Creating Rhino Strongholds - SA Only

CREATING RHINO

STRONGHOLDS

PROTECT SUSTAIN INSPIRE

January 2021

VISION To provide secure and sustainable environments for all species of rhino to thrive for generations to come.

MISSION IN THE FIELD Establish secure rhino strongholds through the creation of innovative protection strategies, sustainable land management operations that ensure a rich, biodiverse ecosystem and inspire local communities to proactively engage in rhino conservation.

AROUND THE WORLD Ensure sustainable long term rhino conservation by developing a community of interested and engaged people and donors through international education programmes.

Develop an innovative, entrepreneurial approach to funding rhino conservation.

RHINOS IN CRISIS The black rhino is CRITICALLY ENDANGERED with 95% of the population lost in the last 70 years.

The rhino has been POACHED the brink of EXTINCTION with 8,887 LOST in the last 12 years.

Just 268 BLACK RHINO remain in Kruger National Park.

Kruger National Park's WHITE RHINO population has DECLINED by 70% in the last decade.

South Africa's population growth forecast to rise by 20 MILLION by 2075, putting unprecedented pressure on WILD SPACES and the wildlife that rely on them to survive.

LIVELIHOODS are at risk as poaching, climate change and increasing deforestation all impact LOCAL ECONOMIES.

It is CRITICAL that we ACT NOW to reverse these trends and create an environment that allows rhino populations to grow in their natural habitats.

HELPING RHINOS Helping Rhinos is an international NGO headquartered in the UK with registered branches in the USA and Netherlands. The charity has a decade of experience protecting rhino in their natural habitat, raising over £1,000,000 to fund its projects in the field.

Since its inception, Helping Rhinos has gained international credibility for its work around the world and in the field, where it has provided significant fiscal sponsorship of key rhino populations across Africa.

Key achievements include: In the field Anti-poaching operations to protect the largest population of black rhino in East and Central Africa.

Groundbreaking scientific research giving hope of a future for the 'functionally extinct' northern white rhino.

Provision of a fully equipped mobile veterinary unit to provide timely treatment to injured rhino, other wildlife and domestic animals in the local communities in the Laikipia region of Kenya.

Fencing of an area identified to expand the range of the critically endangered black rhino on Ol Pejeta Conservancey, Kenya.

The creation and subsequent expansion of the only dedicated rhino orphanage facility in Kwa-Zulu Natal, South Africa - home to the second largest population of rhino in Africa.

The rehabilitation and release back to the wild of orphaned rhinos following the poaching of their mothers.

Operational support of the 'Eyes in the Sky' aerial surveillance programme, protecting a number of 'Indalo Reserves' in the Eastern Cape of South Africa.

Around the World Annual major fundraising and engagement event attended by 600 supporters in person and hundreds more online.

International education outreach programme reaching several thousand students.

Social media following in excess of 125,000 followers.

CREATING RHINO STRONGHOLDS The largest rhino population in the world, found in Kruger National Park in South Africa, has decreased by over 60% in the last ten years. Building on a decade of active rhino conservation across Africa, Helping Rhinos has a vision to reverse this trend and ensure a safe and reproductive future for rhino by creating 'Rhino Strongholds'.

Continuing to work predominantly in Africa, the goal is to expand wild spaces by working with local communities to restore degraded land and create wildlife corridors.

Rhino Strongholds are areas that provide the best possible security to reduce the risk of poaching and are large enough to allow the rhino to demonstrate natural behaviours, including migration between territories and genetically diverse breeding, without the need for hands on intervention by humans.

Local communities will be integral to the success of Rhino Strongholds, which will provide employment opportunities and engage local people in wildlife conservation through education programmes and initiatives that improve livelihoods.

Rhino Strongholds will have a rich biodiversity and a healthy ecosystem that benefits a wide variety of both fauna and flora species. The areas will have scope to increase in size through the restoration of degraded habitat and the dropping of fences between already established wildlife areas.

THE IMPORTANCE OF RHINO STRONGHOLDS The rhinoceros is a keystone species, a giant herbivore whose everyday actions help to maintain a biodiversity that is critical to the survival of thousands of other wildlife species who share the same environment. Without this 'ecosystem engineer' the habitat would be irrevocably altered by overgrown or invasive wild flora.

Poaching in the last decade has seen around 30% of the global rhino population lost to poaching. Kruger National Park in South Africa, has seen it's white rhino numbers fall from over 11,000 in 2008 to 3,549 in 2019. This is a trend that is unsustainable and will see the rhino become extinct in our lifetime unless action is taken now.

