A Natural Connection

The interesting thing about watching nature unfold - from a bee whose knees are laden with pollen buzzing onto a new flower or to an ox-pecker picking ticks of buffaloes and even the honeyguide and humans – is that it is all bound on one thing: mutualism.

Mutualism has been defined as an interaction between individuals of different species that results in positive, sometime beneficial, effects for both. The human who will find honey for the honeyguide and the seed that will germinate from a knee swipe from the bee, these relationships grow and thrive from mutual understanding and interactions.

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Tusk Conservation

Award 2020 Winner

John Kamanga of South Rift Association of Land Owners speaks at a community meeting.

Credit: SORALO

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Angola bee

Credit: Kissama Foundation

The future success of conservation and wildlife protection rests in similar mutuality. Nature, herself, knows no boundaries and so collaborative efforts across boundaries, borders, species and landscapes need to be embraced and propelled into Africa’s future scenarios in a way that can only benefit both communities who remain the key stewards of the landscapes they are reliant on for livelihoods and the wildlife that they live in proximity with.

To advance collaborative conservation efforts across the African continent, Tusk has achieved significant impact by bringing together grassroots organisations that are delivering change across vast connected ecosystems. The Tusk Conservation Symposium has been the genesis of this (see page 19), out of which has grown Tusk’s Collaboration Fund which is engendering new ideas; allowing our partners to explore solutions and build innovative initiatives together.

Through maintaining these connections we hope to see an increase in a multitude of benefits from increases in healthy landscapes and ecosystems, which in turn will lead to growth in socio-economic benefits – rangers protecting wildlife, growth of nature-based enterprises, local suppliers to tourism lodges earning much needed income and capacitybuilding to up-skill many of those working across the spectrum of conservation professions.

Ensuring that we support local solutions that demonstrate proven track records and an ability to go to scale in protecting endangered species and preserving natural habitats, Tusk is well positioned to drive meaningful and sustainable future for conservation in Africa.

Leveraging on our proven success while identifying the power of collaborative action, together with our network of projects, funders and like-minded influencers, we have the ability to generate, embed and foster linkages across the continent that will drive transformational change for Africa’s biodiversity and its communities who are its custodians.

So just like the honeyguide and the honey-gatherer, collaboration and support to collaborative efforts are the bee’s knees.

In my eyes, generosity should be measured not by the size or volume of a philanthropist’s cheques, but how any giving stacks up against each person’s ability to give.