Author: WILDTRUST

African Youth Unifying for Ocean protection: African Youth Summit

Our Africa, Our Ocean, Our Future.

In the first-ever virtual event of its kind on the continent, a youth driven marine group called Youth4MPAs in partnership with WILDOCEANS, and supported by World Surf League PURE, The Pew Charitable Trusts and Oceans5 has launched an African Youth Summit focusing on unifying youth across Africa, engaging with global marine experts and amplifying their young voices to advocate for protection of its oceans.

Watch the official video launch here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9omR2omE00Q

Established in 2018, Youth4MPAs has been instrumental in growing a voice of change for South African oceans and its protection. Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) are critical because they are able to defend the oceans capacity to produce oxygen, sequester carbon and provide food and livelihoods for billions of people. They are also important for the future because they can protect depleted, threatened, rare, and endangered species. In addition, MPAs generate economic benefits such as revenue from nature tourism and ecosystem services, making nature another economic sector in its own right.

South Africa has already protected 5,4% of its waters. The National Plan committed to protecting 10% by 2020 which has not been achieved yet, with hopes for this milestone in 2021. This will go a long way in contributing to the global ocean target of protecting 30% of our oceans by 2030 (30X30). Scientific research indicates that the effective protection of at least 30% of the global ocean is needed to reverse adverse impacts, preserve fish populations, increase resilience to climate change, and sustain long-term ocean health. Protecting at least 30% of the global ocean is the minimum to maintain a healthy and sustainably managed ocean and achieve socioeconomic goals.

The African Youth Summit, is set for 19-20 August 2021 and is primarily aimed at building ownership and stewardship by the youth (for the youth), of the global 30 x 30 initiative.

“We are deeply rooted in empowering and educating rural and urban youth communities, providing them with the necessary tools and voices to support and action blue solutions around Africa’s vast coastline” says AYS Co-ordinator, Kajal Lechman.

This Summit will provide a platform for inter-disciplinary and intergenerational interactions and engagements that will help build capacity to further engage in the 30 x 30 message, not only within our circles, but on international platforms, and with key decision makers. Leading marine scientists, Dr Jean Harris, Prof Moenieba Isaacs, Karen Sack, Dr Jennifer O’Leary, Prof Rashid Sumaila and Prof Mandy Lombard will be among the keynote speakers to join and provide vital insight and experience to the conversations during the event.

“The summit reinforces the importance of ensuring the active participation of youth leaders as we collectively work to conserve our blue planet,” said Masha Kalinina, senior officer for The Pew Charitable Trusts. “Today, more than 80 countries have joined the call to action to protect at least 30% of our global ocean by 2030. The support of individuals and networks of African Youth means that their voice can build on this momentum to secure a robust agreement for the high seas and to set targets to conserve our marine environment over the next decade.”

The Summit is particularly important in that it will build and expand new and already existing networks and relationships across Africa and remain a legacy for future generations of ocean advocates. It will also promote unity and patriotism among Africa’s youth that will greatly assist in the development of meaningful conversations with local communities, to build mutually beneficial relationships between marine ecosystems, Africa and her people.

Themes of the Summit will focus on the following:

• Deciphering the science behind 30X30 to help youth improve on their knowledge and facilitation of meaningful discussions.
• Reconnecting humans to nature by building stewardship and ownership of the global ocean conservation agenda.
• Creating a unified voice for African youth by building strong relationships and networks.
• Becoming ambassadors of change by connecting African youth to the ocean through education.
• Giving African youth a space to create a call to action for world leaders in preparation for upcoming events like COP15 and the IUCN Congress.

“As an active youth movement, with the vision of generating youth voices that educate and create awareness about ocean health, protection, and sustainability – we are inspired to forge an African network of young people that take charge in shaping the future of our oceans.” said Merrisa Naidoo, Youth4MPAs spokesperson.