Increasing pressure on wild spaces from human population growth in key rhino range states is reducing available rhino habitat and severely impacting on natural migratory behaviours. Half the forecast human population increase by 2100 will take place in Africa according to a 2012 United Nations report.

Maintaining viable rhino populations that have the freedom to roam in their natural habitat, when the pressures on land and natural resources are increasing at such a rapid rate, is a constant challenge. There is an urgent need to restore habitats back to their natural state while simultaneously ensuring protection processes are in place and providing a sustainable improved livelihood for the local communities.

THE THREE KEY COMPONENTS OF A RHINO STRONGHOLD Activities

Protect

Anti-Poaching Patrols APU K-9 Units Aerial Surveillance Technology Rhino Orphanages

Activities

Sustain

Rhino Range Expansion Rhino Population Growth Habitat Restoration Scientific Research Local Community Empowerment

Activities

Inspire

International Education Programme Local Education Outreach Improving Livelihoods of Local Communities International Awareness Initiatives

PROTECT Despite the downward trend of recorded rhino poaching incidents across Africa over the last 5 years, there is still a very real threat that poaching of rhino could result in their extinction in the wild within the next decade. On average more than one rhino are still killed every day for their horn, which is transported to Asia, most notbaly Vietnam and China, for sale on the black market.

A decade of focussed developments in anti-poaching procedures, including new technology, building effective intelligence networks and boots on the ground operations is reaping rewards. It is critical that this momentum is maintained in order to see poaching numbers continue to fall year on year.

Any relaxation in these protection operations will undoubtedly see an instant increase in poaching numbers.

Helping Rhinos funds Ranger training, the deployment of anti-poaching K-9 units, drone and aircraft surveillance; all projects that are having a positive impact in the ongoing protection of rhino and will be a critical component to the success of our Rhino Strongholds.

SUSTAIN Human encroachment and incompatible land use is having an increasingly devastating effect on wildlife habitats, resulting in fragile ecosystems disintegrating.

The consequences of losing wildlife habitat will have a profound impact on the future for large mammals, both herbivores and and predators.

Helping Rhinos recognises that rhino conservation is not about a ‘one size fits all’ approach, but about appraising, adapting and promoting sustainable conservation models. Each of our Rhino Strongholds will be adaptable to meeting the specific needs of the area that it is located. This will include influencing a diverse range of conservation solutions driven by the latest science, technology and innovative management protocols.

Rhino Strongholds will maximise land availability with the goal of increasing rhino populations and, where carrying capacity has been reached, support range expansion opportunities to ensure a natural and genetically diverse breeding programme can be successful.

INSPIRE Helping Rhinos is providing and empowering community-centered programmes, not only to help achieve a greater understanding and support for rhino conservation, but also to create a positive impact in the local communities.

Investing in education and local partnerships is key; the route to changing the lives of the vibrant energised younger generation who really want to live in a greener, more compassionate planet.

Each collaborative community project implemented to provide empowerment and community engagement is creating a legacy for a sustainable future for the rhino.

A key component of Helping Rhinos' Rhino Strongholds is to support initiatives that use the skills and abilities of community members. Encouraging leadership, strategic thinking, problem solving skills, with added mentoring and financial support, is creating self-satisfaction and community pride.

HELPING RHINOS RHINO STRONGHOLD LOCATIONS GREATER ZULULAND RESERVE Kwa-Zulu Natal - South Africa Project Partner - Zululand Conservation Trust The Greater Zululand Reserve will combine three existing wildlife reserves and introduce community owned land, currently not under wildlife protection, to create a 51,600ha conservation area that in unfenced within the Reserve. A boundary fence will be necessary to minimise human-wildlife conflict.

The creation of the Greater Zululand Reserve will establish the largest protected private/community owned game reserve in KwaZulu-Natal.

The newly formed Reserve will bring conservation benefits to the areas growing rhino population as well as other endangered species present in the area.

Local communities will benefit from increased job opportunities created from a growing wildlife economy.

The Greater Zululand Reserve will play a key role in the region's overall wildlife range expansion and habitat protection programme.

