In an exciting new partnership between The Ranger Boot and Shoe Company, a prominent footwear manufacturer based in Pietermaritzburg (KwaZulu-Natal) and WILDLANDS, the Somkhanda Community Game Reserve field rangers will be stepping out with confidence and style as they receive the latest Ranger branded boots sponsored by The Ranger Boot and Shoe Company.

With emphasis on making shoes of the highest quality, The Ranger Boot and Shoe Company ensures that it offers traditional values of pride, craftsmanship and integrity as do all world class footwear manufacturers.

“The Ranger brand is at the forefront of spearheading our sustainability initiatives which we hope will help make a small contribution to saving Mother Earth. These initiatives include greening our supply chain by avoiding the use of hazardous chemicals in our manufacturing process. This is achieved through sourcing leather from tanneries that are environmentally compliant and promote sustainability while embracing best practices,” said Tavonga Gonyora Sales and Marketing Director for The Ranger Boot and Shoe Company.

The support from The Ranger Boot and Shoe Company will be in the form of supplying the field rangers of Somkhanda Community Game Reserve with Ranger boots. These boots, made in collaboration with Mossop Leathers who provided the water repellent and flame retardant leather are made to withstand the tough conditions of the environment in the field the rangers operate. They will assist the teams on the ground in carrying out their various day-to-day duties. This donation of practical footwear to the hard-working team at Somkhanda will be an annual donation to ensure they are always equipped with easy-to-work in protective gear.

Gonyora said that their entire team is excited about being a part of this worthy cause as it fits in well with their drive to save the environment. “As the brand grows in market share, it is our hope that we will be able to do more with the various arms of the WILDTRUST through the WILDLANDS and WILDOCEANS programmes,” he concluded.

“These boots will help us a lot when tracking possible danger in these rocky, tight and thorny paths, we are able to walk with more freedom. The boots are light and will enable us to work with more ease whether patrolling the reserve on foot or from the chopper. Thanks to the Ranger Boot and Shoe Company,” said Sibusiso Mathe, Section Ranger at Somkhanda Community Game Reserve.

“The rangers at Somkhanda Community Game Reserve are beyond excited about this partnership with The Ranger Boot and Shoe Company. They will now be able to confidently patrol the over 12 000ha reserve knowing that they have reliable shoes that will enable them to respond accordingly to any possible threats as well as carry out their day-to-day responsibilities comfortably,” concluded Buyi Makhoba-Dlamini, WILDLANDS Marketing Deputy Director.

To watch the short film visit: https://www.facebook.com/WildlandsConservationTrust/videos/493607728004654/

WILDTRUST (registered as the Wildlands Conservation Trust – IT No: 4329/1991/PMB) is a South African Non-Profit (NPO: 004-949), and Public Benefit Organisation (PBO: 130001485) registered in terms of Section 18A of the Income Tax Act. Your donation to the WILDTRUST qualifies you for a Section 18A tax certificate. To put it simply, you can claim any donation made to the Trust as a tax-deductible expense.

As we approach the tax year end donation cut off on the 29^th February, we would like to encourage all our friends, fans and family of the Trust to make a contribution and help us continue working towards a sustainable future for all the communities that we support through the WILDLANDS and WILDOCEANS programmes of the WILDTRUST.

How will you benefit? We are a Level 3 organisation in terms of the B-BBEE Codes. To qualify for Socio-Economic Development (SED) points on your Scorecard, you or your company can donate a total donation value of 1% of your Net Profit after Tax (NPAT). Added to this, you will gain a maximum of 5 Scorecard points for your donation. Your contribution will be used to assist our on-going operations to conserve our land, protect our wildlife and restore our oceans.

If you require Enterprise Development (ED) points, simply contribute to WILDENTERPRISE – an Exempt Micro Enterprise with a B-BBEE level 2 category. Your total grant value of 1% of Net Profit after Tax (NPAT) will qualify your company for a maximum of 5 Scorecard points. These donations will be used to assist our ongoing operations of WILDENTERPRISE to empower black women and stimulate jobs in the green and blue economies.

