PACE provides educators with resources and training to help them integrate conservation education into their teaching. Central to PACE is a multi-media education pack – books, action sheets, educator guides, posters and videos – and these are provided free of charge to formal and informal educators, in schools and conservation organisations across Africa.

As Tusk’s flagship conservation education initiative we are incredibly proud of the impact it has made. We recently commissioned an Impact Report around the effect of PACE and are thrilled with the findings!

Fifty seven PACE users and distributers from 13 countries (Botswana, Cameroon, DRC, Kenya, Malawi, Nigeria, Rwanda, South Africa, Tanzania, Togo, Uganda, Zambia and Zimbabwe) completed a 50 point questionnaire.  Eight 30 minute interviews were also conducted, with eleven key PACE users and distributers. The interviews discussed and dug deeper into the responses given in questionnaires.

The feedback for all PACE resources was overwhelmingly positive. Some of the wonderful comments included:

“The children receiving these materials are proud of them and nurture these materials.”

“The visual impact is priceless”

“All our school groups say they are brilliant”

“They bring the lessons to life”

“PACE resources are incredibly educative and high quality, they are rich with information, and I recommend them greatly”

For more details around the report and to find out more about PACE, visit the dedicated PACE WEBSITE

“PACE has been absolutely amazing, without it we would be 10 years behind”

Alistair Sinclair, VulPro

The post “PACE has been absolutely amazing, without it we would be 10 years behind” appeared first on Tusk.

GZT combats the zebras’ main threats of habitat degradation, lack of dry season water access, and hunting by nomadic pastoralists. With people and communities at the heart of their work, GZT employs a broad network of local Scouts, Ambassadors and Warriors to monitor the zebra and engage local communities. These teams provide important data on zebra distribution and behaviour, enabling them to identify and implement interventions such as water source management and supplemental feeding.

“Before the project started, Grevy’s zebra were afraid of livestock and people but now they are not afraid. Even the herders accept them to pass next to them. Monitoring of Grevy’s zebra was the responsibility of the scouts, but now it has become the responsibility of the whole community and they report sightings to the scouts.” – Chereb Lechooriong, Grevy’s Zebra Scout

The implementation of Kenya’s Recovery & Action Plan for Grevy’s Zebra (Equus grevyi) in Kenya (2017-2026) is being undertaken by the Grevy’s Zebra Technical Committee with coordination led by the Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS). The latest revision of this document took place in 2017, taking into account the conservation challenges, successes and priorities emerging from the past four years, and focusing on actions for 2017-2026. Tracking of progress will be done biannually at the Grevy’s Zebra Technical Committee meetings and strategic reviews undertaken every three years to ensure that the status of threats is updated and that these threats are being effectively addressed.

The latest iteration of the guide can be accessed HERE

The post Grevy’s Zebra Trust – growing the Grevy’s zebra population in Kenya appeared first on Tusk.

To prepare the bongo for travel, the animals were segregated for pre-shipment testing and preparation in a specially designed corral-chute system.  They were then vaccinated for pathogens and given a pioneering, recombinant-DNA vaccine to help protect against tick-borne disease.

On 22 February, all 17 animals were successfully crated and given a long-acting sedative to ease their 30-hour journey before they flew 7146 nautical miles in a Bongo-branded DHL Boeing 767 to Kenya.  The bongos were transported in custom-built crates, alongside six tons of pelleted feed.  Three US animal-care experts, including a wildlife veterinarian, accompanied the animals during their journey.

Upon their arrival, the Kenya Wildlife Service transported the animals 250 kms by road to the slopes of Mt. Kenya, where they were released into a 20-acre sanctuary, which has been set aside for the bongos by the Kenya Forest Service and built by Lewa Wildlife Conservancy and MBRCT.  As one of Kenya’s flagship species, the mountain bongo personifies Kenya’s high-mountain forest ecosystems.  Bongo conservation offers far-reaching benefits to the landscape, contributing to the conservation of many other species of fauna and flora that share its habitat. The sanctuary serves as a secure home and breeding ground for the animals, to support re-establishing a sustainable bongo population across the Mount Kenya ecosystem and beyond.

“The return of 17 critically endangered mountain bongos from Florida to Kenya is a significant step in restoring this critically endangered species to its native habitat.  As a public-private partnership between mountain communities, local council, government departments, conservation agencies and international organisations, it also demonstrates the power in working collectively towards a common goal, and the conservation progress that can be made through collaboration – a core Tusk value.” Tusk Founder and Chairman, Charlie Mayhew

“There is simply no higher calling for humanity than to protect what remains of nature.  The mountain bongo’s story of decline and recovery has been entirely on our watch, and the species’ future lies with all of us.  The bongo’s resilience is a story of hope for wildlife and people alike, merging elevated partnerships, proven expertise, vital resources and amazing courage.  This humbling, profound project exemplifies true wildlife conservation in real time.” Dr. Paul Reillo, RSCF Founder and President

“We are so proud to be able to leverage the power and expertise of our global network to assist in transporting these critically endangered Mountain Bongo to their new sanctuary in Kenya. The logistics of moves such as this are incredibly complex, with the welfare of the animals being everyone’s top priority. A huge thank you to our partners at Tusk, Rare Species Conservatory Foundation and Lewa Wildlife Conservancy, and everyone involved in making this important conservation mission a success”. Mike Parra, CEO DHL Express Europe

“Bringing the mountain bongos back to Kenya is a great moment in the restoration of the country’s natural heritage. For decades, these animals have been largely absent from the very forests where they belong, and this project will be crucial in reversing that loss. Seeing them set foot on Kenyan soil again is a powerful reminder of what can be achieved when organizations work together.” Mike Watson, CEO of Lewa Wildlife Conservancy.

