Responsible Traveller mag - edition 1 - 2021

R E S P O N S I B L E edition 1 – 2021

be the difference

Community Projects • Species on the Precipice • Conservation success stories •

Conservation & Communities

CELEBRATING RESPONSIBLE TOURISM SINCE 2008

Comment

Welcome to another edition of Responsible Traveller.

It has been such a pleasure putting this mammoth edition together – all 186 pages of it, and choc-a-block full of fabulous conservation and community stories.

Starting in the Greater Kruger National Park at Baobab Ridge where we experience a REAL safari, and at Thornybush Game Reserve to learn about the community projects and meet the K9 professionals of Tango K9. In KZN we head to the Drakensberg Mountains for a blissful time at the Cavern and discover their heart for community and education, at Babanango Game Reserve we find out what’s involved in establishing a conservation/community game reserve and realise that it takes way more than one would expect, and at Thanda Safari we experience the adrenalin rush of an ‘almost Big5’ bush walk.

We not only delve into the declining numbers of several species and the threat of poaching and habitat destruction, but look at some of the conservation success stories too. These range from rhino conservation at Welgevonden Game Reserve, pangolin protection at andBeyond Phinda, cheetah conservation at Amakhosi Safari Lodge to an increasing penguin population with the Dyer Island Conservation Trust. We visit Gorongosa Restoration Project with Angus Begg, the Seychelles with Lesley Stones and discover some of Thailand’s ‘green travel’ with Dawn Jorgensen.

Add to that an overview of Africa Travel Week’s responsible tourism programme and several travel, conservation and environment, news items – an exciting one being the imminent launch of Ojimah, a new travel tech solution that will be ‘changing tourism for the better’.

Enjoy the read, and as always, be the difference.

Tessa

Magazine Information edition 1 - 2021 Publisher / Editor Tessa Buhrmann Cell: 083 603 9000 tessa@responsibletraveller.co.za Advertising & editorial enquiries tessa@responsibletraveller.co.za Digital Subscriptions www.responsibletraveller.co.za

Responsible Traveller Published by Spotted Mongoose Media CC (CK 2008/178482/23) Contact Details P.O. Box 3, Gillitts 3603 KwaZulu-Natal South Africa Tel: +27 31 7674022

RESPONSIBLE TRAVELLER MAGAZINE CELEBRATING RESPONSIBLE TOURISM SINCE 2008

Cover Image: Mhondoro Safari Lodge pic -Tessa Buhrmann Disclaimer Responsible Traveller is published by Spotted Mongoose Media CC. The information provided and the opinions expressed in this publication are done so in good faith and while every effort has been made to ensure the accuracy of its contents, neither the managing editor nor the publisher can be held responsible for any omissions or errors; or for any misfortune, injury or damages that may arise. All rights are reserved and no material from this magazine may be reproduced without the written consent of the publishers.

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Contents 08

REGULARS:

03

08 28 56 66 78

28

90 106 128 136

42 52 64 84

56

100 114 120 148

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NEWS:

90

What’s New in Tourism?

• Kruger Singita Pamushana is open to guests once more

• Ojimah: A one-stop travel tech solution 128

• Serengeti Sojourn Mobile Camp returns to the

156

East African Plains 159

• 8 Suprising Travel Trends Forecast for WInter 2021 160

• DiDi expands to Cape Town 162

• Blue Train is welcoming the world to the luxury of

SLOW, again 163 • Stellenbosch Wine Routes celebrates half-century of leadership and innovation 164

Conservation & Environment News

• Mount Camdeboo’s Cheetah conservation stakes 170

• Australia buys back gum trees and improves

106

SA’s water saving 174

• Keep Recycling -SA’s paper recycling rat is up 176

• Kirstenbosch strives to save endangered Silver Tree 178

• Sibaya’s environmental efforts draw praise 180

• The Travel Corporation announces new Climate Action Plan to achieve Carbon Neutrality by 2030 182

• Contiki goes carbon neutral as part Five Point Action Plan 184

128

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Baobab Ridge ...a REAL safari experience words - Tessa Buhrmann pics - Tessa & Daryl Buhrmann

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O

ver many years of spending time in the bush, I have come to learn that there is a big difference between a game drive and an actual safari experience. For some, the extent of a game drive is ticking the Big Five and a few other ‘worthy’ animals and, at a push, a few birds off a list. This kind of game drive however misses the point of being on safari. The whole point of a bush experience should be, dare I say it, the EXPERIENCE – being immersed in nature and coming out with fresh knowledge and a greater understanding of conservation and the natural world. responsible traveller 09

On a recent visit to Baobab Ridge, we experienced just this – a safari that ticked all the ‘experience’ boxes. Did we see the Big Five? No. Did we learn about conservation and the natural world?

Yes. Did we enjoy every minute of it?

Absolutely!

Baobab Ridge is a small and intimate private lodge that lies within the Klaserie Nature Reserve which is part of the Greater Kruger National Park. Here, guests are promised an “upmarket, comfortable, authentic and affordable wilderness experience”. On arrival I had wondered if we would tick all these boxes too.

The wonderfully warm welcome we received was a good start, as was our beautiful suite located at the end of one of the walkways with great views into the surrounding bush. Ours was a superior suite, stylishly decorated to reflect its African bush surroundings. I loved the modern take on this aesthetic. It was not your typical safari décor, and instead made use of pops of colour to brighten its neutral palette. A sanctuary one could relax and unwind in.

Strolling around the grounds is safe as the area is discreetly fenced off with the surrounding bush spilling in. The pool area is a great place to refresh after a long drive, to scan the bush for activity, just relax with a book or take a nap. A fridge with on-site bottled water in glass ensures that hydration is taken care of.

We head to the deck outside the dining room where afternoon tea, which is more of a light lunch, is served. The traditional shweshwe cloth placemats and serviettes add a splash of colour, and the chicken salad wraps are delicious – we drink what looks like iced coffee and ask chef Petunia Mohlili what it is, with a hearty laugh she tells us that it’s rice coffee, an idea she found watching the Food channel. This was just the first of many imaginate and creative culinary twists by team of lady chefs who run the kitchen.

We then meet JV our ranger, short for Jabulani Victor Silinda. “Hurry,” he says.

“There are cheetah nearby.” He wasn’t 10 responsible traveller

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kidding, we drive what is barely a few hunred metres from the lodge and there in the grass alongside the road lie two cheetah (Acinonyx jubatus). “A coalition of brothers”, JV tells us.

Not only do we have the two cheetah in our midst, but a young spotted hyena (Crocuta crocuta) as well as a petite little black-backed jackal (Lupulella mesomelas), both keeping their distance and both hoping for a kill. “It’s not uncommon to find cheetah like this, or indeed any other big cat being followed by hyena or jackal, who shadow them to watch if they are going to hunt and possibly cash-in on a kill,” JV says.

We watch enthralled, as first one, then the other brother sits up and starts to groom, all-the-while keeping a watchful eye on the intruders. Likewise, the intruders keep a watchful eye on them. JV tells us that this behaviour indicates that they are likely preparing themselves for action. Cheetah are mainly active during the day to avoid confrontations with lions, who primarily hunt at night. So, with the sun beginning to sink towards the horizon their window of opportunity to hunt is diminishing. Slowly they stretch and then begin to move their

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sleek and stealthy bodies. Are we in for some action, I wonder?

They cross the dusty road in front of us into the grass beyond. Just when we think they’re off to hunt, they plonk down again into the grass. It’s not too long, so we can still see them, and so can the hyena, who had followed their move closely and moves closer still. The young hyena almost has an “I’ve got spots too, so can I come play?” look on its face, all-the-while edging closer and closer to the one brother.

