Month: September 2014

Cobra Watertech handed over a cheque for R67 159 to the Wildlands Conservation Trust yesterday, the 25th of September. The donation coincided with Heritage Day, as the funds comprised a percentage of the total net profits made to date from the sale of Cobra’s aptly named “Heritage Collection” – a dazzling range of contemporary single lever mixer taps inspired by the beauty of South Africa’s landscape and the country’s abundant fauna and flora.

“Our Heritage Collection really struck a chord with South Africans, and the range has been incredibly well received. We’re delighted this donation will be used to further the amazing work the Wildlands Conservation Trust is doing in our local communities. We will continue to donate a portion of the proceeds of the sale of this range to the trust in the future,” said Ronelle Badenhorst, Cobra Business Unit Manager, Director Designate.

Designed around the sustainability ethos of the four Cs, namely commerce, conservation, community and culture, the Heritage Collection doesn’t only celebrate South Africa’s heritage, but also acts as a driver for social change within the country’s broader community.

This is perfectly aligned with the Wildlands Conservation Trust’s objective of uplifting communities through the restoration of the ecosystems they depend on, and creating and sustaining ‘green jobs’ for unemployed and impoverished community members.

“A key philosophy is to use conservation land use development as the means to encourage the improved sustainable management of the natural environment and community upliftment. We are therefore extremely grateful to Cobra for this donation, which is being invested in our eco-tourism infrastructure in the Bhekula Tshanini communities in the Maputaland region of KwaZulu-Natal. Partnerships with dedicated and committed companies such as Cobra are essential to these community initiatives reaching their full potential,” says Kevin McCann Deputy Director of Conservation at Wildlands.

The donation will be used to increase capacity and improve the visitor experience of the community-owned Bhekula Sand Forest Lodge. Visit http://www.africaninsight.co.za/bhekula-nature-reserve.html for more information – this could be your next holiday destination!

Today, the 22 September 2014, is “World Rhino Day” and celebrates all five species of Rhino: Black, White, Greater One-horned, Sumatran and Javan Rhinos. World Rhino Day was first announced by WWF-South Africa in 2010. The following year, World Rhino Day grew into an international success, encompassing both African and Asian rhino species, thanks to the efforts of thousands of people around the world.

The Rhino poaching crisis affecting South Africa and smaller African and Asian Rhino range states is now recognised as a worldwide wildlife emergency. The brutal killing of Rhinos – particularly in South Africa – is being driven by global criminal syndicates, many with links to international terrorism and narcotics cartels.  Wildlife crime has exploded in recent years to meet the increasing demand for Rhino horn, Elephant ivory and Tiger products, particularly in Asia:  today, it is the fourth most profitable illegal trade in the world after drugs, arms and human trafficking, estimated at US$19 billion annually. Demand for Rhino horn particularly in China and Vietnam has risen over the past four years, where it is seen as a status symbol for the aspirational middle-classes and newly wealthy citizens of these countries, whose economies continue to grow. This, combined with traditional beliefs in its non-existent medicinal properties, has made Rhino horn one of the most expensive commodities in the world, outstripping gold, platinum and even cocaine in value.

With 771 Rhino poached during 2014 as of the 10 September, World Rhino Day provides EVERYONE with the opportunity to become more aware of the issues facing not only our Rhino species, but our wildlife in general. As a country we rely so much on our nature-based tourism, with Rhino playing a fundamental part in ensuring this remains one of our most important contributors to the GDP. How can we possibly allow a small group of greedy individuals to rob this country of one of its most iconic creatures?

We urge you to go and see what people around the world are doing to increase the awareness of the threat to Rhino and the changes that they are working for – visit www.worldrhinoday.org for more information.

At Wildlands, our focus has been on securing the population of Black and White Rhino at Somkhanda Game Reserve in northern KwaZulu-Natal. Wildlands staff will be activating a World Rhino Day celebration in the Gumbi community, making them more aware of the Rhino poaching crisis, and how important these Rhino are to the development and upliftment of the Gumbi people. Ultimately, the only way we can turn this around is to get to the “hearts and minds” of all people, including the communities living on the borders of protected areas securing Rhino. We all need to play our role – what are you doing today to celebrate World Rhino Day?