The post The Historic Return of Mountain Bongo to the Slopes of Mount Kenya appeared first on Tusk.

The footage was captured in the Ise Forest Conservation Area, which covers 3,300ha and is located in Ise-Ekiti, Ekiti State, South-Western, Nigeria.

Project Director, Rachal Ikemeh, and Tusk Award for Conservation in Africa Finalist 2016 said, “…the challenge of sustaining this conservation work, which began in 2021 intensified due to a re-emergence of armed marijuana planters who even issued death threats to the rangers and their families. Fortunately, the formidable leadership of Governor Biodun Oyebanji and the dedicated community leaders in Ise reinforced the Ekiti people’s stance, declaring no further destruction of their forests and wildlife”.

The Programme Manager of the Ise Forest Conservation Area, Ms. Seun Adejuwon, shared how this is, “…a long-awaited miracle, thanks to the tireless efforts of our Project Director and, above all, to God because we prayed earnestly and worked hard for this outcome. Without diligent protection efforts, these majestic creatures would have been bygone in Ise and by extension in western Nigeria.”.

The footage highlights the vital work that SW/Niger Delta Forest Project have undertaken to restore the severely degraded forest and protect the wildlife within. The success of collaborative partnerships between NGOs, the Ekiti State Government and the Ise community is evident. The Conservation Area is also creating jobs for people in the local communities, with 98% of project staff coming from the indigenous community.

From insects to mammals, there is a wide range of wildlife species benefiting from the conservation of the Ise Forest Conservation Area. Conserving this forest is also enhancing local livelihoods and ensuring traditional knowledge is preserved. We are proud to support the conservation work of SW/Niger Delta Forest Project alongside, the Programme of the French Committee of the IUCN and Whiteley Fund for Nature. 

View the footage of male chimpanzee foraging HERE.

The post First-Ever Footage of Chimpanzee Population in Western Nigeria appeared first on Tusk.

We were honoured to hold this year’s symposium in Rwanda, kindly hosted by Olivier Nsengimana, Founder and Executive Director of Rwanda Wildlife Conservation Association. Workshops focused on several key topics, including community-driven conservation, wildlife conservation economies, fundraising and communication strategies for engaging with funders, and succession planning.

Thank you for all the effort in organising the symposium, for the great coordination. I feel incredibly grateful, inspired and encouraged. 

Mercy Waithira, SORALO.

Throughout the week, delegates were able to share their extraordinary knowledge, collective experiences – both positive and negative – and feedback on vital collaborations that stemmed from the last Tusk Conservation Symposium, which took place in Kenya’s Maasai Mara in 2022.

Based on the feedback from previous symposia, we knew that our project partners were interested in hearing from governments about their relationships with NGOs and how to position the environment and conservation as a top priority. The presentation by the Rwandan Development Board (RDB) was therefore an invaluable part of the symposium and a highlight for many delegates. The RDB is an amalgamation of eight different agencies which form a “one-stop centre” for businesses and investments to help accelerate Rwanda’s economy, through private sector growth, including the integration of tourism and conservation.  

I did not know what to expect and was blown away by the Tusk team, the ability and willingness of everyone to network. The talks and workshops were really good and extremely helpful. Thank you all.

Alistair Sinclair, VulPro.

To encourage ongoing collaboration beyond the symposium, the opportunity to submit funding proposals was given to all attending delegates to enable them to continue to share knowledge through exchanges of personnel. We look forward to reviewing the 29 proposals submitted and granting funds for further collaboration and the chance for our project partners to travel and see each other’s work.

We are incredibly grateful to all our project partners who took the time to join us in Rwanda and for their continued collaboration, partnership and friendship.  We would like to acknowledge Mantis for kindly hosting us for the second half of the Tusk Conservation Symposium, and to again thank the Nick Maughan Foundation and JRS Biodiversity Foundation for their generous sponsorship, which made the symposium possible.

It’s been a privilege to be amongst accomplished men and women in direct species protection, community engagement and alternative livelihood programs. The session on wildlife economics opened my eyes to the possibilities out there, how committees can effectively and efficiently organize themselves into business and harness the opportunities around them, we as the NGO have a role to play to facilitate these initiatives.

David Kuvawoga, Painted Dog Conservation.

The post Evolution in African Conservation: Tusk Conservation Symposium 2024 appeared first on Tusk.

The funds were used to ensure that 38,000 people now have improved food security, increased livelihood opportunities, and more positive relations with the Uganda Wildlife Authority.

Ripple Effect helped families around the national park to improve their crop yields and to have nutritious food all year round. Food security was improved by 47%, while 31% of those trained are now earning above the international poverty line of £1.90 per day. The rest have built resilience and skills that will help them to succeed in the future.  

Through Tusk’s partnership with the Uganda Conservation Foundation (UCF), 120 young people received vocational training in trades that were specifically chosen to meet local demand and offer immediate employment opportunities and a steady income without turning to the park’s natural resources; 78% found jobs after their training ended. Alongside this, and through Tusk’s PACE programme, 13,693 people were educated on the importance of the national park, wildlife and protecting endangered species such as the Rothschild’s giraffe (for which the park is one of their greatest strongholds). This included children at forty different schools, helping to build the next generation of conservationists. This was reinforced by incredibly meaningful trips into the national park, which were conducted for 350 schoolchildren and 510 community members. For many, this was the first time that they had been able to experience the park in this way and to develop a greater appreciation of its wildlife. This was reinforced with talks from the rangers and a demonstration of the traps and snares they have removed during their patrols.