Deciding that enough is enough, the cheetah lunges at the hyena with a snarl, as if to say ‘get out of my face’. Not to be deterred, the hyena tries again. But this time is warned away with a bit more intensity. Getting the message, the hyena slinks off to sulk with a very hang-dog expression on its face.

All the while our cameras are whirring to catch this moment on video – so enthralled am I that I forget to take any photographs, but then again, what is the point of an exceptional wildlife experience if all it comes down to is a photo opportunity?

Sometimes it’s best to put the camera down and just enjoy the moment.

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We drive past the hyena, which glances up at us with a ‘nobody loves me’ expression. This cute and cuddly looking creature, however, has an exceptionally mean set of teeth and a jaw that can crush at 1,000 PSI (pounds per square inch). The jackal watches us drive by, quite unperturbed, which is unusual for this relatively shy canine.

Time to move on. Can this drive get any better?

The birds are enjoying the cool of the late afternoon. We spot a flock of magpie shrikes, and a couple of redbilled buffalo weavers in a small acacia (now known as vachellia). A stately tawny eagle perched a dead tree is silhouetted against the pale sky, as is juvenile bateleur eagle. The light is fading, and a storm is brewing... It’s time for sundowners and JV knows the perfect spot.

A small breeding herd of elephant has a different idea and stops us in our tracks, not that we mind. We watch as they move through the vegetation, their dark forms in striking contrast to pale grass.

An inquisitive, adolescent male heads our way with determination. He comes closer, lifting his trunk to give us a thorough inspection. JV is talking to him quietly, saying words to the effect of “it’s ok, you can go now, we won’t hurt you”… With a slight shake of his head he turns around and saunters away. Whew! What an incredible interaction.

JV parks alongside a huge marula tree (Sclerocarya birrea), we get off and sip our G&Ts, not caring that all that’s left of the sunset is a tinge of pink on a darkening horizon.

We dine in the boma under a starlit sky, the storm clouds that threatened earlier a distant memory. The fire is crackling and casts dancing shadows on the crisp white tablecloth. The aroma of an authentic South African braai fills the air as our host, Jason Fleisher, fills our wine glasses with an exquisite South African red. Life is tough in Africa…

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Tawny Eagle

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During our dinner conversations the history of Baobab Ridge comes up. Jason tells me that it was originally a hunting farm and that the huge shed near the staff village was where the carcasses were prepared – the height was to accommodate giraffe.

There was also lion camp, evident because of the hundreds of animal carcasses found there. Was canned hunting an activity I wonder? A distinct possibility, unfortunately. But on a happier note, the farm was sold, and the hunting operation became a tourism venture, the lodge was built and eventually the fences dropped.

All is now under the watchful eye of the Baobab Ridge team.

Up at sparrows the following morning there’s time for a quick cup of coffee before setting off for our pre-dawn drive.

JV, our great ranger

It’s a quiet morning, but that doesn’t daunt JV as he gives us an introduction to “Botany 101”. Starting with a lesson on the leaf structure of trees and shrubs – we learn about compound leaves, are they pinnate or palmate? In this case pinnate. And are they pinnate odd, pinnate even or twice pinnate? It’s easy to see, he says.

The leaflets are attached evenly opposite one another and there’s a leaflet at the end, the terminal leaflet, there are an odd number of leaflets, so it’s pinnate odd.

The extent of JV’s knowledge makes the mind boggle!

We learn how grass species differ according to soil type, and the geology of the landscape, about bugs that utilise seed pods and stems to lay their eggs, and about termite mounds that change the size and direction of the opening to regulate temperature. JV stops the vehicle and we all hop out, bending down, he picks up some dry pebbles of poop - scrub hare scat, he tells us that when it is dry it can be crushed and used to start a fire.

How cool is nature, I think?

A flash of blue and our eyes are drawn to a woodland kingfisher, splendid in its striking plumage with a melodious call to match. Birdwatching here is a delight, with several new species being added to our personal bird list, such as Bennet’s woodpecker, sabota lark and my favourite, the Levaillant’s cuckoo.

There are raptors aplenty, with the two new additions being the Gabar goshawk and black-chested snake eagle. We see both male and female saddle-billed stork and JV points out the difference - the male has a dark eye with two small yellow wattles at the base of the bill, whilst females have a yellow eye and no wattles.

Our birding highlight, though, was driving slowly down a sandy riverbed on our last afternoon game drive. Ducking under branches and peering into trees had us tick off Stierling’s wren-warbler, Jameson’s firefinch, and a brown-hooded kingfisher – which like woodland kingfishers, aren’t fishers at all, but feast on bugs instead. responsible traveller 21

We watch a pair of squirrels scurry up a tree, hide, and then peek out to see if we’re still there. In a huge jackalberry tree (Diospyros mespiliformis) were two giant (Verreaux’s) eagle owls, which of course took flight just as we got a good view of them. No stress to JV though, we followed them, only to have them fly back to the original tree.

Time for sundowners… or so we thought.

Rounding a corner, we came upon a grassy clearing bedecked with a beautifully set table, complete with silverware, wine glasses and fairy lights, along with the Baobab Ridge team smiling and waving in welcome. Freshened up at the Covid-19 sanitation station it was time to toast the setting sun with a G&T.

Time for JV and Daryl to follow on foot. Not to be outdone by mere humans, the owls flew back to where our vehicle was parked to perch in a tree nearby. The explorers returned and the owls were photographed.

Mission accomplished.

The fire was lit and the candles flickering, laughter and conversation filled the air.

Soon the braai was going, and starters were served. The wine flowed and main course followed – all under a canopy of twinkling stars with the accompanying

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soundtrack of the African bush. There was a pause between dinner and dessert, time for a star-gazing session with JV sharing his knowledge of the African night skies. Using a laser pointer, he indicated the Southern Cross and Milky Way, as well as other stars, planets, and constellations.

A pair of hyenas hovered at the edge of the circle of light, hoping to scavenge some scraps from the braai no doubt. We drove off and the Baobab Ridge team set about dismantling everything, making sure that nothing remained of our wonderful evening under the stars. Except our hearts, perhaps?

So far, we had seen giraffe, zebra, wildebeest, herds of impala, buffalo and even rhino amongst others, but leopard and lion remained elusive. So, as we head out on our last morning drive it’s kitty footprints that we’re after.

While JV keeps a watchful eye for tracks, we scan the surroundings for birds. There are European rollers in abundance, their turquoise chest feathers shimmering in the morning light, in contrast to their chestnutcoloured backs. They’ll be heading home soon, back to their breeding grounds in Europe, Asia, and northern Africa, only to return in the summer. responsible traveller 23

Verreaux’s (Giant) Eagle Owl Double-banded Sand Grouse

Woodland Kingfisher

Lilac-breasted Roller

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Saddle-billed Stork Red-billed Oxpecker

Sabota Lark Crowned Lapwing

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We pause to photograph a crowned lapwing - they may be relatively common but are still worth pausing for with their pretty black and white crown and bicoloured beak. A crested barbet with its multicoloured plumage and a black-bellied korhaan are also snapped. Suddenly, the alarm bark of a kudu has JV springing into action. We listen and follow… then we find the kudu. Following her concerned gaze, we spot a leopard. “Cleo”, JV tells us. “She’s a young mum with cubs”.

At last, we had found her.

