This weekend, the Wildlands Conservation Trust, in their annual ‘Art for Conservation’ exhibition, auction and gala dinner, raised over R400 000 for conservation projects around the province. Pat Symcox, MC and auctioneer for the evening, hosted a lively auction that had corporate Durban reaching into their pockets to support the worthy cause.
The fundraiser brought together more than 40 of South Africa’s top artists, photographers, sculptors, bead workers and ceramicists to profile ‘Africa’s people, its Wildlife and its Landscapes’ through their art, and to raise funds for conservation. Half of the evenings’ total was raised by means of 14 donated auction pieces. A piece by wildlife painter Lute Vink (pictured) fetched the highest bid at R60 000. Buyer Mike Hankinson, Chairman of the Spar Group, purchased the piece on behalf of the group in support of conservation.
Another R30 000 was raised by auctioning a selection of holiday packages, and individual pledges by guests raised a further R120 000. The exhibition, which had some artists donating up to 50% of profits, tipped the fundraisers’ tally over the targeted R400 000 for the second year in a row for the Trust.
Dr Andrew Venter, CEO of the Wildlands Conservation Trust, said: “We are really grateful for the continued support of all our friends and partners, without whom our work would not be possible”. The Trust is a conservation NGO, focusing its efforts on biodiversity conservation in KZN. Venter made special mention of Investec Private Bank, who were the primary sponsor of the function and Sibaya Casino, for hosting the event.
Venter also presented two of the Trusts conservation projects which the fundraiser will help to support; it’s Conservation SPACE and Indigenous Trees for Life Programmes. Conservation SPACE aims to see conservation areas in the province linked to form a land area bigger than that of the Kruger National Park, through ‘conservation corridors’ and CCA’s or Community Conservation Area’s. Indigenous Trees for Life, he said, has started working on two ‘carbon sink’ projects; forest restoration initiatives along the Mkuze River Catchment area in northern Zululand and in the Ongoye forest, 150km north of Durban. The sequestration of CO2 through forest restoration is one of ways environmentalists around the globe are trying to curb the planets rising temperatures.
WILDTRUST (registered as the Wildlands Conservation Trust - IT No: 4329/1991/PMB)