Special WTM Africa 2015 edition

Page 63

BEST FOR WILDLIFE CONSERVATION - supported by South African National Parks andBeyond ‘s Rhinos Without Borders Founded on the ethos of Care of the Land, Care of the Wildlife, Care of the People, andBeyond has a positive impact on over nine million acres (3.5 million hectares) of protected wildlife areas. andBeyond’s pioneering model of low-impact, high-yield wildlife tourism combines conservation with sound business and commercial activities and underpins all our initiatives. Beginning at andBeyond Phinda Private Game Reserve, andBeyond reclaimed 57 000 acres (23 000 hectares) of degraded farmland and turn it into a thriving game reserve. The mass translocation of wildlife that this necessitated allowed us to pioneer many techniques of game capture and relocation, including setting a new national protocol for TB-free buffalo. Many of their subsequent wildlife conservation projects have been based on these translocation techniques, which they have used to help ensure the survival of endangered species. One of the most notable of these is the Rhinos Without Borders project, in which andBeyond has partnered with Great Plains Conservation to translocate up to a hundred rhino from South Africa to Botswana, which has a strong security and monitoring framework that combats the growing threat of poaching. andBeyond Mnemba Island off the coast of Zanzibar is the site of breeding projects for rare suni and the endangered Ader’s duiker. With suni numbers increasing rapidly, more than 250 animals have been translocated to 13 sites throughout Zanzibar. In addition, since 1998, andBeyond staff on the island have been tagging and monitoring the movements of endangered green turtles that nest on the island, as well as ensuring the safety of their eggs.

Image courtesy of andBeyond ©

andBeyond was the first private sector operator to run research projects, with over 250 such initiatives recorded. This includes groundbreaking projects like the Munyawana leopard study, initiated by Panthera, an international organisation dedicated to conserving the world’s wild cats, in partnership with andBeyond.

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