Category: 2017

Lion bone export quota in SA ‘a done deal’

Johannesburg – The Department of Environmental Affairs (DEA) is poised to officially announce a government-approved annual export quota of 800 lion bone skeletons.

This, despite worldwide revulsion and opposition to South Africa’s captive lion breeding and canned hunting programmes.

The latest decision flies in the face of global opinion, with a number of non-governmental organisations (NGOs) and conservationists opposed to the trade in lion bones voicing their disapproval.

News24, in communication with several stakeholders on Monday, confirmed Environmental Affairs Minister Edna Molewa had already signed off on the export quota, which was supposedly still under scientific scrutiny.

Ian Michler, South Africa’s leading campaigner against captive lion hunting, and who featured in the documentary film Blood Lions, said: “Given the trade-offs and outcomes of the Cites

COP17 conference at Sandton last October, and given our knowledge and experience with the government with the way they conduct their environmental policies, the decision was not unexpected.
“What we know about this government and its attitude towards trade in wildlife, it was just a case of when it was going to happen, not whether it would happen. In the big picture, this will be used by everyone involved in lion conservation as an example for the next Cites conference,” he said.However, what is not clear at this stage is what criteria were used to reach this figure, or what considerations were given to the public’s opposition to the quota.

When sent a media enquiry, department spokesperson Albi Modise said he would need until Wednesday to provide answers to the “in-depth” requests.

Wellbeing of species

A number of NGOs have already called out the DEA’s “complete disregard for glaringly obvious facts”.

Smaragda Louw and Michelè Pickover of Ban Animal Trading (BAT) and the EMS Foundation maintain that Cites requires member states to adequately determine whether such conduct will detrimentally impact the wellbeing of the species.

In written submissions to the department, they argued:

“Notwithstanding our inherent moral objections to the practice of canned lion hunting and the trade in predator bones, it is submitted that there are no adequate measures in place in order to determine the viability and sustainability of this quota or provide for the legislative enforcement thereof.

“No details had been made available to the public, and we submit that the DEA has not been transparent as to the manner in which it had obtained the quota of 800 captive bred lion skeletons, based on its apparent, cursory Non-Detrimental Finding.”

Researched data shows the lion bone trade is targeted particularly by a network of underground “snake-oil” traders in South East Asia – namely Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia, Thailand and China.

Over the past 21 years, the numbers of wild lions have almost halved as demand for their bones for Chinese medicine has soared.

Lions have replaced tigers as the prime source of big cat body parts, which are said to have magical properties, and are used in South East Asian quackery health tonics and as superstition charms.

Increased demand for wild lion parts

While international conservation and law enforcement efforts have made tiger bone increasingly scarce, “canned” hunting and poaching has seen the demand and supply of lion trophies, skins and other derivatives soar.”To us, it is quite clear that promoting a trade in the sale and export of body parts fans the demand, so we are expecting an increase in demand to take place,” Michler said.

“If we go back to the Cites database, there is no record of trade in lion bones prior to the 2008/9 period. Blood Lions clearly shows that.”

Dr Paul Funston, senior director of wild cat conservation group Panthera’s Lion Program, said the proposed quota had “absolutely no grounding” in science.

“It is irresponsible to establish [a] policy that could further imperil wild lions – already in precipitous decline throughout much of Africa – when the facts are clear; South Africa’s lion breeding industry makes absolutely no positive contribution to conserving lions and, indeed, further imperils them,” Funston says.

He warned that the legalisation of a trade in lion bones would stimulate the market and endanger both captive and wild lion populations.

“There is significant evidence that South Africa’s legal trade in captive-bred lion trophies is accelerating the slaughter of wild lions for their parts in neighbouring countries and is, in fact, increasing demand for wild lion parts in Asia – a market that did not exist before South Africa started exporting lion bones in 2007.”

 

From a king to a commodity

IT must have been a dead easy kill. Two former Colombian circus lions — one with brain damage — which, even if they were abused by humans, were also used to them, butchered in the sanctuary where they were supposed to live out their days in peace.

Their heads, paws and tails were cut off and their carcasses left behind, suggesting that the kill was the work of local muti hunters rather than poachers hoping to sell the bones to the lucrative Asian medicinal market for use as a substitute in tiger-bone wine.

