for people to harvest rainwater and solar energy.

Indigenous Trees for Life is their flagship project and runs in 24 communities across KwaZulu Natal, Gauteng, Mpumalanga and now in the Western Cape, and over 3500 “tree-preneurs” are growing 350 000 trees a year in exchange for groceries, clothing and other goods.

Charmaine Veldman is the Manager of the Sustainable Communities Programme for the Wildlands Conservation Trust. “It is significant for us that Duesouth chose to support our project as this helps hugely to bring environmental issues into the mainstream and create awareness of the need to be involved in the environment.” She said.

Wildlands’ Sustainable Communities are growing in the Western Cape

Augustyn Kock is seven years old and in Grade 2 at Kalkfontein Primary School. He has 100 trees growing in his back yard in the Indigenous Trees for Life Programme and is hoping to buy a bicycle when he trades the trees.    Picture taken by: Lesley Joemat / The Wildlands Conservation Trust

Thanks to support from Western Cape businesses Spier and PSG Konsult Corporate, KwaZulu Natal based conservation NGO the Wildlands Conservation Trust is extending its footprint into the Western Cape, with small beginnings in Kalkfontein, Delft, Kayamandi and Nyanga on the Cape Flats.

The Wildlands Conservation Trust’s primary concern is the effective conservation of biodiversity in Southern Africa. However, it recognizes that this is simply not possible whilst a significant proportion of South Africans live in conditions that do not afford them the luxury of appreciating this biodiversity.

Wildlands’ Sustainable Communities Programme aims to support the transformation of marginalized peri-urban, squatter and rural communities through recycling, tree and vegetable growing projects, as well as creating the means for people to harvest rainwater and solar energy.

Spier has made project management resources, a vehicle and office space available to the project, and PSG Konsult Corporate has supplied funding. Hans de Nysschen, PSG Konsult Corporate CEO said the company subscribes to the principle of broad based economic empowerment. “We believe that we have found the right partner in Wildlands to assist PSG in achieving these goals.”

“We are very excited about the true potential of the Indigenous Trees for Life programme, which has already proven to be very successful in many areas of the country, especially in KwaZulu Natal. Together with our local partners Spier, we hope to extend these successes into the rural areas of the Western Cape, and to make a difference to the lives of many.” He said.

Spier CEO, Andrew Milne, said, “The project is exciting as it engages local communities, offers benefits and helps the environment. Seeing the tree-preneurs’ passion for growing trees is inspiring and we’re confident that they will go from strength to strength.”

Lesley Joemat, a Spier employee, is the Project Manager for the Western Cape Indigenous Trees for Life project. She has 85 tree-preneurs across the four communities involved in the project and about 8000 trees are in different stages of growth at the moment. Many of the tree-preneurs are school learners, and over 50% are single parents needing to supplement their income or they are unemployed.

Augustyn Kock is seven years old and is in grade two at Kalkfontein Primary School. He has 100 trees growing in his back yard since starting growing trees from seed in September. He would like to buy a bicycle when he has grown enough trees to the correct height for trading. When asked why it is good to grow and plant trees, Augustyn said, “They give oxygen, give animals food, shade and living place.”

Charmaine Veldman, Sustainable Communities Manager for the Wildlands Conservation Trust said that Spier and PSG Konsult Corporate support had made it possible for Indigenous Trees for Life to take root in the Western Cape. “We have seen this project change lives in KwaZulu Natal, Gauteng and Mpumalanga, and we look forward to partnerships in the Western Cape that can build sustainable communities and impact lives positively while fostering a love for the environment.”

About Indigenous Trees for Life:
Indigenous Trees for Life runs in over 24 communities across KwaZulu Natal, Gauteng, Mpumalanga and now the Western Cape. Known as tree-preneurs, individuals are shown how to propagate trees from seed and care for them until they reach a certain height. The trees are then traded for groceries, clothing, school uniforms and other goods at stores set up by Wildlands called green future stores. Wildlands then plants the trees back into the community or into reforestation projects.