This game of wits had us at JV 1 - Leopard 1 – an even score. Despite this the leopard certainly still had the upper hand, proven by her ability and camouflage to just disappear into the long grass, as she gave us the slip several times. But with JV’s skill and bush knowledge we find her again and watch quietly as leopard and kudu eye each other out warily. “The kudu has likely hidden her young and has lured the leopard away” says JV. Another vehicle approaches and Cleo turns tail and runs, as does the kudu.

JV spots tracks - leopard (Panthera pardus)!

He alights from the vehicle for a closer look. A female he says, as he wanders off to see where they lead. We spend the following two hours following the tracks, as she criss-crosses from one road to the next.

We hear impala bark in alarm, the nearby zebra and wildebeest are also on the alert.

Watching their body language, we drive into the bush to try and find her. Nothing.

They still aren’t happy, then we spot a hyena, then another – a dead giveaway that she must be nearby, the opportunistic hyena always hopeful of stealing a leopard’s kill before she gets it out of reach up a tree.

We watch and wait.

Still nothing… so JV decides its coffee time.

Heading back, still on the lookout for tracks, he shrieks, “No way! How could I have missed her?” There were fresh leopard tracks over our tyre tracks. She must have been right there in the undergrowth when we first stopped. Annoyed with himself but resigned to the fact that she had outfoxed us, we take a slow drive back to the lodge.

As we drive down the road, we spot mommy kudu with her little one trotting quickly beside her. Kudu 1 – Leopard 0, I think. For now, anyway. Such is life in the African bush.

What an exceptional safari experience...

One of quiet moments and moments of action, birds and bush and creatures and critters. Of exploration and contemplation.

And a privilege, to say the least.

Besides our safari experiences, the luxurious accommodation and fabulous food, it was the wonderfully warm and welcoming smiles of the Baobab team that blew me away. The authenticity of every interaction, and the warm hearts behind every action.

Here is a place where you arrive as strangers, are made to feel like friends and when you leave it’s like saying goodbye to family. A remarkable feat - one that sets Baobab Ridge apart in so many ways, and one that certainly ticks all the boxes.

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THE CAVERN...

a place of mountains and miracles… words & pics Tessa Buhrmann

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he Amphitheatre loomed large, and the uThukela River flowed strongly, thanks to the recent rains. A couple on their mountain bikes were taking up the challenge, we eased past them trying not to engulf them in dust, even though we were eager to arrive. Onwards and upwards, the dirt road meandered. Eventually depositing us at the Cavern Drakensberg Resort & Spa, what would be our mountain idyll for a few days. responsible traveller 29

It wasn’t going to be all play though as I was here to check out the community projects that the greater Cavern family have been involved in for many years. After a quick coffee we set off with Megan Bedingham, founder of Khanyisela Projects and the Royal Drakensberg Primary School, which opened in 2007, to see the school in action.

It was break time, and the kids were having a ball – some on the outdoor equipment, some of them playing an informal game of soccer, some just taking the time to munch a snack from their lunch boxes. These were the primary school kids, all proudly kitted 30 responsible traveller

out in their school uniforms, and all eager to stand in line with their masks back on to get their hands sanitised before heading back into their classrooms. And what cool classrooms they were! Bright and cheerful with all the charts, tables and learning tools that a junior primary school kid would need.

Next up was the little ones. With bright smiles and gleeful laughs, they clamoured up steps, slid down slides, twisted down poles and swung on swings. Some even had flying dragons, monster spiders and even the three little pigs. And some were sticking leaves on their ‘tree of kindness’ with

Early development teacher, Idah

the help of their teacher Idah - integrity, kindness and respect are very much a part of the ethos of this very special school.

Idah started at the Cavern in 2005 as a nanny and then in 2007 moved across to the school when it started. Her career path took her from teaching assistant for a few years and then after studying early childhood development up to Grade R through UNISA she took over a class at the pre-primary school. Her vivacious attitude and lovely smile make her a favourite with kids and parents alike, and she also acts as parent liaison in the community.

Megan takes us indoors to see the classrooms. She tells us that the beautiful building we are now seeing was once a ramshackle and roofless sandstone barn, built with stone hewn out of the surrounding hills. But with experienced hands and local help her Dad - Peter Carte (more about him later), turned this empty old building into a place where hopes and dreams are built, and futures are enabled.

Little miracles in the making!

“We believe that by focusing on early childhood development, we contribute to the wider impact: transforming not just the responsible traveller 31

lives of children, but their communities, and ultimately their countries, making them healthier and more competitive in the global economy”, Megan tells us. The school caters for children from grade zero up to grade three.

I see the alphabet charts, the lovingly created handbooks, the cushions for rest time and the row of name places for their backpacks, and I can’t help thinking that this humble little school would not be out of place in any city suburb and would easily compete with the best of private primary schools too. Megan tells me that they never aimed to create something that would be a place of privilege, and even though the kids that attend the school are more privileged than their counterparts in the local amaZizi community their aim is to make a difference in those spaces too.

Megan, a qualified teacher herself, tells me that through their Khanyisela Projects they support a network of pre-schools and crèches in the amaZizi village. Schools are equipped with infrastructure, resources and play equipment, children are fed daily and come into an environment that is stimulating at a time when the opportunity for development is colossal. Teachers are supported through training programmes and assisted with the upkeep of their buildings and facilities.

It doesn’t stop there though, as Megan goes on to explain how critical early childhood development is. “In response to

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the growing international recognition that the first 1000 days is a critical window of opportunity in a child’s development, we recently developed and implemented a parent/caregiver package called BabyBoost.

This programme was devised and delivered by a previous Cavern guest, Dr Marysia Nash, and assisted by her colleague Gemma McDonald, BabyBoost represents an important development in the education of babies up to two years old”.

I meet Sibonelelo, one of the Babyboost educators, she smiles shyly as Megan tells us that she used to be a cook at one of the local pre-schools but when she showed an interest in the BabyBoost programme she was given the opportunity to upskill for the position. Megan explains that she is employed by the school in this capacity and has ten moms (or carers in most cases, often a granny) and their children under her ‘care’. The moms are then taught how to sing to the little ones, how to cuddle them and lavish them with love and even how to read to them. Sibonelelo then takes videos of the moms and their kids and send them through to Marysia for her comment and input.

The BabyBoost programme is something that is slowly being rolled out within the community to “build a continuum for growth from birth to age ten, or the end of grade three” says Megan. “Our ethos is to give children the opportunity to learn to read so that they can read to learn”.

Sibonelo the BabyBoost educator

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My heart is full to overflowing as we head back up the hill to check into our suite.

Our superior suite sported a stylish interior, complete with fireplace for nippy nights, king-size bed with decorative draping and beautifully appointed bathroom – with a shower that has ample space for two. A tea and coffee station, with ground coffee and a coffee plunger as well as a jar of the yummiest homemade crunchies, are on the ‘kitchen’ counter for our use. As is a bar fridge, should we require. With ever-changing mountain views, a gurgling stream tucked into the riverine forest in the valley below and the perfect outdoor spot to appreciate it all, what more could a girl want?

Lunch, apparently. Which is just one of the three meals a day that are included. I’m 34 responsible traveller

expecting a light snack so am surprised to be presented with three course menu options, but relieved when my choice arrives and see that the portions aren’t huge – thankfully, I won’t be rolling home!

Did I mention that tea is served both in the morning and afternoon?

Our waiter is Sphesihle, or Sphe for short.

