Annual Review

April 2018 to March 2019

Wilderness Foundation Africa is a conservation 11 Newington organisation working to protect and sustain all life on earth for the benefit of current and future generations. Street Richmond Hill Port Elizabeth NPO: 009-437 | PBO: 130000632 6001 Tel: +27 (0)41 373 0293 | www.wildernessfoundation.org

Table of Contents

1. Chairman’s Report ...... 2

2. Introduction ...... 3

3. Species ...... 4 a. Forever Wild Rhino Protection Initiative ...... 4 b. Forever Wild Leopard Conservation Initiative ...... 7

4. Spaces ...... 8

5. People...... 11 a. Pride and Imbewu trails ...... 11 b. Siyazenzela training courses ...... 12 c. Umzi Wethu training courses ...... 13

6. Acknowledgement of donors and sponsors ...... 15

7. Financials ...... 17

1. Chairman’s Report I am pleased to report that despite the ongoing and challenging funding environment we find ourselves in, that we as Wilderness Foundation Africa were able to fully implement all the main components of our operational plan. The CEO and his team continue to put efforts into growing and diversifying our donor base and partnerships.

A few program highlights over the past year are as follows:

• Nearly 17 years after founding the INDALO Private Game Reserve Association (consisting of ten Big 5 private game reserves in the ), we are in the final stages of establishing a Protected Environment (legislated and gazetted) through ECPTA. This should be announced by the MEC for Environment and Economic Affairs by May this year. The Protected Environment will consist of over 80 000 hectares and will be a major conservation victory for WFA.

• Wilderness Foundation Africa has signed a 5 year agreement with Jason Kieck Designs whereby WFA will be a beneficiary of the annual Charity Couture & Entertainment Gala Dinner from end 2019 onwards. WFA will receive proceeds from the Pretoria event (October 2019) and will be the sole beneficiary of all 3 events from 2020 onwards, until the agreement expires.

• Towards the end of April 2019 we received the good news that our Appeal to the Environmental Minister on the proposed Inyanda-Roodeplaat Wind Energy Facility in the Sundays River Valley Municipality, had been awarded in our favor. This is a major victory for conservation as this proposed facility is located on the border of one of the countries oldest declared wilderness and protected areas. We were vindicated in our belief that many of the reports that made up the EIA were flawed and did not follow due process. The Ministers’ decision gives the developer the option to redo the avifaunal; ecological and environmental assessment studies with approved independent providers – they have not decided yet if to proceed with this or not.

• Our protected area and land team is growing in expertise and impact, in part through our successful Northern Cape land project that has been extended for a further three years (by WWF-SA) and led by Mrs Kerry Purnell, and also due to Mrs Candice Stevens joining our team. Candice is a tax specialist who has introduced the first biodiversity tax incentive into the South African Protected Areas Network through her management of a Fiscal Benefits initiative. Her work is comprised of advancing and testing innovative biodiversity finance solutions and policy integration relating to protected area expansion.

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We are in the process of applying for various innovative conservation projects that would fund her work through WFA.

• We are in the process of implementing the Rhino Impact Bond project in Addo Elephant National Park. Phase 1 is nearing completion and we are hopeful to move into phase 2; which if the funds are raised, will be for a five year period. We would pass through (implementing on behalf of Royal Foundational and Zoological Society of London) over R10 Million per annum to Addo for rhino protection and conservation. This would greatly assist our cash flow situation, as well as a small management fee for Head Office and fee for the Conservation team. Please see the Financial Times article attached to this report which explains how this impact bond (a new novel approach for funding conservation) would work in practice.

I am pleased to announce that under the banner of Wilderness Foundation Global and through WILD Foundation the World Wilderness Congress (WILD 11) will be hosted in Jaipur India from 19 to 26 March 2020.

As always, we are appreciative to our partners and long standing funders, all of whom enable us to do the work that we do for the future of all species on this planet. In closing, I would like to thank all my fellow Trustees of the Board for their support over the past year as well as the CEO and the full staff compliment at WFA for the uplifting work they do every day and in making this world a better place.