WILDOCEANS Project Manager, Rachel Kramer, also added that: “Young people represent the largest population group on the African continent. The youth have the potential to become a formidable force if they are equipped with the tools to engage in the ocean conservation conversation. We believe that engaging youth fulfils their right to participation and ensures the continued survival of Africa’s magnificent marine biodiversity and the ecosystem services the ocean provides. This is the ocean they will ultimately inherit – we all need to do our part in better-protecting it.”

Join us in building an environmentally active and conscious youth movement across the African continent.

For Our Africa, Our Ocean, Our Future. Because We Are One Ocean!

Take the first step for Ocean Protection by joining us on the 19-20 August 2021.

Register here: https://africanyouthsummit.com/

Follow us on social media here:

• Official video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9omR2omE00Q
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AfricanYouthSummit/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/africanyouthsummit/
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/AY_Summit

Following the announcement of the 3-year partnership between Somkhanda Community Game Reserve and Bhejane Nature Training in June 2020, WILDLANDS, a programme of the WILDTRUST is excited to announce the first successful group of youth who have qualified as certified, FGASA (Field Guides Association of South Africa) Nature Guides.

As South Africa gears up to celebrate Youth month, it is encouraging to witness positive stories which put youth empowerment, upskilling and employment at the forefront. South Africa has some of the highest youth unemployment rates globally with an estimated 58% of youth currently unemployed. This can be attributed to several factors including low education rates, lack of experience and a variety of socio-economic factors.

The YES programme was announced by President Cyril Ramaphosa in March 2018 which was a collaboration between Nedbank and YES. The aim of the programme is to reduce youth unemployment levels across South Africa by providing one-year quality work-placements aimed at affording practical and meaningful work experiences for unemployed youth between the ages of 18 and 29.

“The process of getting the guides trained took just over a year due to the unfortunate interruption of COVID-19, however, we were very impressed with the commitment and the perseverance of the newly qualified guides. Even after being out of action for quite some time due to lockdown delays, it was clear that they developed a genuine interest in this field of study. This qualification means a lot to them and promises to open real employment opportunities for them in the conservation and Field Guide training sphere,” comments Christa Panos, Bhejane Nature Training College Principal.

The newly qualified guides, Nomvelo Ngamandla (aged 27), Celimpilo Gumede (aged 24), Thuli Nxumalo (aged 23), Lindiwe Nkosi (aged 27) and Thembokhule Majozi (aged 22) were awarded with their certificates at a low-key graduation event at Somkhanda Community Game Reserve this week. They received their NQF level 2 Apprentice Field Guide qualification and Wilderness First Aid certification.

Thembokuhle Majozi comments, “I would like to thank each and everyone who has had a hand in making this qualification possible. Thanks to Bhejane Nature Training, Somkhanda Game Reserve and WILDLANDS.”

Dr Roelie Kloppers, WILDTRUST CEO added, “We are incredibly proud of these newly qualified guides as they shine a beacon of hope for the future of wildlife conservation and the empowerment of youth as the future custodians of community led conservation. We are watching their development with a very keen interest and wish them all the best for the future.”

Bhejane Nature Training aims to provide students with a training and education environment that promotes internal growth and development beyond the youths’ career goals which is directly aligned with the WILDTRUST’s vision of a thriving and resilient world. This is also linking in with the YES4YOUTH objectives of giving youth meaningful work experience which adequately prepares them for the real working world. The WILDTRUST team is grateful to Nedbank for making this possible.

Bhejane Nature Training and Somkhanda wish these youth well in their conservation careers ahead.

The WILDTRUST, through the support and commitment of Nedbank is participating in the Youth Employment Services (YES) programme. This programme aims to reduce youth unemployment levels across South Africa by providing one-year quality work-placements aimed at affording practical and meaningful work experiences for unemployed youth between the ages of 18 and 29. Following the successful appointment of 1 715 youth during the 2019 intake, the WILDTRUST has again committed to underwriting the 2021 YES programme with the support of Nedbank. The YES programme is a business led collaboration between Government, business, and labour; and seeks out ground-breaking ways, through innovation and technological best practice, to reignite the economy and give youth an employment and growth opportunity.