“I saw very many poacher tools that the rangers collected, this shows the rangers are doing a great job. After the park visit, I came back to my village and encouraged poachers to stop poaching wildlife. Three poachers have since stopped poaching after following my advice.”
Opar Aldo, Local Council Chairperson, following one of the park visits

Thanks to the Living with Wildlife Project, 58% of community members now report a ‘positive’ or ‘very positive’ relationship with the Uganda Wildlife Authority, compared to just 22% at the start of the project. This is all the more impressive and important because of all the unforeseen challenges that the project had to contend with.

Towards the end of the appeal, the Covid pandemic struck. Tourism to Murchison Falls collapsed as restrictions to control the spread of the virus were introduced. Without tourism, no revenue is generated to pay rangers or to support the protection of the park: the 20% of tourism income that the Uganda Wildlife Authority invests in the community evaporated, and the only vibrant economy folded in an area where unemployment was already rife. As feared, the hunting and trapping of wildlife began to soar, along with the collection of natural resources such as firewood, as people tried to make ends meet.

The challenges presented by Covid were added to as the River Nile flooded to levels higher than in recorded history. The floods displaced thousands of fishermen and farmers living along the banks of the Nile and the shores of Lake Albert, many of whom resorted to poaching as an alternative. Hippos that normally frequent the shallow areas and sandy beaches were meanwhile pushed into community areas, feeding on crops and putting villagers in great danger. The Living with Wildlife project’s role in supporting and promoting human-wildlife co-existence therefore became greater than ever.

The floods were then followed by a two-year drought. Ripple Effect responded by introducing drought-resistant, fast maturing cassava seeds, a reliable staple crop even in tough droughts. This was hugely successful, with farmers outside of the project adopting it too. Twelve new solar-powered mini-irrigation systems were also introduced, and cooperatives set up so that farmers could share the technology and, crucially, water their crops, using the River Nile.

While poaching didn’t decrease as expected, because of the extra challenges, all the above interventions have brought the park and community closer together, and will help reduce pressure on the park in the long-term while supporting the local community through an extremely vulnerable moment in time.

“The Living with Wildlife project has broken boundaries for the community living next to the park to stop thinking that the park is for foreigners and given an opportunity for them to appreciate the beauty of wildlife. The project has transformed the lives of what would be poachers to wildlife protectors through livelihood supported projects.”
Wilson Kagoro, Community Conservation Warden, Uganda Wildlife Authority

The post Living with Wildlife: Lasting Impact Secured Against The Odds appeared first on Tusk.

We recently created a new resource booklet for our Pan African Conservation Education (PACE) project all about vultures to share how amazing they are, the threats they face – from poisoning to power line collision – and how misunderstood they can be, incorporating superstitious beliefs and their use in traditional medicine. 

PACE in collaboration with Vulpro and the Rural Initiatives for Sustainable Environment (RISE) unit from the Southern African Wildlife College conducted four live webinars to raise awareness of the value of vultures in and around Kruger National Park.

The webinar was joined by teachers, students and rangers from South African National Parks. Each session provided an insight into vultures through a virtual tour of VulPro’s facility, a live stream of flying vultures and feeding stations and a presentation of the PACE vulture booklet.

The webinar series was a huge success, and lead to Aubrey Maluleke from Northern Kruger and his team, who attended the webinar sessions, to create an 8-week programme for children from 9 local primary and secondary schools. This programme continues to build vulture awareness through conservation education activities and experiences, including a field trip into Pafuri in Northern Kruger Park where children we able to visit a nesting site and observe vultures up close. One of the topics they have covered focuses on vulture senses and how you can determine their mood. Did you know that the bald patches on their chest, known as blushing spots or eyes, will change colour depending on their mood?

Tusk is excited to see collaboration across projects and the positive knock on effect that these webinars have had. Ensuring that children get to experience the wildlife they live so close to and understand the importance of vultures for public health and the ecosystem as keystone species is crucial for conservation success. Find out more about vultures by visiting our PACE website and reading our vulture booklet which can be found online here. 

Tusk has supported VulPro since 2009, providing annual funds supporting a range of project needs from the monitoring of the Cape Vulture population, to developing a database for tagged vultures, community workshops and a solar water pumping system.

The post Engaging Youth In Vulture Conservation Around Kruger National Park appeared first on Tusk.

It all started with a skydive challenge in March, followed by the Lewa Safari Marathon in June. Now I’m in training for the Wildlife Ranger Challenge in September, all to raise vital funds for Tusk.

In terms of what drives me, over the last 35 years I have been very fortunate to have travelled extensively in Africa, enjoying many varied experiences ranging from self-drive safaris, to climbing volcanoes and even spending time on a lion research project. Through these experiences I have had some incredible wildlife encounters.

Hearing that 96 elephants are being killed daily and that there are only now about 400,000 left in the wild was enough motivation for me to dedicate my time to raising funds and awareness of the plight of the African Elephant.

In September 2021, I made the radical decision to give up full time employment as a director of a major Plc after 22 years, to instead focus my time on elephant conservation. Many of my friends, family and colleagues were initially shocked by my decision, but when I explained my reasoning and that it was something I had been thinking about for some time, they soon understood why.

As Sir David Attenborough said “we all need to take responsibility for conservation and not just leave it to the few.”