Todani Moyo, Chairperson – September 2019

2. Introduction Wilderness Foundation Africa, established in 1971, is a project-driven conservation and leadership non-profit and public benefit organisation. Through the three key focus areas of Species, Spaces and People, the Foundation envisions a world that has sufficient intact natural ecosystems and wilderness areas that are valued and effectively protected for the benefit of all, and strives to uplift the lives of the disadvantaged youth of .

Through the Youth Development Programme (People), previously disadvantaged youth are empowered to become financially independent young people and breadwinners for their families - drawing on the opportunities presented by the eco-tourism industry in South Africa. The Conservation Programme focusses on projects for the protection of iconic endangered species (Species) and for the establishment, development and management of new reserves, concept development and implementation of conservation corridors and management support to reserves (Spaces).

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Wilderness Foundation Africa is a conservation organisation working to protect and sustain all life on earth for the benefit of current and future generations.

Wilderness Foundation Africa envisages a world that has sufficient intact natural ecosystems and wilderness areas that are valued and effectively protected for the benefit of all species.

3. Species All the projects managed under the Species focus area are aimed at the protection of iconic endangered species and fall under the Forever Wild Conservation Programme banner. All projects in the 2018 / 2019 financial year were managed under the following initiatives: a) Forever Wild Rhino Protection Initiative b) Forever Wild Leopard Conservation Initiative

a. Forever Wild Rhino Protection Initiative

For the last 8 years the Forever Wild Rhino Protection Initiative has been active with both on-the-ground support in South Africa and demand reduction in Vietnam in order to address the current rhino poaching crisis.

Through on-the-ground support, the Foundation manages and provides vehicles, both owned and sponsored, to support the protection of rhino and wildlife across South Africa. In the 2018 / 2019 financial year support was provided to the following provinces: Eastern Cape, , KwaZulu Natal and Mpumalanga. The 10 vehicles assist with dedicated tracker dog unit deployment and allow for section rangers, security and intelligence personnel responsible for the protection of rhino and the prevention of wildlife crime across the country, to be mobile and to perform their duties.

Although the Eastern Cape had rhino poaching incidents in the financial year, unfortunately none survived that required Rhino Rescue Support. Growing intelligence indicates that poaching activity in the province is on the rise and so wildlife veterinarian Dr William Fowlds and his team continued to build

Page | 4 more rescue capacity by improving the standard of equipment available and their knowledge of injured rhino. To this end, the Foundation provided X-ray capacity in the field through the acquisition of a BCF CR developer for use in conjunction with a generator purchased during the previous financial year.

The Forever Wild K9 Support was expanded with the addition of another cold scent sniffer dog named Ziggy, based at Addo Elephant National Park. This support is now capacitated with 2 dog units, both being fully mobile, to respond to rhino poaching scenes and threats within the Eastern Cape. In the last 12 months, 7 call outs were attended to, assisting with picking up the scent and leading rangers and police to the entry and exit points that poachers used.

The black rhino monitoring flights conducted by WFA Air Support have a number of applications. Over and above species monitoring, flights also assist protected areas with other conservation management objectives such as waterhole monitoring and boundary fence inspections. The main focus areas of aerial operations has been both the Addo Elephant National Park and the Great Fish River Nature Reserve in the Eastern Cape. Both of these protected areas are crucial black rhino habitats that lie across very rugged and challenging terrain, making air support a vital tool in managing these rhino populations. A total of 330.50 hours were completed by both aircraft in the 2018/2019 financial year, contributing to the protection and management of critical black rhino populations in the Eastern Cape.

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The Wildlife Operations Group continued to facilitate inter-organisational collaboration in the last 12 months. The three year Rhino Security Patrol vehicle project, managed under this group, officially concluded in December 2018 with the conclusion of this funding cycle. In the 3 year period, no rhino where poached in the direct patrol area of this vehicle.

Wilderness Foundation Africa continued to support the collection of DNA samples from rhino in the Eastern Cape to be included in the RhODIS national data system. A total of 23 DNA samples were collected in this reporting period, bringing the total collected to date to 205. Of these 82 were collected from Black Rhino Diceros bicornis bicornis, 99 from Diceros bicornis minor and 24 from White Rhino Ceratotherium simum.

