Driving conservation Private game reserves play an

Driving conservation

According to estimates by the United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO), international tourist arrivals increased by 6% globally in 2018 to 1.4 billion – achieving a milestone two years ahead of UNWTO’s initial projections. Statistics from 2019 are expected to show less dramatic results but will still show growth, along with the demand for triplebottom-line benefits – for people, profits and the planet.

In the wake of ethical consumerism, travellers are far more conscious than in previous years of their spending power and their contribution to the greater good, although some question how effective their choices are and whether they’re doing all that they can.

Joe Cloete, CEO of the Shamwari Private Game Reserve in the Eastern Cape, believes that we can make difference to whatever is spent when we travel, but urges us to make an informed choice.

“Conservation in South Africa is a perfect example of the power of choice,” says Joe.

TOURISM FUNDING CONSERVATION While the Born Free Foundation jointly funds two sanctuaries at Shamwari and provides care to several big cats who have been rescued from poor conditions in circuses, zoos or from private owners around the world, Shamwari has no other source of revenue besides what guests spend during their stay.

“Tourism is what funds conservation at places like Shamwari. Every rand spent contributes to a business model that absorbs the cost of wildlife conservation and rehabilitation. Guests are participating in an immensely successful conservation project,

Private game reserves provide more than just an immersive experience. Meetings reveals how responsible tourism is playing an important role in environmental conservation.

which arrested the impact of human activity and returned 25 000 hectares to the rich biodiversity for which the region was once renowned,” Joe highlights.

Over the past 25 years, the project has restored much of the natural ecosystem by attracting and re-introducing an abundance of indigenous wildlife at Shamwari, from the big five to the red-billed oxpecker and flightless dung beetle.

An essential component of Shamwari’s operation is the expansion, management,

and cared for before being released back into the wild. Overseen by a team under wildlife veterinarian Dr Johan Joubert and ecologist John O’Brien, the operation has become exemplary for successful wildlife rehabilitation. The team applies and shares its experience, knowledge and expertise with professionals across Southern Africa and beyond. “The reserve’s wildlife rehabilitation operation has been essential to this success and has gained local and international recognition for its pioneering work. Our continent’s once-bountiful wildlife is under pressure as never before, so the rehabilitation of sick, abandoned or injured wildlife is an important component of wildlife preservation,” concludes Joe.

development and rehabilitation of its land following years of farming. This effort is costly, says Joe, but has gone a long way in the revival of wildlife that was once endemic to the area.

“Wildlife conservation is always costintensive, and especially so when antipoaching security is deployed and wildlife rehabilitation is undertaken, as they are at Shamwari,” he says.

As part of a US$25 million (R390 million) upgrade to all aspects of the reserve’s operations, Shamwari, which means ‘my friend’ in Shona, has embarked on major refurbishments with new standards in luxury, service and hospitality. These include new menus and wine lists, as well as a new spa brand and coffee experience. Its accommodation and catering, together with malaria-free game viewing, offer an unsurpassed experience.

WILDLIFE REHABILITATION In addition, Shamwari opened a R5 million wildlife rehabilitation centre in 2019, where injured, ill or abandoned animals are treated

AQUILA PRIVATE GAME RESERVE WELCOMES VALENTINE’S DAY BUNDLE OF JOY

Conservation efforts at the Aquila Private Game Reserve and Spa are heavily focused on protecting its rhino population. Visitors are in for a treat with a possible sighting of a new white rhino calf. The arrival excited rangers as they spotted the calf with its mother on 14 February 2020.

Aquila has played a major role in conservation and in February 2005, it saw the first rhino born in the Western Cape in 250 years. Fifteen years later, the reserve’s conservation team was delighted to announce the birth of another baby rhino at Aquila’s 10 000 hectare reserve. Three of Aquila’s rhinos were attacked during a 2011 poaching incident. The teams were able to save one of the three, while one had already succumbed to its injuries when discovered and the other later died. This left the reserve with no male rhino bulls to continue its breeding programme. In May 2014, Aquila acquired a new bull to continue its breeding programme at the reserve and by the beginning of 2016, Aquila was proud to announce the births of four rhino calves at the reserve.

The Valentine’s Day arrival is important for the conservation teams at Aquila as they continue to conserve, protect and preserve these species for future generations.