The YES programme was announced by President Cyril Ramaphosa in March 2018 and came into operation in November 2018 following the release of changes to the B-BBEE legislation. YES youth represent a determined group of young people with strong values, ethics and a desire to strive for excellence in any role, anywhere in the country. These individuals will receive mentorship and training through 25 work readiness modules including topics such as communication, professionalism, and money management. There are also 12 entrepreneurship modules to empower youth to run their own businesses. These modules are designed to help youth orientate themselves into the world of work and gain the skills required to successfully navigate the workplace. By completing these, the youth will build a strong CV, reference letter and certificate of completion which will make them both experienced and employable.

Through the WILDTRUST’s terrestrial and marine programmes (WILDLANDS and WILDOCEANS) together with its partners, the WILDTRUST has created employment for 1 109 youth placed across Mpumalanga, Western and Eastern Cape as well as KwaZulu-Natal. The jobs created are within the fields of office administration, environmental education, marketing and communications, land care, eco-tourism and sustainability, conservation and early childhood development.  Youth placed in these sustainable impact projects, will be offered diverse and unique opportunities to immerse themselves in an experiential journey that will directly or indirectly impact the environment for the better.

“We are so grateful to Nedbank for supporting our 2021 YES programme in these uncertain times,” said WILDTRUST Executive Shanitha Singh.  “We deeply appreciate this opportunity to underwrite a successful future for 1 109 young people, while working towards our vision of a thriving and resilient world.  This programme will combat South Africa’s rising youth unemployment levels despite the COVID-19 challenges that we are all experiencing.”

“The Youth Employment Services (YES) programme has proved that collaboration between different sectors in society is not only necessary but a powerful tool in making a difference. YES is perfectly aligned to Nedbank’s purpose of using our financial expertise to do good for individuals, families, businesses and society. We are honoured to continue to partner with WILDTRUST and YES to accelerate youth development and proud to play our part in giving young people hope and sense of agency,” comments Nedbank Group Executive, Deborah Fuller.

The WILDTRUST youth started their work experience on the 3^rd of May, and this will run for 12 months. Our in-house mentors and supervisors are excited to teach and guide these young individuals, equipping them for successful careers in their respective professions. The WILDTRUST is proud to be making such a meaningful impact in the lives of the youth, building a stronger and better South Africa.

For more information, visit www.wildtrust.co.za or visit https://yes4youth.co.za/

WILDLANDS, a programme of the WILDTRUST working collaboratively with The Aspinall Foundation and the Wildlife Emergency Fund (WEF) recently conducted an extraordinary collaring operation which aims to significantly increase the efficiency and impact of conservation efforts at Somkhanda Community Game Reserve.

The operation started off by locating each of the animals using VHF trackers that they were fitted with prior to being released into Somkhanda and then darted from the air by experienced wildlife vet Dr Mike Toft. Mpilo and Makhosi – two white rhino orphans who were released back into the wild in November 2020 after undergoing two years of rehabilitation, were the first to be fitted with the state-of-the-art technology. The pair were also dehorned during the operation for their safety as there had been a significant amount of horn regrowth. White rhino are on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species and all the rhino at Somkhanda are dehorned as a strategy to deter poachers.

The second part of the operation involved fitting a new collar onto one of the last remaining big tuskers on the African continent. The 20-year-old big tusker that was translocated to Somkhanda Game Reserve, owned and managed by the Emvokweni Community Trust from Tembe Elephant Park, owned by the Tembe Traditional Authority, as part of a conservation strategy to strengthen the gene poole of the current herd at Somkhanda and to contribute towards the conservation of these giants.

Wildlife management and protection at Somkhanda plays an integral part in the conservation efforts that are carried out on the reserve and is the highest priority for WILDLANDS as the organisation who is responsible for managing and protecting the biodiversity on the reserve. One of the fundamental components for successful wildlife management is to have a good understanding of species behaviour and habitat. Satellite tracking provides important insights and information when monitoring animal movements and the collars which communicate with mobile devices via satellite allow wildlife rangers on the ground to track the movement of the animals with much greater speed and accuracy.