He proudly shows off his trainee badge and tells us that he is loving working here, but it is a bit scary that he must wait on the table of the owners – “but they are very helpful”, he tells us, “and I am learning a lot”. I ask to take a photo of him, with the typical pose of his generation, he smiles shyly, even pouting for the camera. And smiles delightfully when I show him the result.Over the few days that he waits on us he begins to tell us his story…

His home is in the local amaZizi community

Sphesihle, our waiter

Sakhiwe, in the Cave Bar

and that he went to school, first locally and then in Bergville. After completing his schooling, he managed to get a job at Sungubula Camp (the self-catering cabins near the Royal Drakensberg Primary School), but when an opportunity came up at The Cavern, he jumped at it. He tells us that he is the only breadwinner in his family – an unfortunate statistic is that in most rural areas each employed person supports and average of ten others. With his confidence, willingness to learn and affable character he is bound to go far.

The Cavern employs in the region of 100 staff with most of them coming from the local communities, and some having worked there for decades. Not only do they employ locally, but they offer opportunities for growth and advancement too. Later that

afternoon, as one does after a hard day’s work of taking photographs, walking the trails, and taking a few notes, we felt we had earned the rights to a serious G&T so headed to the Cave Bar to find one.

We could have just waited on the deck appreciating the view and one of the waiters would have helped us, but I wanted a closer look at the ‘Flintstone’ bar, as it is affectionately referred to. Here we met Sakhiwe, also from amaZizi village, who was also happy to tell us his story.

He had started out in housekeeping – his first job after leaving school – followed by a stint as barman in the upstairs bar, then at the entertainment desk and now in his own domain in the Cave Bar. “Which I love”, he tells us while preparing our delish G&T. responsible traveller 35

The following day, whilst enjoying a cuppa tea in the lounge, Megan fills me in on the Carte family history. A story that starts in 1941 when her grandparents, Ruth and Bill Carte bought the Cavern, which at that time was a cattle ranching farm with a small guest house.

Back then it was just a few thatched rondavels with a separate ablutions and very rudimentary facilities. But with grit and determination (and explosives), sandstone from the surrounding hills was carted in on a sleigh drawn by oxen to begin the building of a few more thatched dwellings, which over the years has extended into a building project continued over the generations.

It wasn’t just the expansive views, fresh mountain air and many hiking trails that had guests come back time after time, it was the wonderfully warm hospitality of the Carte’s and the numerous Cavern traditions, such as Saturday night dances, tennis matches as well as fun games evenings – as well as teatime with the delicious Cavern crunchies.

Megan tells me that she is immensely proud of her grandmother Ruth, who, when Bill died of cancer 13 years after they married, decided against all odds to stay in the mountains, bring up her children as a single mother and continue growing their

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fledgling business. It would have been so much easier to opt for the easy way out and head to Durban for a ‘regular’ life, but she was as committed to Bill’s dream of leaving a legacy as he was when he penned the words “it is to create beauty, to make the land more fertile, to make our living, to leave the world better than when we came to it” – Bill Carte, in his proposal letter to his beloved Ruth, dated 16 June 1940.

The next generation, Megan’s dad, Peter, and her uncle, Anthony, joined their mum in continuing this legacy and by the 1980s the Cavern was a thriving resort and a place of ‘many happy returns’ – a phrase borrowed from an entry in their visitors book decades before. In 2000, an opportunity arose down the valley and Anthony and his family moved to build Montusi Mountain Lodge.

The family bonds are still close, Megan tells me, with the families getting together often and sharing much laughter and meals on a regular basis.

Fast forward a few decades, and a couple of generations alter, and the Cavern is now in the capable hands of Megan and her husband Hilton, as well as her sister Lesley and her husband Lloyd (they are recently married – so congratulations to all!). Peter is still very much part of things and is always happy to share his fond memories of growing up in this piece of mountain paradise.

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A mountain paradise the requires much exploration, with hiking trails aplenty. From the well-marked Nature Trail for leisurely strolls to way more hectic mountain hikes that require a relative level of fitness, and criss-cross cycling paths for MTB enthusiasts.

We opted for the less strenuous options and enjoyed many an hour exploring the trails in the vicinity of our suite and around the lodge. With wonderful names like Putterill’s Weir, May’s Falls and Cowslip Falls Dam, one cannot help but be enthralled.

The mossy rocks, lichen covered trees and a plethora of ferns delight one in the Fern Forest, and one can almost image fairies dancing in the soft sunlight that filters down through the trees. Higher up one is rewarded with fields of protea bushes and, tucked amongst the tufts of grass, wildflowers aplenty – which must be quite spectacular in the spring. But no matter where you walk, you are surrounded by mountain peaks, gushing waterfalls, and babbling brooks.

A Lammergeier (bearded vulture) soars overhead, a zitting cistcola flits from bush to bush and a Drakensberg prinia watches from its perch in a small tree. We are lucky and spot an olive woodpecker ferreting in the bark of a huge gum tree for insects.

A Deiderick’s cuckoo calls in the distance and the iridescent flash of blue from a half-collared kingfisher gets my hubby clamouring though the undergrowth to get a photo. Once back at the lodge we watch a flock of African Olive pigeons (aka Rameron pigeon) feasting on the fruit of a wild peach tree (Kiggelaria Africana) – a tree that is also home to small black hairy caterpillars, which are a treat for four different species of cuckoo.

The Cavern also offers daily guided hikes into the mountains, and we opted for the relatively leisurely walk to the Natural Pool where one stops for tea and crunchies.

We had been joined by the Cavern dogs Zinga and Toby, all very much a part of the family and well familiar with all the trails and tracks across the property. We ‘lost’ Toby on route, but Zinga stayed with us throughout, nose to the ground, then responsible traveller 39

bounding off for a while in search of the source of the wonderful smells. Then traipsing through the stream and shaking off the water in gay abandon, before looking at us with real puppy-dog eyes hoping for a piece of crunchie as a treat – another Cavern tradition in the making!

After a long walk comes the need for some relaxing spa time. And the Forest Retreat Spa does not disappoint. It nestles in the canopy of the indigenous fern forest, with birdsong and the gurgling sound of Putterill’s stream your only soundtrack. I meet Nozipho, my spa therapist, and while her hands expertly do their magic, she tells me her story…

She started working at the Cavern 16 years ago, in the laundry, so when the opportunity arose for her to be trained as a spa therapist she jumped at it (as did her colleague Ncamsile, who is also still working at the Spa). She smiles, telling me that she has been fulfilling her passion for 13 years. That I can understand, as I sit quietly on the deck after my massage, enjoying the serenity of the occasion and feeling sublimely relaxed with my body restored.

Such is a visit to this special place, where the mountain air clears your head, the beautiful surrounding restores your soul, and the lovely people fill your heart to overflowing.

www.cavern.co.za Nozipho, one of the Spa therapists

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CONSERVATION

Species on the Precipice?

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A

CONSERVATION

s individuals, are we aware of the innumerable endangered animals that now overwhelmingly teeter on the brink of extinction? A recent report from the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES), says ‘nature is declining globally at rates unprecedented in human history — and the rate of species extinctions is accelerating, with grave impacts on people around the world now likely.’

Countless species are firmly entrenched on the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List of Threatened Species thanks to habitat loss, human encroachment, illegal hunting, traditional medicine, and so on.

Do we really want to be the final generation to witness them in the wild?

“Through ‘transformative change’, nature can still be conserved, restored and used sustainably – this is also key to meeting most other global goals. By transformative change, we mean a fundamental, system-wide reorganization across technological, economic and social factors, including paradigms, goals and values.” said IPBES Chair, Sir Robert Watson.