GREATER ZULULAND RESERVE Kwa-Zulu Natal - South Africa Project Partner - Zululand Conservation Trust

High Level Budgets Set up and Implementation costs Annual operating costs

Milestones Enter negotiations with local communities Conduct ecological survey of corridor and Impala Ridge land Produce plan to implement traffic control on public roads Erect new border fences around the Corridor and Impala Ridge section Remove fencing to open up corridor land Monitor wildlife usage of new wildlife habitat

£400,000 £100,000

Start

End

Q4 2020

Q1 2021

Q2 2021

Q3 2021

Q3 2021

Q3 2021

Q4 2021

Q1 2022

Q4 2021

Q1 2022

Q1 2022

Q4 2022

HELPING RHINOS RHINO STRONGHOLD LOCATIONS Bushmans River Conservation Corridor Eastern Cape - South Africa Project Partners - African Rhino Conservation Collaboration Kariega Game Reserve Ecosystem connectivity corridors are either contiguous land / river / wetland areas of natural vegetation that link geographically separate conservation landscapes. These corridors allow wildlife to migrate along them between the landscapes without hindrance. They can include structures, such as overpasses or underpasses across man-made barriers such as roads or railways, that also allow wildlife to move freely between, and within, wild spaces.

The Eastern Cape in South Africa is an area of unique floral and faunal diversity. Eight Southern African biomes and two of the Global Biodiversity Hotspots come together to form an intricate ecological mosaic. The Eastern Cape is also the province with the poorest human population in South Africa.

This Rhino Stronghold will ensure the enactment of accepted environmental conservation principles and practises, notably ecosystem connectivity at a landscape scale; biodiversity conservation; climate change mitigation, and, thereby and in conjunction, contributes to the socio-economic development and economic empowerment of the peoples of South Africa.

The project will also include a black rhino range expansion programme, ensuring a genetically diverse population is present in the Eastern Cape when the corridors are ready for wildlife to be introduced.

Bushmans River Conservation Corridor Eastern Cape - South Africa Project Partner - African Rhino Conservation Collaboration Kariega Game Reserve

High Level Budgets Set up & first year operating costs of governing body Conservation Landscapes Institute Milestones Set up Conservation Landscapes Institute Define minimum hectares required Negotiations with existing land owners Land acquisition Restoration of 'corridor' land Removal of corridor fences

Black rhino range expansion Lalibela - Amakhala - Kariega Ecological assessment of the three Reserves identified to support increased black rhino populations Identify black rhinos to translocate to Range Expansion Reserves Translocate black rhinos to Range Expansion Reserves

£90,000 (£20k already secured)

Start Q4 2020

End Q1 2021

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Q3 2021

Q4 2025

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Q4 2025

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Q1 2021

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Q4 2022

ACT NOW – SPONSOR AN ACRE AND GIVE A RHINO THE RIGHT TO ROAM To fund the creation of these rhino strongholds Helping Rhinos is asking for your help and offering you a unique opportunity.

For every Acre sponsored, Helping Rhinos will provide a ‘Rhinos Right to Roam Certificate’ and enter you into a Prize Draw for two people to visit one of our Rhino Strongholds.* Sponsor ¼ acre for £15 and receive a ‘Rhinos' Right to Roam Certificate’.

Sponsor ½ acre for £30 and receive, a ‘Rhinos' Right to Roam Certificate’ and an entry into Helping Rhinos 'Rhino Stronghold Raffle'.

Sponsor 1 acre for £60 and receive, a ‘Rhinos' Right to Roam Certificate’ and an entry into Helping Rhinos Prize Draw to win a trip to one of the Helping Rhinos Rhino Strongholds.* We also offer a Corporate Sponsorship package that can be tailored to meet your support requirements. Benefits include becoming a Rhino Stronghold Ambassador, presentations to your staff, public recognition of your support on Helping Rhinos' websites and other selected media channels, entry into the prize draw to win a trip to one of the Helping Rhinos Rhino Strongholds.

Every acre acre sponsored will allow the Helping Rhinos Rhino Strongholds to be more secure; old fences will be removed and new fence lines of the newly incorporated land will be erected with access gates and road links. Management and ranger teams will be deployed and the ecology of all flora and fauna recorded for their future protection and management.

This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, let’s seize the moment for one of the most iconic species in the world, for their future survival, for their Right to Roam. *Terms and conditions and travel restrictions apply. Excludes international flights

CREATING RHINO

STRONGHOLDS For more information about Rhino Strongholds and to find out how you can support us, please contact Simon Jones at:

simon@helpingrhinos.org

+44 (0)7912 346223

helpingrhinos.org