WILDTRUST CEO, Roelie Kloppers comments, “the new satellite collars will provide data that feed directly into the newly implemented earthranger tracking system on the reserve, allowing management to collect real-time date on the recently rewilded rhino and elephant. Our aim is to expand this level of real-time tracking across all priority species on reserve. We are extremely grateful for the continued support from Aspinall and WEF making this possible for the community-owned reserve.

The collaring was facilitated and funded by the Aspinall Foundation who are an internationally renowned animal conservation charity that is dedicated to protecting endangered animals around the globe and the Wildlife Emergency Fund, an organisation that specialises in the rescue of animals in imminent risk of danger. “We are thrilled to be supporting Somkhanda Game Reserve as it is a shining light in community conservation, with WILDLANDS as their strategic partner. We believe that the collars will go a long way in protecting these incredible animals,” Jean Nagiah, Director of the Wildlife Emergency Fund.

The use of this satellite collaring technology is an effective approach to provide innovative solutions for maintaining and protecting wildlife populations and their environment within protected areas. This innovation will help monitors and rangers better understand the range and movements of the animals at Somkhanda.

It is well known that indigenous forests play a major role in mitigating climate change as they sequester greenhouse gases out of the atmosphere. The Buffelsdraai Landfill Site Community Reforestation Project was born in a bid to offset a portion of the Greenhouse gases emitted during the 2010 FIFA World Cup ^TM event hosted by the City of Durban.  In recognition of the carbon sequestration potential of the project, in 2014 the Buffelsdraai Landfill Site Community Reforestation Project attained a Gold Standard Afforestation/ Reforestation validation from the Community, Climate, and Biodiversity Alliance (CCBA) for its outstanding benefits to climate change adaptation and mitigation, biodiversity, and socio-economic upliftment of local communities. The CCBA Standard provides a means of auditing the socio-economic and biodiversity aspects of terrestrial based climate change mitigation activities.

The Buffelsdraai anticipated that carbon sequestration of aboveground woody carbon would be achieved through the mass scale planting of fast-growing indigenous trees. Initial project designs showed that 42 214,0 tCO_2e of aboveground woody carbon would to be sequestered over the 20-year lifespan of the Buffelsdraai project.  By 2020, it is anticipated that 55,69 percent or 23 507,1 tCO_2e of the total carbon pool would already be sequestered by the onsite planting activities.

When initially estimated a linear rate of carbon sequestration potential was employed, but in reality, the carbon sequestration rate does not occur at a constant over a 20-year period and thus field measurements and monitoring is required for validation purposes.  Due to the rigorous fieldwork associated with the carbon stock assessments, a local SMME, Philile Dladla, was appointed by Wildlands Conservation Trust, the project implementing partner to provide ongoing field research support to the project. An initial forest carbon inventory monitoring training was conducted by the Cirrus Group on site. To maintain the Gold Standard accreditation from the CCBA, carbon stock measurements, must also be routinely measured every 5-years.

In summary Philile Dladla is responsible for capturing aboveground forest inventory measurements on site that includes plot number, tree diameter at breast height (DBH), tree height, tree species identification, slope and aspect which are systematically captured for twenty random plots within the thirty management blocks on site. In addition to the aboveground forest inventory monitoring measurements Philile Dladla also undertakes field measurements of Woody Invasive Alien Plant Species, collects data on the bird inventory for site amongst various others. Once the data collection process is completed for the aboveground forest inventory measurements, allometric equations will be used to estimate biomass from individual tree diameters and be used to calculate the total biomass for each plot and management block which will then be used for estimating the carbon sequestered at the end of 2020. Once analysed the aboveground woody carbon data will also be used to provide more accurate estimates of the amount of carbon sequestered by the project over its 20-year lifespan. The data will also be used to provide specific information on the variability of biomass accumulation and carbon sequestration potential of individual tree species and habitats occurring on site. This is especially since the DBH and height of trees collected will show different size classes due to the annual planting regime that occurred early in the project.