According to the report, the average abundance of native species in most major land-based habitats has fallen by at least 20%, mostly since 1900. More than 40% of amphibian species, almost 33% of reef forming corals and more than a third of all marine mammals are threatened. The picture is less clear for insect species, but available evidence supports a tentative estimate of 10% being threatened. At least 680 vertebrate species had been driven to extinction since the 16th century and more than 9% of all domesticated breeds of mammals used for food and agriculture had become extinct by 2016, with at least 1,000 more breeds still threatened.

“Ecosystems, species, wild populations, local varieties and breeds of domesticated plants and animals are shrinking, deteriorating, or vanishing. The essential, interconnected web of life on Earth is getting smaller and increasingly frayed,” said Prof. Settele (IPBES Germany). “This loss is a direct result of human activity and constitutes a direct threat to human well-being in all regions of the world.”

The report states that since 1970 the global human population has more than doubled (from 3.7 to 7.6 billion), rising unevenly across countries and regions; and per capita gross domestic product is four times higher – with ever-more distant consumers shifting the environmental burden of consumption and production across regions.

And the average abundance of native species in most major land-based habitats has fallen by at least 20%, mostly since 1900. The numbers of invasive alien species per country have risen by about 70% since 1970, across the 21 countries with detailed records. The distributions of almost half (47%) of land-based flightless mammals, for example, and almost a quarter of threatened birds, may already have been negatively affected by climate change. Source - IPBES In an African context much of this biodiversity loss and land degradation can be attributed to population growth - which in turn leads to habitat loss and human encroachment, which then leads to human-wildlife conflict. African cultural traditions, such as the use of bush meat and the muthi trade and a growing demand in Asia for use in traditional Chinese medicine and as a status symbol has seen a rapid increase in poaching. Those poaching for the pot have been enticed by the financial rewards of risk and have become the wildlife source for the traffickers and criminal syndicates. responsible traveller 43

CONSERVATION

POACHING:

Rhinocerous

White rhino (Ceratotherium simum) Black rhino (Diceros bicornis) The current rhino poaching crisis is thought to have actually began in Zimbabwe, where the difficult socioeconomic and political climate facilitated rhino poaching. Once the easy pickings were taken in Zimbabwe, poaching gangs turned their attention to neighbouring South Africa, which in turn saw huge increases in poaching.

Around 2013, the South African crisis spread to other countries in Africa. First Kenya was hit hard: its worst year for poaching was in 44 responsible traveller

2013 when 59 animals were killed (more than 5% of the national population). In 2015, both Zimbabwe and Namibia suffered losses: Namibia lost 80 rhinos to poaching, up from 25 in 2014 and just two in 2012, while in Zimbabwe at least 50 rhinos were poached in 2015, more than double the previous year.

For Africa as a whole, the total number of rhinos poached during 2015 was the highest it had been in two decades.

South Africa holds the majority of the world’s rhinos and has been the country hit

CONSERVATION

important for rhinos to thrive in the future.

While anti-poaching measures are still a high priority, it’s important that we don’t forget the other tools in the box: biological management, community engagement, capacity building, national and international coordination, and putting in place the long-term sustainable financing needed for important rhino conservation programmes.

While it is encouraging to see South Africa’s poaching numbers fall, the rhino populations are at tipping point. We

cannot afford to lose any more rhinos: we must do everything possible to protect remaining populations to help their numbers increase.

It is extremely encouraging that more people were arrested and prosecuted than previous years; stopping corruption and speeding up prosecution processes continues to be critically important if we are to truly tackle this horrific illegal trade.

Source - SaveTheRhino.org responsible traveller 45

CONSERVATION

African Elephant (Loxodonta Loxodonta))

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CONSERVATION In a single decade between 1979 and 1989, half of all Africa’s elephants were lost to the ivory trade, according to pan African census conducted by STE’s Iain Douglas-Hamilton. Amid public outrage over the crisis, in 1989 Kenya burned her stockpile of ivory in protest at the trade and the world’s international wildlife trade body CITES banned all international trade in elephant tusks.

For the next decade the trade lay dormant and African elephant populations began to recover. By 2007 it was estimated to be between 470,000 and 690,000. But a new crisis was brewing, fuelled by demand for ivory particularly in China where a demographic and economic boom had taken place.

The forests of Central Africa were the first to be hit by the new wave of killing that resulted from this new demand.

Between 2002 and 2011 it is estimated that the world’s forest elephant population was reduced by 62%. As Central Africa’s elephant numbers plummeted the poaching pressure began to move to the savannahs of East Africa. In 2009 Save the Elephants recorded a spike in poaching rates and their research estimates that the number of elephants killed for their ivory between 2010 and 2012 was 100,000.

The demand for ivory in the far East is the primary driver of the killing. In the four years up to 2014 the wholesale price of raw ivory in China tripled, reaching a per kilo dollar price of 2,100.

Botswana is presently home to roughly one third of Africa’s largest elephant species and is a popular destination for tourists seeking the scenery of the ancient Kalahari Desert and the huge concentrations of wildlife in Chobe National Park. Botswana has faced severe poaching problems and within the last several years has made significant investments in the protection of its wildlife including wildlife relocation to safer internal areas; wildlife monitoring through governmental

and non-governmental organizations, including Elephants Without Borders; and support from its tourism industry.

In early September of 2018 the carcasses of 87 elephants were discovered within Botswana’s interior, dating back over a period of only several weeks, and were found with their tusks removed. Compared to recent years, having so many elephants illegally killed for ivory in a several week period is unprecedented. Historically poaching has been extremely limited and antipoaching efforts have been focused on the vulnerable borders, not the interior of the country.

Elephant poaching statistics in South Africa from 1980-2020 reveal that the majority of poaching incidents since 2014 have occurred in Kruger National Park where 22 elephants were killed during 2015 - the previous year had only two illegal killings. This had followed a roughly 14-year period of no recorded elephant poaching within the park (2000-2013). There was an increase again in 2016 with 46 elephants poached. Throughout 2017 there were 67 poached in KNP and one illegally killed elsewhere in the country.

The year of 2018 saw a slight increase with 71 elephants illegally killed in KNP and one elsewhere in the country, demonstrating for a fourth year in a row the intentional targeting by organized criminal syndicates of elephants in eastern South Africa bordering Mozambique. Kruger National Park and Marakele National Park were both victims of elephant poaching in 2019, with the country losing a total of at least 31 elephants that year.

South Africa reported only 16 incidents of elephant poaching in 2020 and attributed a portion of this decline to the COVID-19 pandemic that impacted many countries in 2020. According to the Department of Environment, Forests and Fisheries, all elephant poaching incidents reported in the country happened in Kruger National Park.

Source - SaveTheElephants.org responsible traveller 47

CONSERVATION

Pangolin (Pholidota Pholidota)) Pangolins, which have existed for about 84-million years, are now under threat of extinction. There are four species of Pangolins in Africa: Temminck’s ground pangolin, giant ground pangolin, blackbellied pangolin, and the white-bellied pangolin.

Of the four species, the Temminck’s ground pangolin is the most widespread and second-largest of the four species, occurring from northern South Africa through most of East Africa and into southern Sudan and southern Chad. The giant ground pangolin is the largest and rarest of the African pangolin species, is nocturnal and inhabits forests and forest-savanna in Central and West Africa, marginally entering East Africa as well.

The black-bellied pangolin has large scales which are often a rich ochre colour with dark borders - the skin is black, contrasting with the ochre scales and resulting in this species arguably being the most beautiful pangolin species, and the white-bellied pangolin, a small, arboreal species which is fairly widespread and is also the species 48 responsible traveller

most frequently encountered, nevertheless they are by no means common.