Q: Has fundraising always been part of your life?

To date, I think I’ve raised somewhere between £250,000 and £300,000 for a whole variety of charities through challenges and events, including Help for Heroes, Lincs and Notts Air Ambulance, Save the Rhino and many other worthy causes.

So yes, fundraising is important to me. It’s not just the money that you raise which is important, it’s also the time you invest in trying to make a difference. As an example, until recently I was a trustee of our local Air Ambulance service who do amazing work and offer a vital service to the community. I have undertaken quite a few challenges to raise funds for them in the past. In 2019 I was very honoured to be voted the “Charity Volunteer of the Year” at the “Air Ambulances Awards of Excellence”. This was particularly special to me, as an independent panel representing all 21 Air Ambulances in the UK voted for this decision. It’s not why I do it, but it’s extra special when the pilots, doctors and charity teams across the UK appreciate what you do.

Q: Well we absolutely appreciate what you do! What has been your most difficult challenge so far?

From a very early age I have always been up for a challenge. It started with parachuting and marathons, then on to more exotic and adventurous undertakings which have literally taken me around the globe – from the coldest places on the planet to the warmest, including the Geographic North and South Poles, Himalayas, South Georgia, Greenland, and the Lut Desert in Iran to name but a few. These are charity challenges of my own making. I believe that if I have the privilege of travelling to these amazing places, then I should share the experience with others and raise money for good causes at the same time.

Quite a few of my challenges have been exploratory and few people have ever undertaken them, such as Greenland, Democratic Republic of Congo and The Lut Desert in Iran. By their very nature, there are lots of unknowns and potential hazards. But if I had to pick my most difficult challenge so far, I would have to say that it would be making the first winter attempt to climb the Arctic’s highest mountains, which are located in a very remote area of southern Greenland. The Arctic winter is brutal, with crippling cold temperatures (minus 20 degrees in the tent!) and hurricane force winds, which all made for a gruelling, yet epic trip. We did manage to climb one of the big peaks which we named “Thor’s Gate” after the Norse God of thunder and lightning.

Q: Any particularly memorable moments from your challenges?

Well, where do you want me to start?! Probably too many to tell – I could tell you about bears, frostbite, building an ice runway for an evacuation in Antarctica, dodging Afghan drug smugglers in the desert and many more. But I think one of the more unusual and least expected must be the tale of the frozen Mars bars!

Unfortunately, back in 2006 while skiing to the Geographic North Pole, one of our 6-person team became unwell, which resulted in us trying to get an evacuation organised. This is very difficult to do on the Arctic Sea ice and is totally dependent on finding a suitable weather window for a helicopter to land. Pulling heavy loads on the ice takes up a lot of energy. In fact, somewhere between 4,000 to 5,000 calories per day. So, one of our food sources was delicious Mars bars which are high in calories and, being kept in the sledges, they become deep frozen.

After a long day’s skiing we finally received a message from the air base that the helicopter was on its way. We pitched the two tents and took a stash of Mars bars inside to eat that evening. We had given the pilot a GPS location from our tent and eventually we could hear the large helicopter approaching. The sound got nearer and nearer and when we looked out of the tent, we were horrified to see that the helicopter was hovering a metre or two directly above. The downforce from the spinning rotors started to flatten our tent and completely blew away the second one. After a lot of frantic hand waving and shouting, the pilot finally realised what he was doing and immediately started to ascend. This then had the opposite effect, as everything in the tent was flying around, including our beloved supply of frozen Mars bars.

They were all sucked up in the spinning rotors and were ricocheting around our heads in all directions while we clung to our small tent, which was also lifting off the ground. Thankfully, the evacuation was a success. When the helicopter finally disappeared, we spent the next three hours collecting all our possessions, which had been scattered in all directions, and nursing mild frostnip as a result of clinging so tightly to the tent in the windchill created by the helicopter. We were left with a tent (which was our lifeline in such harsh conditions) with a huge hole which made the rest of the trip a little chilly. 

Of all the things that you plan for on a trip to the North Pole, including bears, frostbite, immersion in icy water … being struck by a flying deep frozen Mars bar certainly wasn’t one of them!     

Q: You’ve completed challenges for lots of charities. Why is wildlife conservation important to you?

Being born and raised in the English countryside, I have always been interested in wildlife conservation. I spent my youth making bird boxes, watching badgers and raising a range of injured animals including crows, weasels, and hedgehogs. My dream at school was to try and become a wildlife film maker, but at that time, this wasn’t really an option – although subsequently one or two of my colleagues went on to make a success of it.

Now more than ever before, wildlife conservation is so important. With shrinking biodiversity around the world, we need to provide space for these endangered species to coexist alongside the expanding human population. I feel that I have been very lucky during my lifetime to visit what I would call true wilderness areas where nature is still relatively undisturbed by human intervention. I want to do my bit by raising funds and awareness to ensure that future generations can enjoy the same experiences. One of the things I find most rewarding is speaking to younger and older generations about the great strides and positive initiatives which are being adopted so they can see that not everything is negative. There is something worth saving, but once it’s gone, it ain’t coming back! 

Q: You’re now gearing up for the Wildlife Ranger Challenge – what distance are you going for and how will you prepare?

In 2017 I travelled to the Democratic Republic of Congo to make the ascent of the four highest volcanoes in the Virunga reserve – the oldest national park in Africa and home to mountain gorillas. My guides were the Virunga Park Rangers who face hostility on an almost daily basis, with over 200 rangers killed in the line of duty. It was a real privilege for me to spend time with them and to see first-hand the important work they are doing and the issues they face.