WILDLANDS, a programme of the WILDTRUST and Somkhanda Community Game Reserve are proud to collaborate with the Ranger Legacy Project – ‘The Soul of a Ranger’, an initiative by the Game Rangers Association of Africa (GRAA), to raise the profile of Africa’s rangers and showcase their critical and diverse roles and share their stories as the guardians of wild Africa, using iconic images taken by Peter Chadwick, an internationally acclaimed and renowned conservation photographer.

Established in 1970, the GRAA is the oldest, largest and most representative ranger association in Africa with a vision to equip African rangers with the necessary capability and support to ensure protection, conservation, and where possible, restoration of Africa’s biodiversity and the continued existence of its wilderness, protected and natural areas for the benefit of present and future generations. It is due to this like-minded vision that Somkhanda has collaborated with the GRAA on this unique initiative.

The objectives of this conservation photography project are to raise the profile of Africa’s rangers, highlight the challenges rangers face, and ultimately increase ranger support by influencing policy and raising funds to benefit them. While the roles of the rangers have been typically portrayed as just wildlife and terrestrial guardianship, it is important to note that these roles stretch far beyond this and include firefighting, alien plant removal, biological monitoring, community engagement, human-wildlife conflict mitigation, and emergency response to mention but a few.

Peter Chadwick, an experienced ranger himself with over 30 years in terrestrial and marine environments in over 21 countries, has vast strategic and operational conservation experience and was the obvious choice to lead the image collection. He has a deep understanding of the challenges and issues faced by African rangers. Peter recently visited Somkhanda Game Reserve, as part of this initiative, to capture the rangers of this community owned reserve.

“Rangers are the guardians of wild Africa and its precious natural resources. It is about time that rangers are recognised for their critical and diverse conservation work that benefits species, habitats, ecosystems and people,” comments Andrew Campbell, GRAA CEO.

To date, images captured by Peter Chadwick for use by the GRAA have been obtained on an ad-hoc basis and success was achieved in raising the profile of the ranger with some benefit reaching the Ranger Support Programme. To maximise the opportunity to raise both the profile of the ranger and improve ranger support, this project needs dedicated funding with dedicated time. We are therefore calling out to all potential funders and supporters to help us, together with GRAA, to raise more funds to capture and begin to change the narrative and image of the ranger. They are real people, they are the guardians of wild Africa, working against all odds in beautiful and remote wild places. Rangers work for nature in the frontlines of conservation, and they need our support.

The WILDTRUST is proud to announce the opening of submissions for the Pierre Neethling Scholarship for PhD candidates in the environmental and conservation fields. Launched in 2016, the Pierre Neethling Scholarship aims to support PhD studies that will make catalytic contributions to our ability to develop and implement benchmark sustainability programmes. Mr Pierre Neethling was a highly respected Trustee and Chairman of the Trust, who dedicated his personal time and resources to promoting conservation as an empowerment tool and a driver of both the aesthetic and economic growth of South Africa.

This award is focused on building the capacity of aspiring South African environmentalists and conservationists across all conservation disciplines. The focus of the candidate’s proposal must be centred around Sustainable Resource Utilisation. All applications must reach the WILDTRUST no later than the 30^th of April 2021. Detailed proposals must be sent to Roeliek@wildtrust.co.za.

One of the first Pierre Neethling Scholarship programme recipients and recent PhD graduate, Amy Marshall Blair, completed her PhD degree in social ecology through Wits University.  In her thesis, Amy explored the inter-linkages between social and ecological systems, specifically the complex socio-ecological system of the marula bioeconomy catchment, within the lowveld area of South Africa. Amy is a geographer by training, passionate about the natural world and dedicated to making a difference through using systems thinking approaches to tackle complex problems.