As a defence mechanism pangolins curl up into an impenetrable ball, which works really well against predators, but unfortunately makes them really easy for poachers to pick up. This has resulted in them being the most-trafficked non-human mammal on the planet.

“If something isn’t done within the very small window we have right now, I think all species are going to be faced with a certain level of extinction,” said Ray Jansen, the founder and chairperson of the African Pangolin Working Group.

Although large predators, starvation, fires and possibly disease pose a threat to wild pangolins, most threats facing pangolins today are of a human origin – poaching for the domestic and international trade.

Pangolins are poached, mostly for their scales, which is used in several traditional Chinese medicines. Pangolin meat, too, is regarded as a delicacy in China and Vietnam.

CONSERVATION are predominantly used as a source of food. Many villagers in these areas view pangolins as just another variety of protein or bushmeat, and they are hunted as such. Some cultures hold pangolin meat in high esteem and serve pangolin meat to dignitaries or on special occasions. After being captured and killed, the pangolins are roasted over a fire or boiled to remove the scales, which are discarded, and the meat preserved.

Until recently the international trade has focused predominantly on the Asian pangolin species. The recent precipitous decline in these populations and the challenges facing law enforcement in Africa, in combination with increased trade agreements between Africa and Asia, has resulted in the African pangolin species being increasingly targeted to supply the insatiable Asian demand.

Domestic trade probably poses the largest threat to African pangolins at present, although the illegal international trade is rapidly emerging as a major threat. All four African pangolin species are widely used in Traditional African Medicines, known locally as Muthi. Some cultures believe that pangolins are the greatest gift that can be bestowed on a person of authority and in the past many pangolins were presented to tribal chiefs and minsters as a sign of respect. This tradition is still practiced in some parts of Africa.

There are also a number of traditional beliefs regarding pangolins. Some cultures believe that seeing a pangolin during the day indicates that a drought is imminent, and the only way to ward off the drought is to sacrifice the pangolin next to a river.

Other cultures use pangolin fat to ward off evil spirits while still others believe that carrying a pangolin scale or a vial of pangolin blood will protect you from danger. Some cultures use pangolin scales as part of their traditional dress.

In Central and West Africa pangolins

Most of these animals and derivatives are destined for China and Vietnam, although significant seizures have also been made in various European countries. China and Vietnam are believed to be the main enduser countries with the European countries mainly acting as conduits, although some of the pangolins imported into Europe as bushmeat are destined for expatriate communities living in these countries.

The illegal international trade is likely to become the most significant threat to African pangolin species in the near future.

Pangolins have become a highly prized commodity, illegally trapped, killed, and trafficked by organized crime networks between countries and continents.

According to the Wild Justice Commission, between 2016-2019, an estimated 206.4 tons of pangolin scales were confiscated from 52 seizures. With a ton of scales equating to about 1,900 pangolin killed.

When you do the math, the 206 tons equate to almost 400,000 poached animals! The Wildlife Justice Commission believes this is only a fraction of the total being trafficked, as it is likely that a significant proportion of smuggling passes undetected.

Source: https://africanpangolin.org/ responsible traveller 49

CONSERVATION

HABITAT LOSS:

Cheetah (Acinonyx jubatus) jubatus) Cheetah once occurred in large and connected populations that stretched all the way from South Africa up to Egypt and westwards to Senegal.

predation and more illegal trade in Cheetah as they are sought for the exotic pet trade by the ever-expanding elite in the developing world, as well as for their skins.

Today, these populations have become severely fragmented into 29 subpopulations, with only one population estimated to number more than 1000 individuals. This is in large part due to the rapid growth of the human population – in Africa, this population has increased from approximately 100 million people in 1850 to 1.2 billion today and will continue to grow over the coming years, while during the same period, the resident range of the Cheetah decreased by 89%.

This outlook may seem depressing, but all hope is not lost. Since 1965, conservation efforts in South Africa have resulted in the reintroduction of wild Cheetah, through the Cheetah Metapopulation Project, into 53 smaller, fenced reserves across the country.

Continued substantial growth of the human population will mean further habitat loss for Cheetah, further fragmentation of existing habitat, further loss of prey, more retaliatory killings due to livestock 50 responsible traveller

Despite major economic development and human population growth in South Africa, South Africa’s wild Cheetah population has increased from approximately 400 individuals in 1965 to over 1200 today.

South Africa is the only country, worldwide, that has seen considerable growth in Cheetah numbers.

Source - Endangered Wildlife Trust

CONSERVATION

African Penguin (Spheniscus demersus) demersus) African penguin populations, which breed in Namibia and South Africa, have declined by 95 percent since preindustrial times. The rise in commercial fisheries have forced penguins to feed on less nutritious prey and often have to swim miles farther to find food – in addition to this, climate change and ocean warming are making the penguins’ prey even more scarce. Living along the major global oil transport route, results in them often getting caught up in oil spills.

In addition to degradation of their marine habitat, penguins’ face habitat loss of their preferred nesting sites ‘Before the advent of artificially produced fertiliser, guano was considered a top-quality fertiliser rich in nitrogen, phosphorous and potassium. Guano (an Inca word for a mix of eggshell, feathers, decayed corpses, and bird excrement) was scraped from the penguin breeding islands. Penguins used to build their nests by burrowing into the thick

layers of guano. This “forced removal” from well protected, temperature-controlled burrows to open surface nests, exposed the African Penguin to the harsh African heat and occasional flooding the “open-plan” living arrangement turned their eggs and chicks into an easy meal for predators like gulls & skuas.’

Source - Dyer Isalnd Conservation Trust But it’s not all doom and gloom.

Through the efforts of NGO’s, various conservation bodies, law enforcement as well as committed stakeholders in the tourism/ conservation industry, there have been inroads made into what on the surface looks a depressing and dismal situation.

Later in this edition we celebrate a number of these conservation success stories… responsible traveller 51

CONSERVATION SUCCESS STORY

Welge vonden’s

holistic approach to rhino conservation...

T

here’s nothing better than watching a crash of white rhino grazing peacefully when on a game drive – an experience that is almost as atrisk as the very species being watched. Being relatively sedate and more social than their black rhino cousins, white rhino tend to be sitting ducks for poachers and under normal circumstances need an exceptionally secure environment to survive. Such as 24/7 surveillance, armed guards, K9 units, advanced technology, and bucket-loads of good fortune.

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CONSERVATION SUCCESS STORY turned to the serious task of security and protection. Besides the obvious security measures (and I’m sure several that are a highly guarded secret), he said that at Welgevonden they take the approach of not only securing the reserve, but the greater community too.

“If you secure and stabilise the general community from any sort of safety issues, the crime rate is reduced,” says Fritz “sometimes we focus only on rhino, but that’s only one of the products that criminals are looking for, and we forget that crime is all an interconnected web.”

He goes on to explain that everything from petty crime to drugs and guns often lead to the organised crime of human trafficking and rhino poaching. “And if we can stop the minor crimes, we often then stop the escalation into the more serious ones” he says.

For a deeper understanding of this Fritz arranges for me to speak to Kassie Knoetze, Welgevonden’s Reaction Manager.

Kassie tells me that their approach has always been to focus on ‘the outside’, starting with supporting their five local police stations – which incidentally are the five safest in the Limpopo region, which he says is due to the good efforts of not only the community members but the SAPS officials that are working with them. “Our approach is to make sure we join hands and collaborate with people who have the same vision as us ensuring that we focus, not only on rhino poaching, but crime in general.”