The recent killings have up stirred up the bitter controversy over the breeding and hunting of captive lions.

There is a scene in Blood Lions, Ian Michler’s shocking documentary about canned hunting and lion-breeding farms, in which cameraman Nick Chevallier is threatened by a lion farmer.

“I’ll kill you. Don’t take a photo of me. I’ll fucking kill you … Shut your fucking mouth … Nothing’s happened, it’s what will happen.”

It is an ugly moment that does South Africa’s private lion farmers no favours. And watching Blood Lions, it is difficult to feel sympathy for the 200 or so farmers who between them own an estimated 8 000 lions, and whose businesses are now threatened by a US import ban on lion trophies.

The film and the illegal killing in 2015 of Cecil the lion at the edge of Hwange National Park in Zimbabwe fuelled lasting public outrage. In March 2015, Australia banned all imports of lion trophies in a stated attempt to crack down on canned lion hunting. In October last year, the US Fish and Wildlife Service followed suit with a ban on imports of trophies taken from captive-bred lions.

Since South Africa is the only country in the world where lions are farmed for hunting, the US ban will hit the industry — driven mostly by US hunters to the tune of about R100 million a year — hard.

There are, of course, complications. Because the US ban covers only captive-bred lions, anecdotal evidence suggests that some farmers may be looking for ways to present their lions to would-be hunters as wild.

There is another issue. The trade in lion bones — used to make a medicinal “tiger-bone wine” — is legal and demand has soared since China banned the use of actual tiger bones in 1993.

It is very likely, say some conservationists, that South Africa’s captive lions might in fact be a buffer against poaching.

“South Africa is the only country that has lion farming but it is also the only country where all wild lion populations are increasing,” said independent environmental economist Michael ‘t SasRolfes. “We need to understand why this is happening.”

The knife-edge on which activists and conservationists are walking is what a blanket ban on the trade in lion parts would do to wild lion populations.

“If the supply is suddenly cut off, it might well precipitate a lionpoaching crisis,” said ‘t SasRolfes. And the biggest likely loser would be the wild lion.

Africa has lost 43% of its wild lions in the past 20 years, according to a survey led by big-cat research organisation Panthera. The population is estimated at 20 000 throughout Africa, with just six countries harbouring more than 1 000 individuals each.

The decline — from more than 800 000 a century ago — has been driven by habitat loss and human conflict, specifically with cattle herders and ranchers.

“Contrary to popular belief, trophy hunting is a small factor in the fate of the African lion,” says the report.

But African herders killing lions in revenge for losing cattle do not make headlines; a rich American dentist shooting a big black-maned male lured from a national park does.

That rich hunters from the West are willing to pay eyewatering fees to shoot lions is not in doubt. Prices for a male lion range from around $16 000 R205 000 to $32 000.

While breeding lions just to shoot them is highly questionable on moral grounds, there is a case to be made for ethical hunting.

“I approve 100% of hunting,” said conservationist and former park warden Paul Dutton. “Every single protected area in South Africa was created by a hunter.”

Ethical hunters follow the principles of “fair chase” — the pursuit of a free-ranging animal living in a wild, sustainable population and which has the instincts and ability to escape from the hunter.

“I would prefer,” said Dutton of those pressed-for-time foreign hunters who want to bag their lions in a matter of days, “that these big, fat arses go and hunt [the lions] on foot in the bush. Then we’ll see who wins.”

South Africa’s lion farmers are confronting a crisis. Part of it is self-inflicted, with some rogue farmers and unethical breeders tarnishing the industry.

“Of course there are atrocities and these need to be stopped,” said ‘t SasRolfes.

For the others, what happens is largely out of their hands. Trade policy and decisions will be made in faraway corridors of power by people who may have little grasp of the realities on the ground. More transparency and some serious self-regulation could help swing public opinion in their favour.

And the wild lion might see out this century.

UNILEVER GREEN DESK INITIATIVE GETS GREEN LIGHT FROM SCHOOLS

Pupils at two rural schools who have had to make do with sharing a desk need no longer compromise their academic outcomes thanks to a partnership between FMCG giant, Unilever, and Wildlands, a leading environmental non-profit organisation.