To make your contribution, contact us at info@wildtrust.co.za  or use the banking details below then send your payment confirmation to the same email address. We will then send you your S18A certificate or ED confirmation letter

Banking details for the Trust are as follows:

Wildlands Conservation Trust
Investec Bank
Account number: 1001 101 4125
Branch code: 580105
SWIFT Code: IVESZAJJXXX
Reference: Your name/company & S18A (for SED) OR Your name/company & EntDev (for ED)

For more info on our WILD work visit www.wildtrust.co.za or call 033 343 6380

Environmental advocate, actor and Ocean Unite Network member Shailene Woodley recently gave of her energy, time and passion to a cause close to her heart: promoting the conservation of South Africa’s oceans. Woodley added her voice to those of South African divers, surfers, paddlers, fishers and marine scientists to highlight all there is to love about the ocean, and why it needs to be conserved and protected.

Until October 2018 South Africa only had 0.4% of its oceans protected. The South African government then acted to increase the area of ocean protected so that today, 5% of its ocean space is designated as safe havens for marine life within Marine Protected Areas (MPAs). But WILDOCEANS (a programme of the WILDTRUST) and many others are advocating for even more given the consensus of international scientists that at least 30 percent of the ocean should be highly protected.

“Working with Shailene was an honour and privilege, and her advocacy and passion for the ocean was unmistakeable,” said WILDOCEANS’ Ocean Impact Campaign Lead, Lauren van Nijkerk. “Supporting the commitments of our government we are striving for 10% marine protection by 2020 and 30% by 2030. These steps are required in order for the ocean to keep giving us what we continue to take out.”

Woodley talks about what the ocean means to her: “The ocean is home to me; I think I learnt how to swim before I learnt how to ride a bike. The reason why I feel so called to the ocean, is that I have never met a better teacher. She is therapy. She doesn’t allow you to think too hard, she forces you to be very present, and I think that’s something that’s missing in our lives. The reason I use the word ‘she’ when describing the ocean is, I feel she is feminine in her nature and her essence.”

“I feel like the ocean demands a presence that is lost in today’s society,” said Woodley. “It’s very easy to get wrapped up in our minds and our egos, and what could be and what should be. She is a constant reminder to me that if you want to live a life that is truly in service to the earth, to others, and to yourself, you have to be available and open to listen. It’s important to have desire and be driven, but underneath all of that, it’s important to just listen.”

“There is so much about the ocean that we don’t know. When it comes to the species that live there, the marine life, the inter-connections and communications that happen, because it is a frequency our human bodies simply cannot live in. That to me is fascinating, and something worth protecting until my last breath.”

Ocean Impact Youth Spokesperson, Ruth Mthembu featured in the clip and said: “Working with an ocean loving, award-winning actor like Shailene Woodley, not only made our entire year but it showed the passion that many young people share around the world – a love for our oceans and a desire to protect it, which transcends borders, cultures and languages. Our oceans are as South African as we are, and we need to protect them as much as we depend on them.”

Karen Sack, CEO of Ocean Unite, a key partner of WILDOCEANS which aims to unify, amplify and engage key voices at the moments that matter most for the ocean, said: “2020 is a critically important year for ocean protection on the water and in the corridors of power. It is when the UN’s agreed target of protecting 10 percent of the ocean matures. Countries also will gather in China in October to agree on marine protection targets for 2030. A global alliance of countries are showing great leadership by supporting the 30 percent marine conservation goal and it is absolutely time for South Africa to climb aboard and set sail for greater ocean protection action.”

“I’m fighting for our oceans because if we don’t no one will and that’s the end of the story. Every single living creature on earth would not survive without a healthy, functioning ocean,” concluded Woodley.

You can watch the short film here: https://www.facebook.com/OceaniMPActsa/videos/208482776867990/

Share your love for South Africa’s oceans – @oceanimpactsa @WILDOCEANSSA #Love10x20 #Love30x30.