South Africa has a major challenge in conserving unique and threatened biodiversity with its significant socio-economic challenges. Historically, conservation was viewed as a luxury but is now being seen as an essential component of our daily lives, especially with the looming extinction of key species, climate change and its resulting food and water scarcity issues. In order to secure the natural environment, and improve our socio-economic position, we need to be creative in our responses.
Most of these creative responses are coming from the conservation sector, linking natural resource management with job creation and social upliftment.
One of these programmes has emanated from the current Rhino poaching crisis. Ask any reserve with Rhino what their greatest need is, and the response will be unanimous – more feet on the ground to patrol and protect these reserves!
As a result, the Environmental Monitoring (EM) programme was started in 2012 through funding received by the Department of Environmental Affairs’ Environmental Protection and Infrastructure Programme (EPIP) Branch. The aim of the programme is to increase conservation capacity within under-resourced SANParks, provincial, private and communal reserves and areas bordering these parks. The programme is providing job opportunities in the conservation sector for over 800 people, all performing environmental monitoring activities, day to day patrols and community awareness.
Wildlands Conservation Trust is a key partner in this programme, providing conservation job opportunities to 70 of these field rangers and environmental monitors in 6 key community conservation areas or reserves, namely Somkhanda Game Reserve, Usuthu Gorge Nature Reserve, Tshanini-Bhekula Nature Reserve, Nambiti Private Game Reserve, the Umgano Project and the Karkloof Nature Reserve.
“We need to acknowledge the Department of Environmental Affairs and SANParks for developing this innovative approach which provides a pro-poor solution to a much needed capacity issue on protected areas and Rhino reserves,” comments Kevin McCann, Strategic Manager at Wildlands.
With around 250 Rhino already poached in 2014, this programme will go a long way to providing additional security for our Rhino.
WILDTRUST (registered as the Wildlands Conservation Trust - IT No: 4329/1991/PMB)