The Wild Rhino Demand Reduction Campaign successfully concluded its Youth Ambassador and Rhino Ranger campaign at the end of 2018 and launched the new Wild Rhino Competition to select the

Page | 6 new Youth Ambassadors who will travel to South Africa in July 2019 for their wilderness trails. The campaign has now been active in Vietnam for 4 consecutive years and WFA have to date successfully implemented two rounds of the Wild Rhino competition in 2015 and 2017, which was followed by the Youth Ambassador Awareness and Super Hero campaigns in 2016 and 2018 respectively.

For the 2018 campaign a total of 30 planned and 25 unplanned (organic) events were held in Vietnam, with a direct reach of 27 281 and an indirect reach of 218 040 Vietnamese youth and adults. The social media element of the campaign had a total reach of 1 265 132 and a total of 43 482 campaign elements aimed at reducing the demand for rhino horn in Vietnam, were distributed. The campaign has now successfully selected a total of 47 Wild Rhino Youth Ambassadors and been active in 14 International Schools in both Ho Chi Minh City and Hanoi.

b. Forever Wild Leopard Conservation Initiative

Although leopards are not considered endangered in a global context, nationally they are considered to be threatened with extinction in the medium term. Habitat loss is the main factor threatening the future survival of healthy leopard populations in South Africa. The Forever Wild Leopard Conservation Initiative therefore aims to support organisations already working on the conservation of leopard populations in South Africa.

In 2016 a three year Memorandum of Agreement was finalized and signed between Wilderness Foundation Africa and the Cape Leopard Trust (CLT) in order to support their leopard anti-snaring project in the Boland study area of the Western Cape. The objectives of this project was: investigation into illegal hunting with snares; production of material for directed awareness and education programmes; and the design and monitoring of appropriate interventions and advocate for their implementation.

The project concluded in this financial year and conducted surveys with 103 farmers and 307 farm workers to collect data in order to determine what the extent of illegal bush meat snaring have on leopard conservation in the Boland study area. The project also consulted with 36 traditional healers in 17 informal settlements and compiled a comprehensive list of the number and frequency of animals used and sold. The project allowed for CLT’s Environmental Education curriculum to be updated, for the development of a regional snare activity hotspot map and a regional risk-modelling of human wildlife conflict. The project also lead to the development of a customized snare patrol data collection model in the Spatial Monitoring and Reporting Tool (SMART).

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Key impacts achieved

• Over 330 anti-poaching and monitoring hours flown by WFA aircraft

• 7 Reactions by K9 units

• 205 DNA sample procedures completed to date

• Deployed 10 vehicles for anti-poaching and monitoring, in 4 provinces

• 1 265 132 Vietnamese reached through Vietnam Demand Reduction campaign

• 410 rural residents surveyed by Forever Wild Leopard Conservation Initiative project

4. Spaces

All the Spaces focussed projects managed by Wilderness Foundation Africa fall under the Protected Area Programme banner. This programme conceptualizes, develops and raises funds for the implementation of projects that include those related to the following: • Establishment, development and management of new reserves • Corridors: Concept development and implementation • Management support to private and public reserves and national parks • Ecosystem Restoration

In the 2018 / 2019 financial year the following projects were managed and / or supported: a) Plains of Camdeboo Private Nature Reserve b) Northern Cape Land Project Phase 1 and Phase 2 c) Facilitating protected area expansion within the d) Habitat restoration in the Klein Dassenberg area of the Western Cape

In the 2018 / 2019 financial year WFA maintained management oversight of the 8 827 hectare Plains of Camdeboo Private Nature Reserve in the Eastern Cape of South Africa. The primary aim of the reserve is to conserve and where necessary restore the natural landscape and its constituent habitats, species, ecological patterns and processes as well as recognising and protecting cultural heritage features. Ongoing general reserve management activities include wildlife management, ecosystem restoration as well as fence, road and water point management. A focus this year on the reserve has been soil erosion restoration sites specifically and game management by means of aerial census and through wildlife observations from vehicles and game cameras. Given that the reserve has been experiencing difficult drought conditions no game introductions have occurred during this period. Reintroduction of historically occurring species will be reassessed for the coming year ahead.