Saphinda Primary School in Umlazi, south of Durban, and Mochochonono Primary School in Soweto, Gauteng, are the latest recipients of 250 desks each to beef up their under-resourced facilities.

Innovative and groundbreaking technology has made it possible for Unilever to transform the way it does business by transforming multi-layered waste into useful items – such as school desks – that can be used towards various community development projects.

Unilever, through its OMO brand, is making a concerted effort in the area of education to empower learners from marginalized communities and drive positive change.

The sponsorship of desks will have a profound impact on literacy development and academic performance at the schools.

Preola Adam, Sustainability Partnerships Manager at Unilever, said: “According to recent reports, just 14% of plastic packaging is collected for recycling globally. One third ends up in the natural environment and, if current trends continue by 2050, our oceans could contain more plastics than fish by weight.”

“It is a terrifying vision for our future and we need to work together, on programmes such as ‘The Renewed Project’, to better manage the waste we produce and to ensure that it does not become a reality.”

Adam said Unilever has committed to ensuring that all its plastic packaging is fully reusable, recyclable or compostable by 2025.

“We hope that our commitment will encourage others in the industry to make collective progress towards ensuring that all plastic packaging is fully recyclable and recycled.”

Unilever’s partnership with Wildlands dates back to 2004 with various Waste-preneur projects since supported with the objectives of increasing awareness and encouraging recycling.

The partnership with Wildlands is indicative of Unilever’s commitment to sustainability and its ambition to double its business while reducing its environmental impact.

Louise Duys, Director of Partnerships, Marketing and Events at Wildlands said: “Up until now multi-layered multi-film materials used to package and increase the lifespan of products have not been recyclable and have, therefore, been incinerated or ended up on landfill sites, placing an enormous strain on the environment.”

“Wildlands, together with Rural Waste Poverty Alleviation (RWPA), has developed a ground-breaking solution which, through a combination of grinding and extrusion, upcycles these post-consumer multi-layered multi-film materials into planks which are then assembled into school desks.”

“With a shortage of more than 300 000 school desks in South Africa, these desks will help us close the loop by cleaning the communities where we work and in turn, supporting the education of children.”

She added that Wildlands was incredibly proud to be working with OMO to see the distribution of 500 green desks in schools in KZN and Gauteng, effectively removing 20 000 kilograms of previously unrecycled materials from landfill sites and providing learners with a better chance for their future.

An elated Saphinda Primary School principal, Thenjiwe Zulu, said: “The school has 1346 learners and 39 teachers. We experience many struggles because learners come from families supported by social grants and cannot afford to pay school fees.”

“The ‘Renewed Project’ benefits the school immensely as previously a desk would be shared amongst three learners at a time, thereby affecting the overall productivity of the child and the school at large, especially during exams.”

Huge split among prof hunters over canned lions

Whilst a palace revolution is taking place in the industry and a huge split within the ranks of its membership, President of the Professional Hunting Association of South Africa [Phasa], Stan Burger announced his resignation and will be replaced by Dries Van Coller.

Retha Van Reenen, spokesperson for Phasa told the media “many members decided not to sign an affidavit sent out last year that they would not support or promote captive lion hunting or captive lion breeding activities,” which is said to be the reason for the split.

None more so than the fallout after the 2015 announcement that it had adopted a resolution at its annual general meeting to distance itself from the captive lion breeding and captive lion hunting industries which led to several court cases. At the time. Burger said his organisation stood by its resolution to distance itself from captivebred lion hunting and would defend its resolution in court.

Andrew Venter CEO of Wildlands Trust and executive producer of the documentary film Blood Lions, told News 24, “It would be tragic for the South African hunting and tourism industries if Phasa were to backtrack on its commitment to stop the hunting of captive bred lions in South Africa. “Stan Burger has led the charge to clean up the hunting industry in this regard, something I can attest to that there is little doubt.”

He said Phasa had, for the past 18 months, been under significant pressure from the “unethical hunting fraternity in South Africa”. “It’s unfortunate that it appears that this faction may be prevailing. The fallout from the local and global outrage will further damage the industry and South Africa’s conservation reputation,” Venter said.