I used this opportunity to raise funds for “The Fallen Rangers Fund” which provides support and employment for a ranger’s family if he or she is killed on the frontline of conservation. We witnessed how fluid and dangerous the conditions are in Virunga. We had to change our plans several times due to the presence of rebel groups operating in the area.

But what sticks with me is just how professional and passionate the rangers were about their work. I know it’s the same for all ranger forces across Africa, so for me, it’s a real pleasure to now be gearing up to take part in and support the Wildlife Ranger Challenge.

Luckily having completed the Lewa Safari Marathon in June, I still have a level of fitness I can draw upon for the Wildlife Ranger Challenge and my training has already begun. My plan is that I will be aiming for the full 21km distance and carrying a 22kg rucksack with probably a little more walking than running. It is certainly not going to be easy and I will have to draw on my past experiences of carrying heavy loads and pulling sledges to get me through.

My training program is to build up steadily by carrying lighter loads and then increasing the weights and distances covered. I intend to fill my rucksack with items I have to hand, so that is presently a sack of chicken feed weighing in at 20kg and it feels very heavy!

The training route I use is on an old Roman track known as “The High Dyke.” As I trundle along I think of all those Roman Legionaries wearing full metal armour which makes me feel a little better!

Q: What would you say to people who are thinking about signing up for a fundraising challenge?

Make sure you prepare in advance and give it 100%.

There are really three phases to most of these challenges. Firstly, finding the time, secondly the training, and thirdly the fundraising. Each one is as important as the other and all need to be addressed if your challenge is going to be successful. For example, when you are working full time and also have other family commitments, finding the time to train is challenging, but I found that whatever the time of day or the weather you need to get out there come what may. Sometimes I would be running or cycling at 5am in the morning or at 9pm in the evening up to 6 days a week, but it’s worth in the end.

Believe in the cause you are raising funds for. I often found on my trips that one of my biggest fears was not the danger of the challenge itself, but instead not being able to complete it and so letting down my chosen charity and my generous sponsors. Use this fear to help motivate you and complete the challenge.

Equally if you believe in the cause and are passionate about it, the enthusiasm will rub off on others and they will support you in your fundraising. The Tusk challenges such as the Lewa Safari Marathon and Wildlife Ranger Challenge are very worthy and different. Because of this they are an excellent “hook” to attract donations.

But most importantly, train hard so that come the day of the event, you can smile and ENJOY the challenge. It should be fun! And remember you are making a real difference.

Q: Any good fundraising tips?

• Get organised and prepare
• Contact family, friends, clients, colleagues, the general public and explain what you are doing and why
• Set yourself a target – be bold but achievable
• Use social media, formal letters, telephone – whatever source you can think of
• Approach your local schools, clubs and other organisations and get them involved – offer to give them a talk or presentation on completion of your challenge. I spent two days at a very large school giving 8 x 40-minute talks on the DRC to all the classes in the school. They were very enthusiastic and asked some great questions
• Always try and approach different people and organisations for sponsorship and not the same ones each time you take on a challenge. It’s a difficult one, but you want to ensure you don’t get sponsor fatigue and more importantly that you still have some friends left!
• Finally, and most importantly, inform your sponsors about the challenge and why are you doing it. What does it involve? Once completed always, always say THANK YOU!

The post Challenge Fundraising: Going The Extra Mile appeared first on Tusk.

What difference did winning your award make to you personally?

This award has been a huge motivation to keep going. It made me feel like a true sea turtle conservation leader. The recognition we had from national government, local communities, neighbours, family and especially my colleagues, was incredible. It made us all understand and increase our feeling that this is an important cause. Together we are actually doing amazing work towards sea turtle conservation in the country and also improving the lives of our local communities. 

How has your work developed since winning your award?

This award was definitely a major contribution to guarantee that all sea turtle conservation actions developed in Sao Tome Island by Programa Tatô would take place. This award also resulted in recognition of our conservation efforts at national and international levels.

The main goal of Programa Tatô is to strengthen conservation of sea turtle populations in Sao Tome by protecting the main nesting and feeding sites, reducing the main anthropogenic threats and strengthening capacity, involvement and awareness amongst local communities. All activities are implemented in Sao Tome with the involvement and participation of members of fishing communities, former poachers and by-products traders, young professionals and early career conservationists.

Programa Tatô has been able to continue to:

• Involve coastal communities’ members as monitoring agents to ensure protection of the sea turtles’ most critical sites in Sao Tome
• Invest in scientific research to analyse data collected from site-based monitoring, mark-recapture and interaction with small scale fisheries
• Strengthen environmental education campaigns
• Promote how tourism can mitigate negative impacts on sea turtles
• Participate in the designation of coastal and marine protected areas, including sea turtle hotspots
• Develop alternative livelihoods for former sea turtle poachers and traders.

How did winning your award impact your work on the ground?

This award has contributed to considerably decreasing sea turtle capture in Sao Tome Island, with more positive behaviour from local communities and reduced sea turtle consumption. Through our education programmes, we have built awareness at all levels of society, from children to adults, from fishermen to politicians. Through their involvement, we can ensure the long-term sustainability of our conservation programme in Sao Tome Island.

How has the landscape for conservation changed since winning your award? What new challenges are you facing?

