Annual Report2015 CONTENTS Wilderness Wildlife Trust Children in the Wilderness About the Trust 5 About Children in the Wilderness 51 From the Trustees 6 From the Trustees 52 Trust Project Locations 2014 7 Children in the Wilderness Numbers 53 Trust-supported Academic Outcomes 2003 – 2014 9 How Children in the Wilderness Works 54 Children in the Wilderness Team 55 Featured Project Botswana Rhino Reintroduction and Monitoring Project 13 Eco-Clubs 57 Research and Conservation 18 Eco-Mentor and Teacher Training 67 Botswana Carnivore Monitoring Methodology Development 19 Botswana Cattle Predation Study 20 Camp Programmes 76 Botswana Zebra Migration Project 21 Central Kalahari Game Reserve Wildebeest Study 22 Youth Environmental Stewardship (YES) Programme 88 Education for Carnivore Conservation 23 Hwange Elephant Movements Study 24 Other Projects 92 Okavango Spotted Hyaena Study 25 Scholarships 93 Whale Coast Cetacean Project 26 Community Initiatives and School Support 97 Zimbabwe Cheetah Conservation Project 27 Fundraising 101 Wilderness in the Children Anti-Poaching and Management 30 Make a Difference 104 | Liwonde National Park Annual Aerial Wildlife Census 31 Donation Options 105 Malawi Mobile Response Unit 32 Our Sponsors 107 Victoria Falls Anti-Poaching Unit 33 Community Empowerment and Education 36 Children in the Wilderness Projects 37 Education Bursaries 39 Completed Projects 2013 – 2014 41 Make a Difference to Africa 47 Acknowledgements and Donors 48 Trust Wildlife Wilderness 3 | Annual Report 2015 The Wilderness Wildlife Trust supports a wide variety of conservation projects in Africa within the categories of wildlife management, research and education. These projects address the needs of existing wildlife populations, seek solutions to save endangered species and provide education and training for local people and their communities. The goal of the Trust is to make a difference to Africa, its wildlife and its people. 4 Wildlife Trust | Trust Wildlife Wilderness About the Trust The Wilderness Wildlife Trust, an independent entity within the Wilderness Group, was formed in the late 1980s when it was understood that Wilderness Safaris could only do so much for conservation in the course of its day-to-day activities and needed a dedicated vehicle to take matters further. More funds and a greater reach were needed in order for overall conservation activities to be more effective. Accordingly, it was decided that an independent entity that facilitated fundraising and the disbursement of the monies to deserving projects would mean that, both directly and indirectly, Wilderness could reach more people, wildlife and places. The relationship between Wilderness Safaris and the Trust is therefore symbiotic. In many projects supported financially by the Trust, Wilderness is able to contribute through logistics and in-kind support (e.g. equipment; manpower; fuel; vehicle servicing; access; accommodation) to ensure the enhanced viability of the work. On the other hand, the fact that the Trust is independent also means that it is able to engage with projects beyond the geographic scope of Wilderness Safaris’ camps and concessions and ensure that conservation is the driving force. The Trust focuses its work in three key areas: i) Research and conservation ii) Community empowerment and education iii) Anti-poaching and management Research and Conservation: Anti-poaching and Management: Community Empowerment and Education: These include ecological studies Hands-on management contributes to of specific species, transboundary the survival of both individual species Conservation of animals and plants movements, migration corridors and and their endangered habitats. is only as strong as the people who human-animal conflicts, interactions live in their vicinity. Without the between species, and climate change. The Trust supports a number of anti- engagement and involvement of such Such studies are not science for the poaching entities and assists in further people, conservation is likely to exist sake of science, but rather help pave the management initiatives, such as aerial only on paper. Therefore, educational way for better informed conservation surveys. and financial empowerment of local management decisions and thus the communities is the bedrock of the sustainability of Africa’s wildlife and Trust, providing much-needed skills and wilderness areas. knowledge to these communities. 