Colesberg: Mr & Mrs Player inspired by Waste-preneur’s

The long-term vision and expansion of a project in Colesberg, simultaneously focused on the upliftment of the people in this community and recycling, was made possible through the Wildlands and Gary Player Invitational (GPI) partnership.

CEO of Wildlands, Dr Andrew Venter and Strategic Manager Dave Moldenhauer introduced Gary and Vivienne Player to 8 (of 9) inspirational souls (Wildlands’ Waste-preneurs*) at the Spoornet Depot in Colesberg yesterday afternoon.

“Our partnership with the Gary Player Invitational, Coca-Cola and PETCO is transforming the lives of thousands of community members around the country,” said Wildlands’ CEO Dr Andrew Venter. “Through their support we’re progressively expanding our network of Waste-preneurs, improving lives whilst cleaning and greening the communities they live in. Our Colesberg expansion is driven explicitly by Gary and Vivienne Player who believe in this community. Their personal commitment and dedication is truly inspirational.”

“Having grown up very poor, I suffered a great deal and always knew that one day I would do something for people in the same position,” said Gary Player. “It’s an absolute thrill for me that the Player Foundation with Coca-Cola supports Wildlands who makes it their mission to uplift rural communities through job creation while preserving the natural environments that these communities operate in, such as here in Colesberg.”

Over R1.7 million of the funds donated by The Player Foundation to Wildlands in 2016 through Africa’s premier golf event, was allocated to recycling staffing and logistic costs in both Colesberg and eThekwini.

“The plan for 2017 is to grow and support our Waste-preneur network, with a specific focus on PET and can collection,” said Venter. “This also links in with the presenting sponsor of the Gary Player Invitational – Coca-Cola, as well as with PETCO, a national industry body responsible for the self-regulation of post-consumer PET recycling.”

Coca-Cola, long-time partner of the charitable golf tournament, is committed to giving back to communities and through the GPI initiatives, can demonstrate lasting, sustainable and positive change in the quality of life of communities.

PETCO recently supplied these 8 Colesberg based Waste-preneurs with 4 trollies that will help with the collection and transportation of waste. PETCO’s support for PET recycling efforts ensures an on-going monetary value for post-consumer PET bottles. This sustains collection interest and reduces the volume of post-consumer PET bottles in the waste stream.

“This small yet hard-working team of 9 Waste-preneurs in Colesberg, have been dealing with recycling from areas close to their homes as well as the surrounding communities,” said Wildlands’ Strategic Manager, Dave Moldenhauer. “We also partnered with the local municipality for a Tourism clean-up initiative in April this year. With that specific initiative, we attended to the following local attractions – the Mountain Bike Trail, Walking Trail – Oude Dam, Struggle Route – Trail, as well as the War Graves. The material from this initiative and the ongoing recycling efforts by our team resulted in 3092kg of waste which was then loaded and transported to Bloemfontein where it was sold. The funds received from the sale of this recyclable waste was split between the group. I have also enrolled the services of a local business consultant to assist with registering this team as a formal company. This will allow the team to be entered onto the central database for the province (via the office of the mayor) and therefore be eligible for training, development and possibly financial assistance from one of the government departments. I am inspired by the tenacity and hope shown by this group of Waste-preneurs in Colesberg. They are role models to this community and country.”

“Our commitment to Wildlands is stronger than ever,” said Mr Player. “It is so touching to see the people involved in the project and the amount of work being done. So much by so few. I’m hoping this will be a trend that will spread throughout South Africa to help keep our beautiful country try clean.”

Hunting Association’s president resigns over ‘captive lion hunting’

Johannesburg- Reeling under a massive backlash from supporters of the captive lion hunting industry and a huge split within the ranks of its membership, the president of the Professional Hunting Association of South Africa [Phasa], Stan Burger, unexpectedly announced his resignation on Tuesday with immediate effect.

In a statement, Phasa said its President-Elect, Dries Van Coller, will now be at the helm.

Asked what had led to Burger’s resignation, and why the executive was not supporting Burger against the backlash, spokesperson Retha van Reenen said, “let me put it into perspective. A lot of the members decided not to sign an affidavit sent out last year that they would not support or promote captive lion hunting or captive lion breeding activities.”

As a body representing and promoting the interests of professional hunters, Phasa has faced an inordinate amount of challenges.