Donate to Wildlands Rhino Conservation projects at http://www.localhost/import-data-post/donate

The 6^th People & Parks Conference was held on the 9^th of September in uMthatha, Eastern Cape this year.  The Minister of Water and Environmental Affairs, Mrs Edna Molewa said, “We have come a long way on our journey of aligning conservation objectives with the needs of communities who are directly affected and impacted by these same initiatives.” Somkhanda Community Game Reserve is one of these initiatives which the Wildlands Conservation Trust is proud to be an integral part of.

“[One such] success story is that of the community-owned Somkhanda Game Reserve in KwaZulu-Natal – run and engaged in partnership by the Gumbi Community, Ezemvelo KZN Wildlife, and the Wildlands Conservation Trust,” said Molewa.

Wildland’s has received support for this project from the Department of Environmental Affairs (DEA) and Development Bank of South Africa (DBSA) through their Green Fund “Farming the Wild” programme, which aims to assist the rural communities of KwaGumbi in KwaZulu-Natal through the establishment of the Somkhanda Community Game Reserve, and the Usuthu Gorge Community Conservation Area of the Mathenjwa community.

“The building of conservation economies in rural areas of our country is critical, not only for the conservation of our natural resources, but also to focus on the upliftment of the communities who rely on these natural resources. Wildlands acknowledges the forward thinking of the Minister and the Department through the People and Parks programme, in their pursuit of sustainable development strategies – a vision of integrating local communities into conservation management,” said Kevin McCann, Deputy Director at Wildlands.

KwaZulu-Natal has a spectacular coastline, with many of the towns along its edge relying on the natural beauty of the area, plus the warm waters of the ocean, to attract visitors both locally and internationally. It is for this reason that WESSA (The Wildlife and Environment Society of South Africa), through their National Coastal Programme, have undertaken a drive to increase the number of Blue Flag beaches along the KZN coast. The Blue Flag programme for beaches, marinas and boats is run by the Foundation for Environmental Education (FEE) and facilitated in South Africa by WESSA. The programme promotes sustainable development in freshwater and marine areas while challenging local authorities and beach operators to achieve high standards in water quality, environmental management, environmental education and safety.

The additional energy being funnelled into this project comes from a new strategic partnership launched between Grindrod Financial Services and Wildlands Conservation Trust. Through this unique partnership, The Blue Fund was created with an aim to focus on the sustainable development of coastal communities and conservation of coastal marine ecosystems. “Wildlands have always been driven by a vision to transform and uplift communities and the environment,” said Wildlands CEO Dr Andrew Venter. “When we were approached by Grindrod with the idea to develop The Blue Fund the synergy with the sustainability work we already implement across the country could not be ignored, and we decided the fund was a perfect fit for us.”

“Grindrod has its roots in the maritime industry and with this comes an intense understanding of the environmental issues that pose a threat to communities in general,” said David Polkinghorne, MD of Grindrod Bank Limited. “Grindrod Bank and Grindrod Asset Management have an active interest in transforming and enriching South Africa, and as such have created The Blue Fund”. The Blue Fund has assisted WESSA with the necessary resources required for three significant beaches to achieve their Blue Flag status, namely Pennington, Blythedale and Mtunzini. By achieving Blue Flag status, it is hoped that the relevant municipalities will prove that they are serious about conservation and tourism in their respective areas.

“The Blue Flag Programme is critical to the management of our coastal resources,” said Ted Knott, Business Unit Leader of the National Coastal programme for WESSA. “It is important from the perspective of Biodiversity Conservation, Environmental Education, Employment Creation and Tourism.  In the absence of a National Funder, support from the Blue Fund – specifically as we grow the programme in KZN – is invaluable.”

The Blue Fund is currently supporting an additional two projects along the South African coastline. The first is WESSA’s Ntsubane Forest Complex Management & Sustainable Livelihoods project in the Port St Johns area of the Eastern Cape. It involves working with crafters in product development and ensuring responsible and sustainable harvesting of craft resources from the coastal forests of the Wild Coast. The second, the establishment of the African Penguin and Seabird Sanctuary near Gansbaai in the Western Cape, is being implemented by the Dyer Island Conservation Trust.