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In the Northern Cape of South Africa, WFA is assisting the Northern Cape Province in implementing its Protected Area Expansion Strategy and securing land through the implementation of biodiversity stewardship and land purchase. The project is focussed on conserving the unique vegetation of the , a globally recognised biodiversity hot spot. 2018 saw the close out of Phase 1 of the Northern Cape Land Project, which resulted in four Stewardship Nature Reserves (5 734 hectares) negotiated in the Bushmanland Inselbergs near Goegap Nature Reserve. During this phase WFA also presented seven “Land Purchase Applications” to project funder WWF for consideration, with two properties (3 403 hectares) purchased and added to and Goegap Nature Reserve respectively. The remaining 6 properties (18 576 hectares) are currently under negotiation by the WWF Land Programme. WFA also assisted SANParks with the legal background checks and biodiversity site assessment for a 930 hectares property which was successfully submitted for purchase, and a biodiversity site assessment of a 4 945 hectare property purchased for conservation protection. In the final stage of Phase 1 Technical Assistance provided to land owners included the following: GIS mapping of degraded sites and cultivated lands as well as drone related monitoring activities and ongoing monitoring of camera traps.

Wilderness Foundation Africa also initiated Phase 2 of the Northern Cape Land Project in this financial year which aims to continue to assist the Department of Environment and Nature Conservation (DENC) and South African National Parks (SANParks) in implementing the National Protected Area Expansion Strategy in the Northern Cape. Geographically this project is focused in three areas. The first is creating a corridor between the Tankwa and the Cederberg Wilderness Area, which will result in an interprovincial “mega reserve” (in excess of 258 000 hectares) with the priority properties in this corridor already identified and assessments currently in process. The second focus area continues to build on the expansion in Namaqualand where one Nature Reserve (5 172 hectares) and one Protected Environment (1 043 hectares) have been secured thus far and the third focus area is focusing on the DENC priority areas for Biodiversity Stewardship.

Phase 2 is also exploring new conservation financing avenues through investigating options of accessing resources for land management from “Offsets”. WFA will also endeavour to determine the specific technical, legal and financial implications of being a management authority in the Northern Cape. Various training opportunities for partners will also be created during the project.

In the first Stage of Phase 2 the following Technical Assistance were provided to landowners within the project: 2.8km of fencing was constructed on Marietjie Van Niekerk Nature Reserve as part of the Karrasberge Protected Area fencing project, making use of a local fencing team of seven persons for 25 days. Follow-up alien clearing took place along the Buffels River, with approximately 72 hectares cleared at a low density level. Further follow-up work was done on Phase 1 erosion control structures constructed. This included the construction of 2 new gabions (2,5m x 0,5m) and treatment of rill erosion over area of approximately 0.8 hectares through gully plugs and various silt traps. Soil erosion and alien clearing work was done through the employment of an eight person team for 10 days from a local community.

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In the Western Cape the City of Cape Town was assisted with the facilitation of their protected area expansion strategy to enable conservation of Critically Endangered . This was achieved with the appointment of a valuator to value seven properties of high biodiversity value. The valuations of the properties are a requirement for acquisition negotiations. One of the properties was purchased and a sales agreement for a second was reached. In addition, Bissets, Boehmke, and McBlain (Attorneys, Notaries and Conveyancers) was appointed to assist with the notarisation of the City’s Nature Reserves.

WFA was also able to facilitate habitat restoration in the Western Cape, mostly through alien clearing, across 12 private Conservation Areas in the Klein Dassenberg area in association with the Department Agriculture: LandCare program, CapeNature Conservation Stewardship Programme and the City of Cape Town: Protected Area Expansion Initiative. The area is located roughly half an hour north of Cape Town along the N7 highway in the heart of the Dassenberg Coastal Catchment Partnership. These private Conservation Areas not only buffer the provincial and local authority nature reserves, but in their own right conserve some of the most threatened lowland ecosystems in the world, most notably Critically Endangered Swartland Shale and Atlantis Sand Fynbos. More than 80 threatened species have been recorded in these conservation areas to date, nine of which are Critically Endangered with Babiana blanda formerly listed as Extinct in the wild for over 50 years. One of the largest challenged in these seasonally wet lowland habitats is the threat of invasive alien species (IAS) and runaway wild fires. Significant effort has been placed into reducing the fuel loads of IAS within these conservation areas and also to prepare the sites for active restoration after alien clearing.

During the past year, the project had the following outcomes: 98 hectares follow-up clearing across 21 management blocks, 17.16 hectares of initial clearing across 23 management blocks, 2 527 person days generated employing 28 people from the surrounding local communities.