Welgevonden has played an important part in initiating security initiatives in the Waterberg area and in partnership with SANParks have established the Greater Marakele Security Cluster (GMSC), an area of 220,000 hectares.

I On a recent visit to Mhondoro Safari

Lodge & Villa in the Welgevonden Game Reserve, I had the pleasure of chatting to General Manager Fritz Breytenbach over a glass of red wine during a boma dinner on a balmy evening with the night sky awash with stars. I mentioned the fabulous white rhino sightings on our earlier game drive and our conversation soon

“Our holistic approach includes all within the GMSC allowing us to have a manageable approach in joint operations within the area. In any environment information is key, we believe that this will only elevate us and as technology evolves, we will evolve with it to have the best approaches and understand our risk and react accordingly,” says Kassie. responsible traveller 53

CONSERVATION SUCCESS STORY One aspect of this initiative is the implementation of boom gates on all the roads leading to, and from, Welgevonden as well as all Parks adjacent to them, including Marakele. This project is part of a governmental programme called the Expanded Public Works Programme whose aim is to provide employment in the area. Kassie tells me that through this programme they have employed several people to man their control points (with the help of access-control technology) – much needed employment that help to alleviate poverty in their surrounding communities.

I broach the subject of their other security, not sure if I will get a response…

“I have an excellent team that ensures that the inside of the reserve is secure, and then with the good collaboration we have outside the reserve we can prevent crime there as well” Kassie tells me. “We also try to keep up with technology and use this to assist us in achieving our dream of a crime-free are, not only with our rhino, but with all crime.”

There have been incredible advances in technology, to the point where it can almost be used to pre-determine areas of high risk so that resources are deployed into these areas effectively, rather than waste manpower in areas where there is little to no risk. “But as much as technology has its uses, we can never replace the boots on the ground,” he emphasises.

He tells me that in the last five years there have only been three incidences of ‘crime in general’. Clearly this approach is working.

With all the emphasis on not posting pictures on social media and not talking about rhino success stories, I check with Kassie where I stand with this. Can I tell this story, or not?

“Any person searching the web for ‘Big 5 game reserve’ will obviously have knowledge that there must be some rhino on that reserve when it’s known as a Big 5 Reserve” he says, “we actually promote these kind of success stories to assist other reserves and we are also open to learning from the experiences of other reserves as well”.

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In between game drives, scrumptious meals, and luxurious spa treatments I manage to pin Fritz down to discuss their environmental initiatives. We walk and talk our way past an extensive solar system - he tells me that they are now off-grid, I hear about their water conservation efforts and their local procurement policy and the reserve’s general conservation efforts (read more HERE). Inevitably though the conversation veers back to rhino and the fantastic sightings we have had…

Fritz tells me that in 2015 when the African rhino poaching crisis was at its worst and widespread action to save the rhino was called for, Welgevonden saw an opportunity to provide a sanctuary for rhino from other properties, who could perhaps not afford the exorbitant security costs that accompanied the poaching risk. This led to the development of Welgevonden’s Rhino Husbandry Programme.

“This programme enables rhino owners to move their animals to Welgevonden, where they would be safer and better protected from poaching but would still belong to the original owners”, says Fritz, “and any calves born through this agreement would belong to both Welgevonden and the owners, in equal partnership”.

This mutually beneficial relationship between the Reserve and the rhino owners has enabled Welgevonden to acquire what they refer to as ‘ecosystem engineers’ because as mega-herbivores, white rhino have the ability to create and maintain expanses of short grass, which is beneficial for other grazers. The added benefit is the conserving one of the most globally at-risk species.

Fritz tells me that the average population growth has been in the region of 16% annually between 2015 – 2019, when the introductions took place, with 2018 producing a record of ten calves born on Welgevonden in a single year. (Read more HERE ) Out-the-box thinking that has resulted in a true conservation victory!

Read about our fabulous safari experience at Mhondoro Safari Lodge & Villa HERE

CONSERVATION SUCCESS STORY

www.welgevonden.org www.mhondoro.com responsible traveller 55

CONSERVATION & COMMUNITY

a working relationship that yields a win for all words - Tessa Buhrmann pics - Tessa Buhrmann / African Habitat Foundation

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T

he view is compelling, as is the conversation. I’m sitting on the deck at Zulu Rock, one of the lodges within Babanango Game Reserve (BGR), chatting to COO Jeffrey van Staden to get to the nitty-gritty of what’s involved in the setting up a conservationcommunity partnership as is the case with BGR and its surrounding communities.

“It’s an investment that’s been four years in the making, and one that realises the Emcakwini community’s decade-long dream of sourcing the right partners to help restore economies to this region,” explains Jeff.

It’s a process that began with the establishment of the African Habitat Conservancy, (AHC), by German philanthropist Hellmuth Weisser and Jeff himself as a vehicle to support conservation of African wildlife in central KwaZuluNatal through investment and community development. Unbeknown to them at the time, the Emcakwini community had been looking to partner with the private sector to develop land that they had obtained through land claims. A quest that led to a ‘being in the right place at the right time’ moment when the community and AHC made contact.

The land concerned was just 50Km from the town of Vryheid in the northern reaches of KwaZulu-Natal, a malaria-free wilderness area that two hundred years ago was the stamping ground of the King Shaka himself, and whose impis once roamed the regions hills and valleys.

Some of the land had previously been utilised as hunting farms, some for livestock and another as a small game reserve – but all were now either over-grazed or almost devoid of wildlife and in desperate need of conservation. But the 22 000-hectares of grasslands, thornveld and riverine thicket, that also included a 23Km stretch of the White uMfolozi River, had the potential to become something quite outstanding. responsible traveller 57

Jeff tells me that when originally presented with the feasibility study and financial model for Babanango Game Reserve, AHC quickly recognised the impact on the region’s biodiversity that investment would make, especially for the local communities in the area. Babanango Game Reserve thus became AHC’s first project - one that’s already seeing impressive results.

The establishment of the BGR realises local Emcakwini, Esibongweni and KwaNgono community’s decade-long vision of creating a wilderness area that would attract tourism and stimulate the local economy. Added to that AHC is working to address the lack of education, training, employment, and entrepreneurial opportunities through the

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funding of selected projects such as schools, infrastructure, agricultural initiatives, and other ventures that give back to the community.

“We’ve committed to funding programmes to enable skills development in all aspects of conservation, reserve management and tourism/hospitality that will both create career opportunities while at the same time inspiring the greater community to further their prospects.” explains Jeff.

The opportunities in this respect are equally exciting, with many new ‘spin-off’ businesses and procurement opportunities in the pipeline. Ideas the AHCF is working on include a shuttle service providing staff

Jeff van Staden & Musa Mbatha

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transportation, a refuse removal company and the growing of fresh produce for use in the lodges.

In line with AHC’s commitment to the community they have started the African Habitat Foundation (AHCF) headed by the very capable and experienced Kudzai Mqingwana. Jeff tells me that AHCF’s vision is to encourage people to empower themselves by working hard and establishing their own small enterprises.

He tells me that the support of entrepreneurship that Kudzai brings to the community is pivotal to the foundation’s work. And “that by helping groups of people start businesses we are encouraging the community to support themselves”.

In Kudzai’s words, “looking to the future, the AHC Foundation’s most important gift to our community is the support of our schools, our infrastructure and awarding education bursaries, but people are already seeing tangible benefits, and that tells

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us we are doing something great, that’s changing people’s lives and helping them to value the land we are protecting.”

aMakhosi’s took it down to the iNdunas, and then from the iNdunas it filtered down to the community” Musa tells me.