None more so than the fallout after the 2015 announcement that it had adopted a resolution at its annual general meeting to distance itself from the captive lion breeding and captive lion hunting industries.

In November 2016, a group of 13 Phasa members challenged the resolution and its constitutionality and took Phasa to the High Court in Pretoria where it argued Phasa had acted illegally when it took steps to suspend their memberships.

In its affidavit opposing their application‚, Phasa said some of the applicants were members of another hunting organisation, known as the South African Predators Association‚ which was in favour of captive-bred lion hunting.

Phasa said after receiving responses from the 13 members‚ it decided to lift the suspension of three members who had explained that they were not involved in the breeding and hunting of captive lions.

At the time, Burger said his organisation stood by its resolution to distance itself from captive-bred lion hunting and would defend its resolution in court.

Phasa said it gave the applicants seven days within which to provide reasons why their membership should not be terminated.

According to the judgment that was eventually handed down, Phasa lost the case.

In a statement, Burger said, “It has been a privilege to serve the association, but the time has come for others to now carry the torch”. Van Coller said Phasa would continue with minimum disruption as the association continued to serve the members of the professional hunting fraternity of South Africa.

Andrew Venter, CEO of Wildlands Trust and executive producer of the documentary film Blood Lions, told News 24, “It would be tragic for the South African hunting and tourism industries if Phasa were to backtrack on its commitment to stop the hunting of captive bred lions in South Africa.

“Stan Burger has led the charge to clean up the hunting industry in this regard, something I can attest to that there is little doubt.”

He said Phasa had, for the past 18 months, been under significant pressure from the “unethical hunting fraternity in South Africa”.

“It’s unfortunate that it appears that this faction may be prevailing. The fallout from the local and global outrage will further damage the industry and South Africa’s conservation reputation,” Venter said.

The Gumbi Community welcome a pride of Lion to Somkhanda

On the 17 May 2017 a pride of three lion (1 male and 2 female) arrived at their new home – Somkhanda Community Game Reserve in northern KwaZulu-Natal, from AndBeyond Phinda Private Game Reserve. This translocation was carried out as part of Phinda’s lion management strategy, supported by Empowers Africa and inspired by a feature documentary – Blood Lions™.

“Unfortunately all did not go according to schedule due to torrential rains earlier this week,” said David Gilroy – Wildlands Strategic Manager of Conservation. “We managed to dart and relocate the male lion to a boma at Phinda on Friday night (12th of May) but had to put the capture of the lionesses on hold while we waited for things to dry up. We managed to locate and dart the lionesses early on Wednesday morning and were relieved to have the pride safely on route to their new home.”

When the lion arrived at Somkhanda they were moved into a boma where they will stay for a period of around 10 weeks in order for the pride to bond and become acclimated to their new surroundings. They will then be released into the greater reserve where they can roam freely over approximately 30,000 acres.

When asked what benefit the lion had for Somkhanda Gilroy said: “Introducing lion onto Somkhanda means that it will be repopulated with all the natural occurring species to an ecological balance (it was previously a game farm). The reserve will also now be a Big 5 reserve and ultimately contribute to KZN conservation and biodiversity targets. It will also benefit the community and boost tourism and investment. This is indeed a historic day for the Gumbi community – who are leaders in conservation, always setting an example for other community owned reserves.”

Nathi Gumbi a member of the Gumbi tribe and Wildlands’ Strategic Manager for Community Engagement (Northern KZN) said: “As a person who has been involved with the Somkhanda Game Reserve project (since inception) I speak not only for myself but for the Gumbi community as a whole. We are very happy about the lions coming to Somkhanda. The community feels privileged that the reserve is now going to be a Big five reserve as our dream is now a reality. It has been a long journey with a lot of effort from Wildlands, the Emvokweni Community Trust as well as the various partners involved. The Gumbi community are pioneers in their own right and this is evidence that community engagement can yield positive and inspiring results.”

“We hope this will be one of many partnerships with Wildlands and Blood Lions™,” said Krista Krieger Executive Director and Trustee of Empowers Africa. “We congratulate Wildlands, Blood Lions™, Phinda Private Game Reserve, andBeyond Travel, Different.org and all the other partners who have made this initiative possible! Empowers Africa is thrilled to have had the opportunity to participate as a partner in this project! We were also grateful to be accompanied by Black Bean Productions for the documentation of this incredible initiative.”