“Completing a social ecology PhD has been a dream come true for me as it allowed me to combine my passions for communities and conservation, by studying the marula tree as part of a socio-ecological system. I am incredibly grateful to WILDTRUST for their belief in my project and for helping to sponsor my research through the Pierre Neethling Scholarship. Thanks to this funding, we were able to understand if marula (Sclerocarya birrea subsp. caffra) resource use and reliance within the Phalaborwa and Bushbuckridge communities of the lowveld region of South Africa is sustainable,” she commented. Her study surveyed over 5000 marula trees coupled with over 200 individual household interviews.

Roelie Kloppers, WILDTRUST CEO comments, “we are extremely grateful for the legacy left by Mr Neethling through this scholarship programme. We would also like to thank Dr George Hughes, patron of the Trust for his hard work and dedication in continuing to source contributions towards the Pierre Neethling Scholarship. I would encourage all prospective students interested in sustainable use of our natural resources to apply for this award.”

For more information on the WILDTRUST, visit www.wildtrust.co.za.

In November 2020, WILDTRUST submitted a formal Objection to the Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) certification of the South African Hake Trawl Fishery. MSC certification is an “eco-label” found on seafood packaging, supposedly confirming the products contained came from a sustainable fishery. In its Objection the WILDTRUST cited concerns about the fishery’s impact on imperilled sharks and rays (chondrichthyans), the lack of recognition of the extent and severity of the threat, and the insufficient measures in place to mitigate significant risk to these species.

“Sharks and rays are one of the most threatened taxa on the planet, with many South African species being IUCN red-listed. We are supportive of green-labelling initiatives like the MSC standards to help consumers make wise choices but are very concerned about the risk these trawl fisheries still pose to many of these endangered species,” said Dr Jean Harris of WILDTRUST. In fact, Prof Warwick Sauer wrote in his 2003 paper that demersal trawl fisheries (such as the South African Hake Trawl Fishery) are considered one of the biggest threats to deep-water sharks and rays in South Africa because they are caught as bycatch and suffer high mortality (approximately 1500 tonnes a year). This toll includes the critically endangered soupfin shark, the endemic (unique to our waters) and endangered twin-eye skate, endemic yellow-spot skate, various endemic catsharks, and significant numbers of skates we know very little about.

Of the 13 objection points submitted, 11 were ruled valid by the Independent Adjudicator, and the engagement process to resolve the dispute began between the MSC Conformity Assessment Body (CAB), Lloyds Register, the South African Deep-Sea Trawling Industry Association (SADSTIA) and the WILDTRUST. General flaws in the MSC process quickly became apparent during these discussions, at least from the standpoint of threatened sharks and rays, i.e. how the MSC Standard deals with species threatened by the fishery. The problem is that the MSC criteria used for recognising Endangered, Threatened and Protected (ETP) species for consideration are such that, except for the soupfin shark, all the impacted threatened shark and ray species mentioned above “were completely missed” during the assessment. The “invisible” species include all endemic species within the trawled areas, and species not already protected in our legislation, regardless of their IUCN red-listing as critically endangered, endangered, and vulnerable. Added to this flaw, even though the soup-fin shark was a flagged species, this did not help get it protected because the ETP scoring rules disqualified it from further consideration. Unfortunately, this issue could not be addressed as part of the Objection process, and WILDTRUST intends to take this short-coming up directly with MSC to ensure that species in trouble are not ignored in future. Meanwhile, sadly, consumers cannot feel reassured that they are not actively contributing to the demise of some of our most endangered sharks and rays when they buy MSC eco-certified South African hake.

 

Other aspects of the engagement between the CAB, SADSTIA and the WILDTRUST proved more hopeful for the future of sharks and rays. In MSC language, how the South African Hake Trawl Fishery carries out its business is stipulated in their Client Action Plan (CAP) which is developed in response to recommendations and milestones set out by the CAB (within the constraints explained above). The WILDTRUST believed it would not be appropriate to award the Fishery an MSC certification unless tighter and more effective measures could be implemented to limit its impact on sharks and rays. Key concerns in this regard were the lack of consideration of the National Plan of Action (NPOA) for Sharks, generic reporting on bycatch, inadequate observer coverage on vessels and insufficient reporting of landings, and the specific problem of over-exploitation of soup-fin sharks. The WILDTRUST was particularly concerned about the significant negative impact the fishery is having on the recovery of the soupfin, as they are predicted to become commercially extinct before 2055 at the current catch rates across fisheries.