The 20^th running of the world class Old Mutual Sunday Tribune Mont Aux Sources Trail Run took place on the 6^th of September 2014, also International Vulture Awareness day, a day which aims to publicize the conservation of vultures to a wider audience. The Mont Aux Sources Wild Series event has much relevance to this day, as funds raised through this challenge are used to monitor and safeguard the Bearded Vulture in the Maloti – Drakensberg Royal Natal Park, also a World Heritage site.

Runners ran through some of our country’s most rugged and beautiful scenery, with magnificent views of Bearded Vulture’s flying overhead along the route and landing at Witsieshoek.

Eric Ngubane took first place in the men’s category, in an unbelievable time of 4 hours and 22 minutes, followed by Ray Orchison with 42 minutes between them, while Trish Bahlmann came in first place at 5 hours and 34 minutes for the women– and also 3rd overall.

Eric Ngubane has run this event three times and won each time. “I was very happy to complete the race and most importantly beating a record that stood for 15 years,” said a proud Ngubane. “It is also important not to forget that we are doing this for the conservation of our beautiful environment and the species that surround it.”

“Over the past 20 years this event has raised significant funds with the most recent Mont Aux Sources event raising R400 000, which is a true testimony to the fact that people are becoming more conscious of our conservation efforts around endangered species such as the Bearded Vulture,” said Wildlands CEO Dr Andrew Venter . “Old Mutual have also recently come on board as our new title sponsor and share in our passion for endurance sports, conservation and sustainability, which makes this partnership a perfect fit,” said Venter.

Commented Mokaedi Dilotsotlhe, General Manager – Old Mutual Marketing, “We are excited to be the new title sponsor of the Wildlands Conservation Trust’s Wild Series events. This sponsorship has strong links with our business on many levels. Not only is endurance sports a key pillar of Old Mutual’s sponsorship portfolio; but this partnership also strongly resonates with Old Mutual’s philosophy to do business responsibly and focus on sustainability. It is great to see our partnership move into action.”

“We appreciate every single person that takes part and does their bit, but have to make mention of individuals such as  Con Roux who has participated in this event for the 7^th year running – Thank you for being such a great ambassador for the trust Con!” These events create amazing partnerships. Con Roux is the Commercial Manager of N3TC, who has also been instrumental in securing funds to support the construction of three vulture hides in the Maloti-Drakensberg Mountains, in Giants Castle, Cathedral Peak and Golden Gate.

Special mention must also be made of ABI, who have sponsored the Mont Aux Sources challenge in all the 20 years it has been running. ABI representative, Rajen Motheram has also been part of this prestigious event for 18 of the 20 years – a longstanding partnership indeed – thank you Rajen and ABI for all you have done to make this event a success year after year.

In partnership with Ezemvelo KZN Wildlife, the funds raised by the Mont Aux Sources Challenge are allocated to the monitoring and protection of Bearded Vulture through the fitting of satellite transmitters. The hosting of the Mont Aux Sources Challenge by Wildlands, Old Mutual, Sunday Tribune, Radox Man, ABI and Ezemvelo KZN Wildlife will continue to provide a much-needed boost for the conservation of this iconic species of the Drakensberg Mountains.

Wildlands’ Kevin McCann highlighted the conservation value of this event – “With the massive pressure on species such as the Bearded Vulture in the Maloti Drakensberg mountains, events such as the Mont-Aux-Sources trail run not only allows individuals to contribute through their participation, but also get exposed to the real issues facing these species. These contributions are significant and the vultures of these magnificent mountains will benefit as a result of each and every person running this event.”

Very often we focus our conservation efforts on the large Big 5 protected areas, and forget about the value of the smaller, lesser known protected areas. Yet in conservation circles small reserves continue to fill a worthy niche in conservation strategies, very often conserving the smaller elements of our incredible biodiversity. The question of their value often comes into play because of the issue of economic viability; can we manage these areas sustainably?