5 | Annual Report 2015 From the Trustees For the Trust, 2014 could have been named “the year of the rhino.” After more than six years of fundraising towards the urgent needs of the threatened rhino populations of southern Africa, this year saw the culmination of a dream: the translocation of a viable number of black rhino to the safe haven of the Okavango Delta in Botswana. Over 14 months, Wilderness Safaris and its partners completed the largest ever cross-border relocation of black rhino in the history of conservation – approximately 1% of the global population of this species was moved. It’s the single most important conservation action with which the Trust has been involved in since its inception, and we are humbled and proud to have helped it come to fruition. Of course, the translocation itself, while vital to the survival of the species, is not the end point. The Trust and its partners are committed to the ongoing monitoring and protection of the translocated rhino population, with resources both financial and human being continually allocated – including a special Rhino Unit allocated by the Botswana Defence Force. The Trust has also been involved with the protection of rhino in other countries, with Namibia receiving Nissan vehicles to aid its rhino monitors in the north-west of the country. Other needs across the subcontinent have not been ignored, with projects covering species such as spotted hyaena, cheetah, zebra, elephant movements as well as those giants of the sea – the southern right and humpback whales of the Cape coast. Meanwhile, human- wildlife conflict continues to be a challenge in Africa, and projects such as the Botswana Cattle Predation Study addressed this in 2014. Support of anti-poaching units and Malawi’s aerial census of Liwonde National Park look to the long-term conservation of species on the subcontinent. Education bursaries this year supported students at South African educational institutions, some of whom are South African and others from further afield, such as Zambia. We acknowledge the generous support from partners such as auditors (Deloitte & Touche), legal advisors (Fasken Martineau), printers (Colorpress) and Amos Eno (Resources First Foundation). We could not have achieved all we have without those who devote so much of their time to the efficient running of the Trust: Mari dos Santos, Richard van der Wel, Chris Roche and Ilana Stein. 2014 saw the creation of a brand-new and easy-to-navigate website, thanks to Wilderness Safaris’ Webmaster, Carel Loubser, and we thank him for his expertise and enthusiasm as well as to Sue van Winsen and Jo Bestic for their work. We are grateful to designers Motheo Sehlako and Ulrike Howard-Ginsberg for this year’s beautiful Annual Report. Lastly, a sincere thank you to all our generous donors and supporters as well as those in the field who have dedicated themselves to Africa, its people and its wildlife. The Trustees 6 Russel Friedman Andrew Leontsinis Dr Jennifer Lalley Wildlife Trust | Trust Wildlife Wilderness Trust Project Locations 2014 Zambia | Projects 2 3 Malawi | Projects Namibia | Projects 1 4 Zimbabwe | Projects 7 | 8 Botswana | Projects South Africa | Projects 3 Annual Report 2015 The Wilderness Wildlife Trust provided funding for 21 projects during 2014 across six African countries. Botswana South Africa Botswana Carnivore Monitoring Methodology Development 19 Children in the Wilderness and related programmes 37 Botswana Cattle Predation Study 20 Education Bursaries 39 Botswana Rhino Reintroduction and Monitoring Project 13 Whale Coast Cetacean Project 26 Botswana Zebra Migration Project 21 Children in the Wilderness and related programmes 37 Zambia Central Kalahari Game Reserve Wildebeest Study 22 Children in the Wilderness and related programmes 37 Education for Carnivore Conservation 23 Education Bursaries 39 Okavango Spotted Hyaena Study 25 Zimbabwe Malawi Children in the Wilderness and related programmes 37 Children in the Wilderness and related programmes 37 Hwange Elephant Movements Study 24 Liwonde National Park Annual Aerial Wildlife Census 31 Victoria Falls Anti-Poaching Unit 33 Malawi Mobile Response Unit 32 Zimbabwe Cheetah Conservation Project 27 Namibia Children in the Wilderness and related programmes 37 Source of funds Distribution of funds n Wilderness Safaris guests and trade partners 84,2 % n Research & Conservation 85,2 % 8 n Wilderness Safaris 7,7 % n Anti-Poaching & Management 8,1 % n WildlifeCampus Royalties 0,5 % n Community Empowerment & Education 6,0 % n Vehicles 6,6 % n Administration (website, annual report) 0,7 % n Wilderness Warmers 1,1 % Wildlife Trust | Trust Wildlife Note: The majority of funds in Research and Conservation were allocated to the Botswana Rhino Reintroduction and Monitoring Project. Wilderness Trust-supported Academic Outcomes 2003 – 2014 Over the years, the Trust has partly funded or supported by other means a number of projects that have resulted in academic outcomes such as Doctoral and Masters dissertations and published, peer-reviewed papers. A preliminary assessment of these over the period 2003- 2014 is below,