Within the confines of the current MSC Standard and processes, a few things in favour of shark and ray conservation were achieved, such as getting revised recommendations into the assessment report and adjustments to the Client Action Plan. The South African Hake Trawl fishery agreed to make clearer, relevant linkages between the CAP and the Shark NPOA, and committed to more comprehensive and detailed information gathering to improve understanding of the non-target catch (and discarded) composition, specifically for sharks and rays. The parties agreed that there was a real need for better liaison between entities and that the fishery and WILDTRUST would both put forward a recommendation to the Department of Environment, Forestry and Fisheries (DEFF) for a Task Team focused specifically on chondrichthyan bycatch (retained and discarded), consisting of experts from the industry, government scientists (DEFF), scientists outside of government, and NGO’s involved in shark research and conservation. Further, new links between the fishing industry and the WILDTRUST were forged to work for shared goals of sustainable utilisation and for better outcomes for the imperilled sharks and rays in South Africa.

“Unfortunately, although the South African Hake Trawl Fishery did make an effort to address our concerns and was re-certified on the 12^th of February, endangered species remain at risk from the fishery and there is work to be done to fix this,” said Harris. “We believe the biggest problem lies with the MSC criteria for ETP species and scoring rules, and we will now proceed to engage with the MSC Standard review process, as its current version allows threatened shark and ray species, like the critically endangered soupfin shark, to fall through the net.”

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South Africa can provide sanctuary for sharks and rays and you can help, visit www.sharkattackcampaign.co.za and follow us @sharkattackcampaign on Facebook & Instagram and @SharkAttackSA on Twitter.

The Aspinall Foundation, in partnership with WILDTRUST and the Wildlife Emergency Fund, collaborated with the Mpumalanga Tourism and Parks Agency (MTPA) in the successful translocation of three rhino from Bongani Mountain Lodge and the Mthethomusha Nature Reserve in Mpumalanga. The lodge was burned down by local communities in arson related attacks on the 31 January 2021, leaving the rhinos and other wildlife on the reserve at risk.

The rescue mission took place in three phases. The first phase included sending a team into the reserve via helicopter to assess the situation and to find the rhinos. All access roads to the reserve were blocked  by surrounding communities and the MTPA team and helicopter pilot could only access the reserve by air. It was determined that the rhinos were at risk and needed to be translocated.

During the second phase of the operation, two rhinos were captured and during the third phase of the operation, a single rhino was successfully captured. The team had to wait for the rhinos to be in strategic locations, close to the boundary of the reserve before the capture operations could take place. The rhinos were moved to Care for Wild, who are committed to providing the rhinos with world class, long-term care until such time that they will be placed in their forever home.

Dereck Milburn, Regional Director of the Aspinall Foundation said, ‘’Mthethomusha has very difficult terrain to work in but the mission could not have gone better. This was largely due to the expertise of the MTPA capture team lead by Ertjies Röhm, Chris Hobkrik and Gait-Jan Sterk along with Jana Meyer who flew the helicopter for most of the mission. Veterinarian Ben Muller ensured the well-being of the rhinos throughout the process. We are very thankful that we were able to make a difference to the lives of these animals’.

The Aspinall Foundation and the partners provided support to the value of R110 000 which included helicopter time, veterinary costs and some equipment whilst the MTPA provided a professional capture crew, trucks and crates. This is a very good example of how NGO’s and Government Departments can work together to make a difference in these emergency scenarios.

The CEO of WILDTRUST, Dr Roelie Klopppers, remarked on the importance of supporting community conservation areas. ‘We have been particularly successful in working with rural communities in converting land reform sites into biodiversity stewardship sites. The only effective way of conserving rhino and other endangered species is through the expansion of suitable habitat under protection. We need more positive collaboration stories such as this Mthethomusha incident. The WILDTRUST provided support for immediate action to move the rhino to safety and hope that we can assist in the ongoing work to develop the area as it is critical for community conservation.’