This is a very relevant question when it comes to the Karkloof Nature Reserve, situated in the KwaZulu-Natal midlands, consisting of vast tracts of natural grassland and indigenous forests. Wildlands Conservation Trust was instrumental in facilitating the formal proclamation of the entire Karkloof Nature Reserve in August 2012, including the Dartmoor property which Wildlands purchased in 2010 in order to expand the reserve. As a key stakeholder in the management of the reserve, the challenge has always been how to generate the financial resources, not only to cover the current management costs, but also proactively improve the management.

Working in an environment where it is not possible to introduce large game species, and where the ecotourism potential is relatively low, we need to be creative and innovative in our thinking to ultimately fund these smaller protected areas. Our key trump-card in the Karkloof Nature Reserve has been the amazing grasslands in the upper portion of the reserve around Mt Gilboa. Historically these grasslands areas have been predominantly used for livestock grazing. So, we cannot introduce high-value game species, and the classic European cattle breeds are disease-prone and have the potential to degrade the grassland areas.

Wildlands has therefore decided to introduce a herd of Nguni cattle onto the Dartmoor property of the reserve – these are an indigenous breed, are hardy and adapt to the local conditions (i.e. do not need dipping for ticks and parasites) and have significant value. The solution for these smaller grassland reserves could be the running of small herds of Nguni in a manner that sustainably utilises the grassland resources, yet improves their condition through best practice management, just like you would in a savannah Big 5 game reserve.

The 9^th of September was an auspicious day for the Karkloof Nature Reserve, as the first herd of Nguni livestock were offloaded onto the Dartmoor property. This herd was purchased from the Hancock family, who are well-known as one of the top breeders in the Nguni industry.

“We are very fortunate to have been able to purchase such a high quality Nguni herd and are very excited with the prospect of piloting this innovative model, which will definitely provide a sustainable funding model for this important reserve”, said Donna Lay (Wildlands Reserve Manager). With improved financial resources generated from the management of this herd, the Karkloof Nature Reserve will be in a better position to slowly improve its management potential, and thereby benefit the key species such as Oribi and Wattled Crane.

National Arbor Week is celebrated on 1 – 7 September and is an opportunity for all South Africans to plant indigenous trees in support of a sustainable future.

Arbor Day originated in Nebraska in the United States of America in the 1870s. On 4 January 1872, J.Sterling Morton, a journalist, proposed a tree-planting holiday to be called “Arbor Day” at a meeting of the State Board of Agriculture. The date was set for 10 April 1872. It was estimated that more than one million trees were planted in Nebraska on the first Arbor Day. During the 1870s, other states passed legislation to observe Arbor Day.

Historically, South Africa has not had a culture of tree planting and it was not until the 1970s that a real need to promote tree planting was recognised. The concept of a National Arbor Day ensued from the 1973 Green Heritage Campaign. Following requests from various bodies, the then Department of Forestry obtained approval in 1982 to establish National Arbor Day that has been in place countrywide since 1983. In 1996, the Minister of Water Affairs and Forestry extended Arbor Day from one day to one week.

Arbor Week encapsulates the vision of Wildlands and also brings one of our core projects, “Trees for Life” under the spotlight.

Trees for Life was born in 2004 and after 10 years has expanded into 70 communities and sees the planting of over 1 000 000 trees per annum. The 8000 community members involved in the project are referred to as Tree-preneurs and exchange their trees with Wildlands for livelihood support items such us school fees, groceries, solar panels, Jojo tanks and bicycles.

ACSA, a loyal donor to the environmental NPO, celebrated their 21 year anniversary by planting 21 indigenous trees near King Shaka International Airport.

Representatives from Tongaat Hulett Development, DEA NRM (Department of Environmental Affairs – Natural Resource Management), eThekwini Municipality and Wildlands gathered to celebrate the start of a new restoration team which will be based in Cornubia (KZN) and also planted 30 trees to mark the occasion.

Mutual and Federal also got involved in the theme of the week and donated 70 trees to Hayfields Primary School in Pietermaritzburg. Wildlands staff did a presentation to the school children about indigenous trees and how to take care of them, as well as assisted the children in planting the trees.