Although we’ve seen very promising and positive results, the biggest challenge continues to be long-term funding. The last couple of years with the worldwide pandemic were particularly difficult. Covid-19 greatly affected the country’s economy. Several of our usual private partners didn’t fund our programme, jeopardising the development of planned activities as well as jobs. Add to that the fact that there has been a huge decrease in fisheries resources, the pressure on the environment and endangered species has become even greater.

What are the biggest threats facing sea turtles specifically right now?

Coastal communities of Sao Tome Island have traditionally exploited sea turtles mainly for the consumption and trade of meat and eggs, but also for shell-based handicraft.

Poverty, lack of economic opportunities, fish stock decline, human population growth, as well as a context of impunity and opportunism have exasperated the threats to sea turtle populations.

Nowadays the biggest threats affecting sea turtles’ survival have been habitat degradation due to coastal urbanisation, coastal erosion, illegal beach sand mining, and unsustainable rapid development of tourism, contributing to growing levels of disturbance in sensitive nesting sites. Of greater concern is the critically endangered hawksbill sea turtle. The species is at imminent risk of extinction – assessed by the IUCN – SSC Marine Turtle Specialist Group as being among the top 11 conservation priorities for sea turtles worldwide.

Sao Tome and Principe hosts the Eastern Atlantic’s major nesting population of this species, as well as year-round foraging aggregations. Depleted hawksbill populations combined with low genetic variability emphasise the high degree of isolation and vulnerability of this population. Green turtles however exhibit high levels of genetic diversity, representing an important genetic pool in the region. Protecting this population could have widespread benefits for the species regionally.

What have been your major successes since winning your award?

One of our major successes is definitely the involvement, motivation and the sense of belonging from local communities. Day by day they are gradually playing their role as community and conservation leaders.

Another major success has been the growing involvement of national authorities, such as the national police, the captaincy and the coast guard, who are increasingly active in implementing and enforcing the law. This has encouraged the creation of an Environmental Police in Sao Tome and Principe. Growing participation and interest has made it possible to considerably reduce the capture of sea turtles, thus allowing the recovery of species in Sao Tome Island.

Programa Tatô is also becoming an important actor, being one of the few NGOs in the country working towards marine and coastal conservation. We have a dynamic and experienced team, involved in several projects and initiatives across the country.

The post Tusk Awards Winners: Where Are They Now (V) appeared first on Tusk.

Big Life Foundation has operated in the Amboseli-Tsavo ecosystem for nearly 30 years. Thanks to their dedicated rangers and staff, in 2020, BigLife were able to maintain a zero rhino and elephant poaching rate across their 1.6-million-acre operating area.

Amboseli and Tsavo National Parks are renowned for their wildlife populations, most notably elephant, but these animals spend the majority of their time on community land – ‘group ranches’ – which enable the freedom of movement for wildlife, humans, and livestock.

The ability of animals to travel with the seasons in search of food and water, on ancient migratory paths, is essential for their survival.

The coming months and years are going to be critical, for pressure is building for subdivision of the land. A transition from continuous community-owned landscape to private ownership of land by individuals threatens to break the ecosystem into thousands of small acre plots, which will then be sold and converted to other uses; wildlife will run out of space, and the Greater Amboseli ecosystem’s wildlife populations will be decimated.

A major focus of Big Life in the coming year will be securing large tracts of community land through land leases which will maintain Maasai ownership of land, but restrict fragmentation to ensure continuity. The key though will be securing wildlife corridors through areas of development to ensure long-term connectivity of wildlife populations across the ecosystem.

All images by Jeremy Goss. Main image shows the Big Life Foundation team monitoring elephants in the field.

Second image shows elephants feeding in swamps immediately next to farmland (the dark patches, and the smoke in the distance is the boundary between the farms and community), which is unfenced and therefore a great source for human-elephant conflict.

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The money will be used to train families on how to grow their own food and establish sustainable ways of making a living while also funding vital conservation work in the community.

Through the ground-breaking new project, Send a Cow will train over 7,000 families living around Murchison Falls National Park to grow their own crops so that they can have nutritious food to eat, all year round. As Julius Adubango, Send a Cow’s project co-ordinator explains:

“If we support the farmers around Uganda’s Murchison Falls National Park, we can give more protection to the wildlife living within it. This programme was designed to tackle the root causes of poverty in some of my country’s most vulnerable rural communities. I grew up near to Pakwach, which is one of the sub-counties we will be working in, and have seen how poverty threatens the local environment on a daily basis, and leads people to hunt for bushmeat to feed their families.”

Through Tusk’s partnership with the Uganda Conservation Foundation (UCF), families and young people in the area will also be supported to start their own small businesses and learn vocational skills, such as agroforestry and construction, to help them find sustainable ways of making a living that don’t endanger wildlife. This will enable people living around Murchison Falls to break the cycle of poverty permanently and will mean that they are no longer pressured to hunt within the National Park, helping to protect endangered wildlife such as the Rothschild’s giraffe. With fewer than 2,500 Rothschild Giraffes remaining in the wild, urgent action is needed now to protect future generations.

Alongside this, Tusk and the UCF will also educate and engage local communities with conservation so that they can appreciate the value of wildlife and become guardians of the park. Schoolchildren will learn about environmental issues and solutions, creating young conservation champions who can discourage their families from poaching and who will themselves turn away from poaching when they grow up.