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Key impacts achieved • 5 736 hectares conserved through Stewardship agreements in Namaqualand • 3 403 hectares purchased for conservation in Namaqualand • 43 local people employed in semi-skilled jobs associated with land conservation • 2 562 person days generated in semi-skilled jobs • 170 hectares of follow up alien vegetation clearing • 17.16 hectares of initial alien vegetation clearing

5. People

Wilderness Foundation Africa, through its Youth Development Programme, has developed a number of holistic skills development and education interventions that harness the healing power of nature, and to equip vulnerable youth to be economically active and environmentally responsible citizens. At the core of these interventions are carefully developed physical and psychological wellness programmes which aim to provide specific support to the participants as they complete the employability, skills development or vocational training aspects depending on which project they are enrolled in. Furthermore, the Foundation has seen just how powerfully young people respond to spending time in wilderness areas and based on the long history of using the healing power of nature for personal and social transformation, the Foundation has integrated various levels of Wilderness Trail activities into the holistic intervention projects.

The projects managed under the Youth Development Programme for the 2018 / 2019 financial year included

a) Pride and Imbewu trails b) Siyazenzela training courses c) Umzi Wethu training courses

a. Pride and Imbewu trails

The Pride and Imbewu trails managed by Wilderness Foundation Africa aim to introduce youth from disadvantaged communities to wilderness areas and their natural environment. These

Page | 11 trails provide opportunities for the youth, who have limited opportunities to access wild and natural spaces, to explore the natural environment and to become environmentally conscious citizens.

From April 2018 to March 2019 the following trails were completed:

Name of trails Pride of Baakens Imbewu 3 day Total Siyazenzela 1 day trails trails Number of trails completed 5 27 32 Number of groups reached 9 Schools + 10 27 Selection trails + 8 Umzi Wethu trails Number of youth reached 145 243 388 Black participants 121 197 318 Coloured and Indian 24 46 67 participants Male 45 87 132 Female 100 156 256

b. Siyazenzela training courses

Siyazenzela (meaning “We are doing it for ourselves”), continued to run as a four-week short term project with facilitation on the following focus areas: Emotional & Social Wellness; Occupational & Financial Wellness; and Physical & Environmental Wellness. The courses are aimed at previously disadvantaged youth between the ages of 18 and 26. Youth participating in the Siyazenzela project gain job preparedness skills whilst also developing personal insight and understanding of themselves. The Siyazenzela team identifies the change of mind-set for the youth, as the most profound change and the most important result for the project. Mostly youth arrive at the course with little hope for their future prospects, particularly for those related to work. They leave knowing that finding work is not necessarily easy, but that it is possible and that it is their positive attitude that can make it happen.

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A summary of courses completed from April 2018 to March 2019 are found below: Number of courses completed 7 Number of youth selected 209 Number of youth completed courses 194 Black participants 152 Coloured participants 42 Male 63 Female 131 Found employment 38 Studying 49

c. Umzi Wethu training courses

The Umzi Wethu (meaning “Our Home”) youth development training courses not only provides accredited training for previously disadvantaged youth, but also incorporates the following innovative elements: (1) a mentorship support programme; (2) access to wellness, group and individual counselling and psychological support; (3) assist the students with a paid internship placement and supporting them in securing jobs post training. This project focusses on uplifting the lives of previously disadvantaged youth and training them as either chefs or conservation rangers.

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In the 2018 / 2019 financial year an overlap of 5 courses were done, with a total of 95 youth moving through the Youth Development Centre. Below is a summary of these courses.

Umzi Wethu intake 20: Conservation General Umzi Wethu intake 21: Professional Cookery Assistant No of students graduated 20 Number of students graduated 19 Male 7 Male 4 Female 13 Female 15 Black 15 Black 15 Coloured 5 Coloured 4 Secured Employment 7 Secured Employment 13 Studying 6 Studying 2

Umzi Wethu intake 23: Assistant Chef Umzi Wethu intake 25: Assistant Chef No of students graduated 18 Number of students graduated 18 Male 7 Male 3 Female 11 Female 15 Black 15 Black 16 Coloured 3 Coloured 2 Secured Employment 5 Secured Employment 2 Studying 0 Studying 13