Clinique and Estee Lauder also decided to incorporate their annual “KZN Do it Day” into Arbor Week and their 15 staff volunteers planted 107 indigenous trees with Wildlands at Paradise Valley. “Today was so special,” said Anna Carlier of Clinique, “not only did we get to make a difference we got to meet the local Tree-preneurs and hear the stories behind the trees they nurtured and we planted.”

Uthungulu District held a large scale Arbor Event in partnership with uThungulu District Municiplaity, Ntambanana Municipality, Edtea (Economic development, tourism and environmental affairs) the Province of KZN, Daff (Department of agriculture, forestry and fisheries), RBCT (Richards Bay Coal terminal), Foskor and Ezemvelo KZN Wildlife.

Wildlands donated 150 indigenous trees to this event, which were distributed throughout local schools in the uThungulu district. The department of agriculture, forestry and fisheries donated 400 trees which were distributed throughout households in Macekane, 2 trees per household (one indigenous tree and one fruit tree). Companies that form part of the Richards Bay Industrial Development Zone also got involved in the uThungulu Arbor Week celebrations, while Foskor planted trees as part of a carbon sequestration model, which describes long-term storage of carbon dioxide or other forms of carbon to either mitigate or defer global warming and avoid climate change.

MTN and Aqua Online volunteers also got into the spirit of Arbor Week and partnered with Wildlands and 6 local schools (Mkhambi Primary, Kutemela Molefi Primary, Cullinan, Bosckop Primary, Lesedi Secondary and Wozanibone Secondary) by sponsoring and planting 1000 indigenous trees, all grown by local Tree-preneurs. This specific planting activity was inspired by MTN who decided to look at how much CO2 was created through staff travel, logistics, screen time, printing, social media etc, and made a decision to plant trees to offset the sum of CO2.

“The passion of sharing knowledge around indigenous trees, planting trees and ultimately contributing to the mitigation of climate change is intensified during a week like this,” says Wildlands CEO Dr Andrew Venter. “For us at Wildlands a week like this simply serves as inspiration and motivation to keep doing what we do best – cleaning and greening communities, working towards a sustainable future for all.”

In May 2013 some 800 young graduates and matriculants, from predominantly rural parts of South Africa, were selected to be part of the National Groen Sebenza (Green Work) programme. The 2½ year Groen Sebenza programme funded by the Development Bank of South Africa (DBSA) is coordinated by the South African Biodiversity Institute (SANBI).

43 environmental organisations including Wildlands Conservation Trust agreed to host the young Pioneers. The role of host institution, such as Wildlands, is to ‘incubate’ Pioneers into the environmental sector, addressing priority skills shortages and giving them the mentorship and training they need to develop themselves further before entering the competitive South African job market.

Wildlands Conservation Trust is host to 38 Pioneers with some placed at the Head Office in Hilton, Pietermaritzburg, as geographers, communications officers, GIS technicians, environmental educators, training and development co-ordinators, data capturers and grant administrators;  whilst those based in the field (nationally) fulfil roles such as horticulturists, stewardship facilitators, social ecologists, eco-tourism hospitality assistants, and community development workers.

Pioneers were placed with mentors and benefit from the guidance and experience they receive. “Wildlands has in turn benefitted from the additional able bodied and capable young people who have added real value to the organization,” said Moira Potter, Assistant Coordinator of Wildlands Groen Sebenza programme. “Five Pioneers have already accepted full time positions within the organisation and a few have left to take up positions elsewhere in the Green job market.”

The two Pioneers that have left the programme to take up positions within the Green sector are Zinhle Ngubane, GIS specialist at Jeffares & Green, and Nolwandle Zulu, Assistant Education Officer at eThekwini Municipality’s Department of Solid Waste.

As funding has become available in their areas of work, Yashna Maharaj, Thabisa Mazingisa, Thulani Ngidi, Lindo Hlongwane and Zandile Masikane have all been able to secure permanent positions at Wildlands Conservation Trust.

Lindo Hlongwane, who has just taken up a permanent position as a Communications Officer at Wildlands said, “Since I came to Wildlands I have been eager to learn and as a result have been actively participating in events and branding activations. Thanks to SANBI for the great opportunity and to Wildlands for believing in us.”