Towards the end of the appeal, the Covid pandemic struck. Tourism to Murchison Falls collapsed as restrictions to control the spread of the virus were introduced. Without tourism, no revenue is generated to pay rangers or to support the protection of the park, the 20% of tourism income that the Uganda Wildlife Authority invests in the community evaporated, and the only vibrant economy folded in an area where unemployment was already rife. As feared, the hunting and trapping of wildlife began to soar, along with the collection of natural resources such as firewood, as people tried to make ends meet. The goals of the Living with Wildlife appeal therefore became more important than ever, as expressed by Michael Keigwin, UCF’s Founding Trustee:

“The timing of the Living with Wildlife programme couldn’t have been better. With the complete collapse of revenue sharing is the collapse of community conservation and development. Sadly Living with Wildlife will not be additive to revenue sharing and other efforts now, but will plug an enormous gap in critical communities. What is more, the programme targets the very vulnerable, i.e. the most impacted by this crisis.”

Covid wasn’t the only devastating challenge to contend with over the past year, as the River Nile flooded to levels higher than in recorded history. This brought with it additional problems, as explained by Patrick Agaba, UCF’s Community Conservation Officer: 

“The floods have displaced thousands of fishermen and farmers living along the banks of the Nile and the shores of Lake Albert, many of whom have resorted to poaching as an alternative. Hippos that normally frequent the shallow areas and sandy beaches have been pushed into community areas, putting villagers in great danger.”

The need for the Living with Wildlife project to support and promote human-wildlife co-existence is therefore greater than ever, and work is now underway. 

We are incredibly grateful to everybody who donated to the appeal, and the UK government for its support. We’d also like to add a special note of thanks to Levison Wood, Ash Bhardwaj, Simon King, Deborah Meaden, Africa Exclusive, Longleat and everyone at Send a Cow for all their amazing contributions to the great success of the appeal.

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We are incredibly grateful to everyone who took part and raised much needed funds through the Virtual Lewa Safari Marathon, the Wildlife Ranger Challenge and Ride 4 Rangers. The response to all these events exceeded our expectations, with the funds raised providing a much-needed lifeline to the men and women on the frontline of conservation across Africa.

Nevertheless, even with hopes of an end to the pandemic in sight, it will take a very long time for local economies and tourism to recover, and Tusk’s project partners are still fearing that 2021 could be their hardest year yet. We would therefore also like to thank everyone who has given so generously this year, particularly in response to the Crisis Appeal, with the latest round of funding now on its way to 34 of our project partners across the continent. This will make all the difference in maintaining their most important initiatives next year, including, for example, the following:  

• Big Life Foundation (Kenya): Community rangers will continue to receive the basic needs required to operate, through support for salaries and rations, as well as for equipment such as thunder flashes and torches for preventing human-wildlife conflict.
• Conservation Lower Zambezi (Zambia): Tusk’s support will greatly assist in continuing essential law enforcement support through the K9 Unit and Rapid Response Unit.
• CLAWS Conservancy (Botswana): The Lion Alert Programme can be strengthened to pre-Covid 19 capabilities, covering the cost of more satellite collars, including a trial of three solar-powered collars. Tusk’s support will also help to improve community outreach, increased conflict reporting and information sharing, essential for improved human-lion coexistence.
• Conservation South Luangwa (Zambia, pictured above): Tusk’s funding can guarantee that all CSL’s community scouts remain employed in order to carry out their critical work in the field. Funds will also go towards fuel and rations to support CSL’s human-wildlife conflict teams which help to protect community crops during the farming season from January to May.
• Global Animal Health Tanzania: Ongoing support from Tusk has enabled GAHT to carry out mass dog vaccination programmes across the Serengeti for years, to ensure that rabies is not transmitted to wild dog populations. Continued support will see that field teams have access to remote areas to ensure vaccination levels remain sufficiently high next year.
• Lamu Marine Conservation Trust (Kenya): As well as ensuring adequate and effective sea patrols are maintained to protect Lamu’s sea turtle populations, Tusk’s support will improve the supply of materials for their education and creative arts programmes throughout the Lamu archipelago.
• Mali Elephant Project: Training in anti-poaching will be provided to increase the number of people available for this work, to take over from soldiers when the security situation has calmed in the region. The anti-poaching unit will also be trained in how to manipulate drones and wider navigational tasks.
• Malilangwe Trust (Zimbabwe): Funding from Tusk will allow the Trust to continue delivering on its key programmes and research such as the resumption of the cadet ranger programme which is vital to bringing conservation messages to local communities, as well as their PhD study on the feeding habits of black rhino.
• Rwanda Wildlife Conservation Association: Tusk’s funding will help towards the salaries of key members of the team, fuel for project vehicles, and operating costs for working in the field monitoring and protecting grey crowned cranes.
• VulPro (South Africa): VulPro will be able to revert back to proactive methods of protecting vultures, rather than reactive surveying that has occurred as a result of the Covid pandemic. Tusk’s support will contribute to their rescue and rehabilitation programmes, as well as their efforts to supplement dwindling wild vulture populations using captive breeding and release programmes.

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The Living with Wildlife project will create new livelihood opportunities which can lift people out of poverty and protect wildlife. The money raised will be used to train families on how to grow their own food and establish sustainable ways of making a living while also funding vital conservation work in the community.

Through the ground breaking new project, Send a Cow will train over 7,000 families living around Murchison Falls National Park to grow their own crops so that they can have nutritious food to eat, all year round.

Through Tusk’s partnership with the Uganda Conservation Foundation (UCF), families and young people in the area will also be supported to start their own small businesses and learn vocational skills, such as agroforestry and construction, to help them find sustainable ways of making a living that don’t endanger wildlife. This will enable people living around Murchison Falls to break the cycle of poverty permanently and will mean that they are no longer pressured to hunt within the National Park, helping to protect endangered wildlife such as the Rothschild’s giraffe. With fewer than 2,000 Rothschild Giraffes remaining in the wild, urgent action is needed now to protect future generations.