“The Somkhanda release is good news for the lion conservation community as it focuses attention on the real issues and solutions to securing the future of lions, rather than the misdirected messages coming from the predator breeding sector,” said Consultant and lead character for Blood Lions™, Ian Michler. “The release should also enhance the eco-tourism opportunities in the region.”

“Special fencing and a meticulous lion management plan have been implemented for the safety of nearby communities and this would not have been possible without the support of Different.org,” said Gilroy. “Jonsson Workwear have also raised their hands to get involved in this exciting initiative and are kitting out all the field rangers based at Somkhanda Community Game Reserve in their Combat gear.”

“Jonsson Workwear are inspired by ‘people with purpose’ and who is more inspiring than the very people that stand between our beloved wildlife and poachers,” said Debbie Nortje, Head of Marketing at Jonsson.

“We cannot thank our loyal donors and partners for their support in making this translocation possible,” said Wildlands’ CEO and Executive Producer of Blood Lions™, Dr Andrew Venter. “We must extend huge thanks to Empowers Africa, the Emvokweni Community Trust, Blood Lions™, Different.org, Jonsson Workwear and Phinda Private Game Reserve.”

Fair Trade and anti-animal interaction sentiments gaining traction in SA

Cape Town – Animal interaction is on a slippery slope to the end, digging its own hole as more and more people and companies are being made aware of the cruelty lurking in the industry’s very core.

Outspoken conservationist groups like Blood Lions have called out the disconnects bluntly, stating and proving that petting or interacting with lion cub leads directly to a canned lion killing later on.

As true as this is for lions in captivity, it is for all other wild animals.

Most recently, ostrich farmers and tourist farm operators in Oudtshoorn have stopped ostrich back rides acknowledging the “global tendency to keep and exhibit animals and birds in their natural environment as much as possible”.

Two farms, Cango ostrich farm and Safari ostrich farm, confirmed that ostrich rides and human-animal interactions will no longer be allowed on the properties. One ostrich farm, however, will still allow the interactions.

According to Renate Samoilhan, marketing manager Cango ostrich farm, the feedback from the public and tourism industry has been positive. “It is an ethical, positive and necessary step for the tourism industry,” she says.

Wild animal interactions continuing in SA… but for how long?

While the ostrich industry in SA is stepping up for conservation, many other wild animal interaction operators are continuing with the practice, citing financial gain as the main reason why.

The Lion Park in Johannesburg, after promising to end lion cub petting back in 2016, continued the practice.

A statement on why they shied away from the idea said, “We had every intention running the new park without cub petting and we tried to replace this with other activities. Unfortunately, this led to a dramatic and unexpected drop in the number of visitors and tour operators.”

South Africa’s elephant-back ride operators are equally stubborn to end the interactions. This despite the fact that our neighbouring countries like Botswana and Zambia have banned the practice altogether.

But conservationists and a changing public opinion is slowly but surely tightening the leash around wild animal interaction operators’ necks.

New criteria spells end of interactions

New policies outlined by Fair Trade Tourism (FTT), with specific regard to the highly-confusing (and sometimes damaging) volunteer tourism industry, are also helping to identify companies operating under the veil of conservation.

Fair Trade Tourism says since the organisation’s initial review of its standard to include additional criteria on volunteering in 2009 there has been a significant upsurge in both the supply and demand for volunteer products in Africa, many focused on so-called conservation or orphanage programmes.

This upsurge has brought with it concerns from various organisations regarding malpractices, which were especially evident in programmes dealing with vulnerable children and captive wildlife.

The Fair Trade criteria does not allow for any physical interaction by tourists or volunteers with a range of captive animals, including all large and medium-sized carnivores, big cats, elephants, rhinos, large apes, hippos, ostrich, crocodiles and venomous snakes. They also do not allow for tourists or volunteers to interact with any child or vulnerable person unless this takes place under continuous, qualified adult supervision.

