All too often, communities that live around wildlife reserves are ostracized from conservation areas. Also, when rural communities are not helped to sustain themselves, or given adequate conservation education, we cannot expect these communities to do anything but look to protected areas for resources as a means of survival.
To help address these issues, Wildlife ACT has initiated Community Conservation Projects around four game reserves in Zululand where endangered species need protection. This work involves in-school conservation lessons, a Kid’s Bush Camp program, adult conservation seminars, Wildlife Ambassador Clubs and community game drives, which much of it focused around Rhino Conservation.
As a conservation volunteer, you play a vital role by assisting Wildlife ACT’s research monitors on our wildlife volunteer projects. You will be the monitor’s direct assistant and aid them with their daily activities. You will experience what it’s like to be one of Africa’s wildlife researchers. This will give you the opportunity to learn not only about these focal endangered species but also about many other aspects of the African bush-veld; and gain exclusive hands-on experience.
Wildlife ACT’s Community Conservation Liaisons are working with primary schools within the Gumbi Community around the tribally-owned Somkhanda Game Reserve. Here they teach conservation lessons throughout the school year, during school hours, as part of students’ regular education. Students are given lessons in understanding ecological relationships, the importance of preserving biodiversity and conservation issues associated with snare hunting (to name a few).
Grade six students from nine Gumbi Community schools attend free-of-charge, four-day conservation education camps at Ubhejane Bush Camp within Somkhanda Game Reserve. Wildlife ACT hopes to expand the program to more primary schools as the necessary funding becomes available. The program emphasizes hands-on child-centered discovery activities to teach students conservation concepts. The program is designed to instill a passion for nature conservation in young people.
The success of this early engagement has been reflected by the number of youth now entering the conservation ambassador programme as school leavers, eager to develop themselves further and identify opportunities for themselves in the conservation and tourism sectors. One such individual, Celimpilo Ngema, a former grade 6 participant of the kids camps in 2011, and more recently a Wildlife ACT Conservation Ambassador, realised her dreams when she was selected by the Southern African Wildlife College to receive a bursary to study conservation in Limpopo.
Our Community Conservation Liaisons also consult with village heads to arrange opportunities to interact directly with the members in the community. The seminars are used as a means to survey the community member’s own perspectives on the economic development and food security needs of each village. These seminars also include presentations about the purpose and importance of nature conservation in their area.
Using information and feedback from these interactions, Wildlife ACT links community needs with community development organizations and agencies for the purpose of alleviating some of the economic and food security issues – especially those driving the bush meat trade and other unsustainable uses of natural resources.
In communities around uMkhuze Game Reserve, Community Conservation Liaisons organize “Wildlife Ambassador Clubs” for young adults who are interested in being conservation models in their villages. The members are often unemployed and looking for ways to be active within their communities. Clubs meet once or twice a week to learn about conservation and organize sustainability projects in their villages. Once a year members participate in a free-of-charge weekend experience at the Mkhuze Enviro Camp to learn about the wildlife and its ecosystem first-hand.
At Tembe Elephant Park, the Community Conservation Liaison provides free-of-charge educational game drives to members of the surrounding community with the support of the community-owned Tembe Lodge. These game drives and camp experiences are so important because they get community members into the reserve so they can see the beauty of this place that attracts tourists from all over the world. Ironically, most members of adjacent communities have never been inside their neighbouring parks. Many have never seen an elephant or a giraffe because vehicles and entrance fees are required. The park administrations work with Community Conservation Liaisons to provide community member’s free access into their parks.
While anti-poaching and rhino rescue efforts are crucial to the immediate fight, the rhino war will be won through education in the end. When communities that live on the borders of rhino reserves understand why rhinos need to be conserved, how they can benefit from rhino conservation and why poaching is unsustainable, a buffer zone of friendly forces is created around each rhino population, making poaching less and less likely, until one day poaching is a thing of the past. Wildlife ACT understands the need for community conservation education in communities that border rhino populations. That is why we manage community rhino conservation projects in five game reserves that protect critical rhino populations.
We do not prescribe development or upliftment agendas for the local communities we work with or alongside, but rather support their own development. It is not a top-down approach. We also believe that the communities we work with have the right people to serve their communities directly, and we therefore strive to build capacity for local talent. This is why we do not involve foreign volunteers in our community work.
Poverty is also a driving force behind poaching. Poachers are almost always unemployed men who do it for the money. Communities need to see the economic benefit of conservation. We therefore ensure that our conservation projects support local traders by buying produce from the closest possible local B.E.E. compliant suppliers. We also encourage volunteers to support local outlets by purchasing any souvenirs or goods locally as well. Furthermore, Wildlife ACT partners with other organizations to offer additional services to these communities, which include:
These educational and economic processes are slow and expensive, but the results are worth it. When communities are partners in conservation with their local rhino reserves, snaring rates go down and rhino horn poachers find no local support. This process has been validated in parks and game reserves around the world.
Please help Wildlife ACT win this fight by supporting our community rhino conservation projects.
ZAR 30 000 (Roughly $2,100) Funds A Full 4 Day Experience For Approximately 30 Kids