Supporting the Appeal is explorer, writer, photographer and Tusk Ambassador Levison Wood who said: “I visited the park whilst filming my documentary Walking the Nile and am all too aware of the link between poverty and wildlife decline.’’

 “With limited sources of income and food, some families lay traps in the hope of catching bushmeat to feed their families and sell in the market. However, traps are indiscriminate and are causing untold damage. We must act now and protect endangered wildlife like the Rothschild’s giraffe before it is too late.’’

The International Development Secretary, Alok Sharma, added: “I am proud that UK aid is backing the Living with Wildlife appeal to help build sustainable businesses in Uganda that will work to preserve the country’s unique natural environment.

“Through UK aid the government will double donations from the British public, meaning their generosity will go twice as far.”

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Following the success of that event, the 2019 Symposium comprised a mixture of workshops, training sessions, open debates, networking, a day in the field at the Lewa Wildlife Conservancy and a poignant visit to see the planet’s last two surviving Northern White Rhinos at the Ol Pejeta Conservancy. Every project had the opportunity to present their work, with many providing 3-minute “success spotlights” on a specific achievement that others could learn from. Training sessions meanwhile covered teambuilding, capacity building, and how to engage an audience. Incorporating feedback from 2017, the four main workshops had the following themes:

• Making conservation make economic sense
• Valuing nature – how to mainstream conservation education
• Women as conservation advocates
• How organisations can build future conservation leaders

Despite the scale of the challenges and the often difficult conditions under which many of the participants work, the Symposium was full of positivity, with the partners demonstrating that passion, innovation, determination and an ability to keep adapting can bring great success.

The importance of collaboration and the engagement of stakeholders at all levels was one of the more obvious common themes that ran through the Symposium. Meanwhile, almost all participants work with local communities and explained how the key to their success has been understanding those communities’ needs – rather than what one thinks they are – and ensuring that they are addressed. Finding the best approach to make conservation relevant and worthwhile to people is key, and whether it’s attitudes to certain species such as vultures, lions, wild dogs or elephants, beliefs about the role of women in conservation, or indeed about conservation itself, changing perceptions can be critical for success.

While so much was learned over the four days, the most significant impact from the Symposium will be the relationships and collaborative ventures that flow from it. At the outset, Tusk offered up a fund to enable exchange visits and the development of joint initiatives. As a result, 21 proposals were submitted – a clear demonstration of delegates’ collective desire to collaborate. The intention is that the majority of these requests will be granted travel bursaries by Tusk. The importance of this was hailed by leading Kenyan conservationist Dr Winnie Kiiru of The Elephant Protection Initiative in her highly entertaining and thought-provoking keynote speech during the closing reception, which was attended by many from the Kenyan conservation community as well as senior representatives of the Kenyan Government and The British High Commission.

We are incredibly grateful to all our partners who joined us for this Symposium and made it such a success, and we are hugely indebted to ISPS Handa, for making it possible through their generous sponsorship. We would also like to acknowledge the very kind contribution from Milton Group LLC, who sponsored the closing reception on Thursday evening.

Click here to read the Tusk Conservation Symposium 2019 report.

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Amy Dickman said:

“My initial PhD study revealed extremely intense human-carnivore conflict in the Ruaha landscape with these species being poisoned, shot or speared by local people living around the national park.  Villagers were suffering attacks on precious livestock and perceived little benefit from living alongside lions and other carnivores.  By raising local awareness about conservation and providing tangible benefits from wildlife presence, the project set out to protect carnivores through a multi-disciplinary and community-based approach.

“Educational initiatives established by the Ruaha Carnivore Project include school twinning and feeding programmes.  Support is currently provided to 16 schools and several hundred children are fed daily at school; full tummies increase attendance and attainment, and cooking provides employment for local women.  Secondary scholarships are awarded to pastoralist children, with over 30 scholars to date being supported through their secondary education and beyond.  Local students are assisted throughout their post-graduate studies and a number of adult education programmes have been highly effective in teaching local people about the value of wildlife – over 1,000 have been taken into the national parks and tens of thousands more have been reached through RCP’s mobile, fun educational DVD nights.

“The bravest and most influential warriors are now employed as Lion Defenders and benefit from conserving lions rather than killing them.  Villagers are helped to build and fortify livestock enclosures (bomas) and livestock guarding dogs have also been trialled in the area.  Local people are trained and employed in ecological research techniques to help provide reliable scientific data on Ruaha’s carnivore populations.  Collared lions are tracked to mitigate conflict and to understand more about their distribution and this information is shared with authorities for conservation planning.  Wildlife monitors collect camera trap images which convert into tangible benefits such as medicines and healthcare, forging a vital and direct link to conservation.  And there is so much more!”

All these programmes are being expanded and are used to inform global conservation planning.  Since establishing the Ruaha Carnivore Project in 2009, livestock depredation has decreased by 60% and carnivore killings by 80%.  However, the balance between basic needs, traditions and conservation is complex and fragile – global conservation is everyone’s responsibility, and in order to preserve the world’s iconic animals, we all need to help those who struggle to live in their midst.  RCP, with Tusk’s support, is leading the way on this and we hope you will join and support this work.

To support RCP or find out more about the programmes run by the project, visit www.ruahacarnivoreproject.com

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