Kapoet kussingvoet

Kapoet kussingvoet Uit soos ‘n kers … Die leeumannetjie is verlede week van die private wildreservaat AndBeyond Phinda in KwaZuluNatal na die Somkhandareservaat in die provinsie verskuif. Die projek, wat deur Wildlands, Empowers Africa en ander groepe ondersteun word, is deur die dokumenthe rolprent Blood Lions geInspireer. Die leeus word eers in ‘n afgesperde gebied gehou sodat hulle aan hul nuwe omgewing gewoond raak voordat hulle in die reservaat van 30 000 ha vrygelaat sal word. Leeus het voorheen natuurlik hier voorgekom, se David Gilroy, Wildlands se strategiebestuurder. Nathi Gumbi van die Gumbistam en Wildlands se strategiebestuurder vir gemeenskapsbetrokkenheid in die noorde van KwaZuluNatal se die gemeenskap verwelkom die leeus. Dit skuif die fokus na oplossings om leeus se toekoms te verseker, se Gumbi.

Virtuous circle combats pollution and malnutrition

Absenteeism used to be rife at Willowfontein Intermediate School outside Pietermaritzburg.

Not anymore, according to Life Sciences teacher, Thulisile Sithole who helps coordinate a daily feeding scheme at the school made possible by Wildlands and the FUTURELIFE Foundation.

Litter also used to be a problem.

“The school yard is cleaner now,” said Sithole, who last week joined teaching staff and learners in celebrating the delivery of a batch of 20 ‘Green Desks’ made from empty FUTURELIFE food sachets and other waste collected from schools.

The delivery of the Green Desks forms part of a broader “Virtuous Circle” project that promotes sustainable recycling partnerships involving the consumer goods industry, government and civil society – and most importantly, school children.

The Virtuous Circle concept is founded on three pillars – feeding, recycling and education. The delivery of FUTURELIFE Smart Food pouches, the collection of waste for recycling and the manufacture of the Green Desks is all made possible through the support of Du Pont, Amcor, FUTURELIFE, Wastebusters (the global packaging company) Woolworths, the KZN Department of Public Works and Rural Waste Poverty Alleviation Solutions (RWPA).

“Each desk takes as much as 64 kg of multi-layered waste out of the environment,” said Wildlands’ Strategic Marketing Manager, Buyi Makhoba Dlamini.

This means that the 20 double-seater desks that Wildlands delivered to Willowfontein on Friday, used up 1280 kg of multi-layered waste that would have otherwise ended in a landfill, or worse, left uncollected – a testament to the world’s endemic plastic pollution problem.

Given the shortfall of 300,000 school desks countrywide, Dlamini reckons that the programme, if rolled out nationally, could not only address this shortage in an environmentally friendly way, but also instil a culture of recycling among children, ultimately resulting in cleaner communities.

She said FUTURELIFE’s involvement had also opened the door to addressing a broader societal objective in impoverished communities: the nutritional needs of school children.

Currently, 24 schools in KZN receive FUTURELIFE’s Smart Food meals.

Sithole, who coordinates the distribution of the FUTURELIFE sachets to 1080 learners at the start of every school day at Willowfontein, said most of the learners came from desperately poor families.
“Before this project started, many kids were often sick and absent. They had nothing in their stomachs,” said Sithole.

 

“We are overwhelmed by the mercy that has come to us,” said Deputy Principal, Sithembiso Mfeka. “We believe that FUTURELIFE has ingredients that is bringing balance into the bodies of the kids and better functioning of their brains.”

Both Sithole and Mfeka said attendance, performance and results had improved since the feeding scheme began.

The FUTURELIFE meal (Smart Food) is presented in dual pouch packaging that separates the food powder from clean water. In breaking the inner seal, the powder mixes with the water creating a nutritious food shake.

“This is critical as many people in areas like this don’t have access to clean drinking water,” said Dlamini.

As part of its social responsibility drive, FUTURELIFE has distributed more than 9,1 million Smart Food meals since January 2009. This includes serving up to 150,000 meals to needy children each month.

“Working with Wildlands has enabled us to take the next step in teaching learners about sustainability and the importance of recycling,” said Julika Falconer, CEO of the FUTURELIFE Foundation.

In implementing the 2017 phase of the Virtuous Circle project has set out to manufacture a total of 580 Green Desks for distribution to under-equipped schools around Pietermaritzburg and Durban.