The MTPA have deployed significant additional resources in the reserve to stabilise the situation and protect the remaining animals.

Somkhanda Game Reserve, a 12000-hectare community owned reserve situated in the heart of Zululand, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa, is home to lion, black and white rhino, African wild dog and African elephants. These Big 5 animals are sadly on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species due to poaching, human-wildlife conflict, poisoning and habitat loss. It is for these reasons that they are listed as either near Threatened, Vulnerable, Endangered, or Critically endangered. Added to these threats, the Covid-19 pandemic has further exacerbated their fate as rangers have lost their jobs due to loss of funding and with the tourism industry grinding to a halt, reserves in South Africa have had to look for alternative ways in which to fund the salaries of the rangers as well as protect the wildlife on these reserves. Somkhanda also protects some of South Africa’s rare biodiversity, namely the Lebombo Cycad (Encephalartos leboboensis) which is also on the IUCN Redlist as endangered.

Somkhanda lies within the Zululand Key Biodiversity Areas (KBA) and Important Birds and Biodiversity Areas (IBA) and forms an important link in the Zululand Conservation Corridor linking private reserves with privately owned land as well as National (Pongola Nature Reserve) and International Reserves (Royal Jozini Big 6). As such, it forms part of the Lubombo Transfrontier Conservation Area, making this a unique biodiversity hotspot an emergency case that beckons to be protected.

WILDLANDS, a programme of the WILDTRUST recently secured a Rapid Action Grant through the IUCN Save Our Species African Wildlife initiative, co-funded by the European Union (EU), which will see a rapid transformation of technology used by the game rangers to boost the protection of this protected area and species. Furthermore, through this funding, the rangers employed on the reserve will continue to be employed as they support over 300 dependants in the local community.

Through this funding, the anti-poaching unit on Somkhanda have been upskilled and trained to use the Vulcan EarthRanger system for their monitoring and patrolling duties. This smart new technology integrates and displays all historical, real-time data, spatial information, and other threats available from a protected area, on a handheld GPS-enabled mobile device. The EarthRanger system empowers the reserve managers and rangers to take immediate, proactive actions to prevent and mitigate threat incidents.

Meiring Prinsloo, Somkhanda Reserve Manager commented, “this state-of-the-art monitoring and patrolling system, greatly enhances our situational awareness across the entire reserve and enables us to direct our boots on the ground more effectively. It is like having your finger on the pulse of the reserve security at all times, which is crucial in allowing us to effectively protect our wildlife and biodiversity.”

What this grant funding aims to achieve is multi-faceted as it will support the salaries of the rangers which have been heavily affected by the loss of income due to the Covid-19 pandemic halting the tourism activities through which the reserve depended. The reserve hopes that through the implementation of this EarthRanger technology, the rangers will be more efficient in their duties of monitoring and patrolling the reserve which will enable them to safeguard the wildlife and biodiversity, further enabling them to protect priority species on the reserve like the black and white rhino, the African wild dog, lion and elephant.

According to Dr Roelie Kloppers, CEO of the WILDTRUST, “the beauty of this technology is that rangers can capture valuable data on priority species, the state of biodiversity, incursions and general census data as part of their regular patrols. Moreover, it greatly increases the skills and job satisfaction of our rangers, as their routine fence and security patrols now plays a more significant role in collecting data on the status of biodiversity health in the reserve.”

The real results of this new technology are yet to be realised but Somkhanda Game Reserve have projected that should this system yield the expected results, the rhino population numbers will increase, all priority species monitoring will be greatly improved and wildlife crimes will be averted.

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This publication was produced with the financial support of the European Union through IUCN Save Our Species. Its contents are the sole responsibility of WILDLANDS, a programme of the WILDTRUST and do not necessarily reflect the views of IUCN or the European Union.