Umzi Wethu intake 27: Professional Cookery No of students selected 20 Male 4 Female 16 Black 18 Coloured 2 Secured Internships 19 Studying 0

Key impacts achieved • “I have learnt how important it is to work as a team and to keep our environment clean.” • “Umzi Wethu has boosted my self-esteem into a way that I am confident enough to stand there in front of people and talk without any fear, also being independent.” • “Now I know how to be punctual. I can work with a group and participate. I respect and treat everyone equally”. • “Everybody must discover themselves through nature.” • “I never faced my fears the way I did while on trail, I always I thought I was strong and that nothing will ever show my weak side. I appreciate every hour and every moment that I spent out, that this experienced have helped me to know who I am and what my purpose in life is”. • “This course helped with my goals and dreams, I only had dreams, now I am working to achieve my goals. “ • “To succeed you have to be passionate. If you don’t do things yourself no-one will.”

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6. Acknowledgement of donors and sponsors

All the projects of Wilderness Foundation Africa completed in the 2018 / 2019 financial year were made possible through the support from the following donors, sponsors and partners:

Donors and sponsors:

Anglo American Chairman’s Fund Mrs Unite Family Trust Avis Car Rental (use of vehicle donation) Olsen Animal Trust Beare Foundation Peace Parks Foundation Caleo Foundation Rooiberg Winery Casidra SA Home Loans CATTHSETA SeaWorld and Busch Gardens Conservation Fund Comav Risk Services SpecSavers DG Murray Trust Table Mountain Fund Empower (Emerging Markets Foundation) Taiwan Forestry Bureau Goodyear South Africa (donation in kind) The Haberdashers Company Graham and Rhona Beck Development Trust The Royal Foundation Hans Hoheisen Charitable Trust (HHCT) Tread Right Foundation Happy Snappy Photo Company Tusk Trust Joron Charitable Trust Twinkletots Trading Volkswagen Group South Africa (use of vehicle Mai Family Foundation donation) Manicomio Woolworths MediVet World Wildlife Fund -South Africa (WWF-SA) Mix Telematix (donation in kind) Wiesenhof Mrs Minnaar

Conservation partners:

Cape Leopard Trust Eastern Cape Parks and Tourism Agency Cape Nature Indalo Private Game Reserve Association Chipembere Rhino Foundation Northern Cape Department of Environment and Nature Conservation City of Cape Town South African National Parks Department of Economic Development and Environmental Affairs Eastern Cape)

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Umzi Wethu practical placement partners:

AB Marine Kariega Game Reserve B&E Training Centre Kuzuko Lodge / Legacy Hotel Group Boost Juice Langeberg Hostel Brioche Coffee Shop Mantis Collection (Tuscany Boutique Hotel; No. 5 Boutique Hotel; Windermere Hotel) Bukela Game Reserve PE Hotel Group (Beach Hotel; Ginger Restaurant; Hacklewood Hill Country House) Chumile Holdings Platform 62 Restaurant Eastern Cape Parks and Tourism Agency Protea Marine Hotel Four Cousins Restaurant Radisson Blu Hotel Graham Hotel Rhubarb and Lime Green Leaf Kitchen Robertson Conservancy Herms Restaurant SANParks - Addo Elephant National Park Hopewell Conservation Estate Summerstrand Inn Humewood Golf Club Wimpy Joseph Matwa Old Age Home Windermere Hotel Kaffeine Coffee Shop

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7. Financials

Wilderness Foundation Africa (WFA) is a registered Public Benefit Organisation (PBO Number 130000632), a Non-Profit Organisation (NPO number 009-437) and a BBBEE Status level 4 contributor. The socio-economic development beneficiaries of WFA are all 100% black as defined by the BBBEE Act of 2003.

Please find below the Audited financials for the April 2018 to March 2019 period.

FINANCIAL ASSETS EQUITY AND LIABILITY

Income R 27 502 955 Cash and Cash equivalents R 12 034 354 Retained income R 19 314 606

Expenses R 27 489 569 Property Plant and Equipment R 7 271 402 Non-Distributable Reserve R 1 369 950

Investments R 2 188 694 Sundry creditors R 809 894

TOTAL R 13 386 TOTAL R 21 494 450 TOTAL R 21 494 450

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