Thus far, the development of Babanango has created 110 new jobs, 90 of which have been filled by local people, with another 150 new, permanent posts set to be filled by members of the Emcakwini community.

“We remain optimistic that the work being done by the AHCF will help to position our community as a South African success story and will demonstrate how working together to protect our natural heritage can help to drive economies in communities such as ours,” says Jeff.

He emphasises the importance of this, that by doing it the right way BGR was respecting the culture of the people. Some of the aMakhosi’s bought into the idea from the start as they could see the benefit to the area, some were more reluctant and took a bit longer.

The AHC’s commitment to conservation and communities is evident, but what about the nitty-gritty, the tough conversations and feet-on-the-ground hard work that was required, I wondered.

A day or so later at Babanango Valley Lodge I manage to pin down Babanango Reserve Manager, Musa Mbatha for a frank conversation.

He tells me that he is a local through and through, that he was born in the area and grew up here. That as a young boy he used to hunt duiker with his dogs, and that that this was his only knowledge of wildlife before applying for a job as a guard at a nearby privately owned game reserve. Fast forward ten years, much learning, several wildlife qualifications, and much experience later he found himself with the opportunity of working for the African Habitat Conservancy and the newly founded Babanango Game Reserve as their Reserve Manager.

He laughs, telling me that as there was no game yet, he had to do something, and that something was community engagement, which involved telling them about the game reserve and how it would benefit them. “The people grazed their cattle here, they were collecting grass in here, collecting firewood… I remember engaging them was very difficult, with a lot of push back.”

“I went to the aMakhosi first, the traditional leaders, to introduce the project to them so that I could get buy in, and then the

Musa tells me that in this area there are no jobs for people, people are unemployed, and life is difficult, with most people living from Government grants. “I knew that this would make a change for people, that it would make a difference in their lives.

They see me, my life has changed through working in this field. I am an example to them, because when I started, I had nothing and look where I am now” he says.

“To them I am a living testimony… from walking on foot, to driving a skoroskoro (a worn and ragged) car, now I am married with a family and have built my own house’.

I’m beginning to realise that this was no easy endeavour… and that by having someone local, with a history that local community members could relate to was making all the difference.

I learn that in addition to the community leadership, there are the community members themselves to deal with. Some were easier to convince, like those that were in need with no jobs at all, so the promise of employment opportunities made them easy.

Then there were those that were able to sustain themselves from income sent home by someone working in one of the cities, they were doing ok, but the extra money earned from employment would be great, so they were relatively easy too.

The difficult ones Musa told me were the small-business people, the cattle farmers, ‘we’ve got cattle’ they said, ‘we don’t need the game reserve’ they said, and ‘we’ve been living without you all this time’. He explains that to counter this they needed to invest in them because “to get them out we had to offer them a better alternative, responsible traveller 61

to give them a better reason to leave than to stay. Which is what we’re doing now through the African Habitat Foundation”.

Some of these projects include creating fenced camps for their cattle, making sure the areas have water and that the quality of the grazing is good. Generally, the community are happy with the fences because currently the cattle can go wherever they want to, “even all the way to Ulundi”, Musa tells me, “which is 60km away, so being fenced stops them from wandering as well as from potential stock theft.”

In addition to this they are helping people with veterinary services for their cattle, and are introducing ‘Meat Naturally’ to them, a project that is creating a market for community raised cattle. This means that they get a better price for their cattle with a lesser cost to get them to market.

This was where I realised that it takes time, persistence and an innate understanding of local traditions and culture to get the job done. And with just a few more kilometres of perimeter fencing still to go, and the fenced in cattle areas complete it won’t be long before the community’s dream will be realised.

I was fortunate enough to have a conversation with Eric Buthelezi, chairman of the Emcakwini Community Trust, just before leaving BGR. He reiterates much of what both Jeff and Musa have been telling me, emphasising the difficulty of finding employment in Babanango especially with much of the community unskilled and with little to no employment opportunities. I ask him about the community sentiment now with the jobs that have been created, the entrepreneurship opportunities available and the secure areas for the farmers to graze their cattle.

“In this early stage there’s a huge difference, so everyone is very happy and already living a much better life than before,” Mr Buthelezi tells me, “it has been a bit faster than we expected and it has made a huge impact already with both the employed and unemployed now happy. It’s the first time 62 responsible traveller

in Babanango that we’ve seen just one employer employing so many people. So even those that are unemployed, they still believe that their opportunity is coming.”

As we drive past aloe-clad hillsides, rocky slopes and swathes of grassland I marvel at the biodiversity of Babanango Game Reserve and continue my conversation with Jeff, which veers back to that of sustainability and conservation. He tells me about the Biodiversity Economy in South Africa, a Presidential Priority Project supported by President Ramaphosa. I learn that there are 11 biodiversity economy nodes in South Africa of which only two are active, both being in KwaZulu-Natal and in the uMfolosi economy node – one of which is Babanango Game Reserve.

“Within the country, in terms of conservation promoting the Biodiversity Economy we are way ahead” Jeff tells me, “and that really means putting wildlife in the ownership of local communities.”

And that, is Babanango Game Reserve in a nutshell – conservation and communities, and an amazing tourism experience to boot.

www.babanango.co.za www.africanhabitat.org

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CONSERVATION SUCCESS STORY

Success at expanding the range and reproduction rate of the black rhino

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T

CONSERVATION SUCCESS STORY

he WWF Black Rhino Range Expansion Project (BRREP) was established by veterinarian and project leader Dr Jacques Flamand in 2003 and is one of WWF’s most successful species conservation projects ever.

Which is certainly welcome news in a time of relentless poaching.

pics - Micky Widwedel - WWF SA

Ezemvelo KZN Wildlife realised in the early 2000’s that the black rhino populations in their reserves were not breeding at desired levels, most likely due to them having reached carrying capacity.

BRREP’s concept rests on removing black rhinos from these populations and establishing new ones, in the black rhino’s former range.

This increases the growth rate of the source populations as rhinos now have space again to grow and the new populations, having been translocated to a new home of suitable size, will grow in numbers as well. The project is central to the goal of increasing the population growth of black rhinos, which are listed as critically endangered.

The project works with private, state and community landowners when choosing partner sites. Black rhino are then translocated from Ezemvelo’s stateprotected areas to these partner sites, to create new populations, in addition to increasing their range, it also means that populations within those protected areas do not exceed the area’s ecological carrying capacity. To create large enough areas to sustain significant black rhino populations—up to 20,000 hectares or more—the Project encourages neighbouring landowners to remove their internal fences and manage their properties as a single ecological unit.

“Black rhino are very anti-social and tend to be solitary and need huge tracts of land because they don’t want other rhino close to them. This makes them difficult to manage and is one of the reasons why their numbers have not increased to the degree that white rhino numbers have,” says WWF’s project leader Dr Jacques Flamand.

“One of the best parts of the project is seeing fences come down, as they are very unfriendly to species requiring large areas,

like black rhino, elephant and wild dog. The Black Rhino Range Expansion Project has shown that concentrating on one species can be a catalyst for protection of huge areas which then has a knock-on effect.”

The arrangement that Ezemvelo KZN Wildlife has with the BRREP is that it retains ownership of the original founder population, but ownership of the progeny is shared between them and the landowner – which creates a strong financial incentive for project partners to manage their black rhino populations.

“But” says Dr Jacques Flamand, “love for conservation has been the driving force.

The common thread through the people who have helped make the project work was passion.”

To date, BRREP has translocated 216 rhinos to establish 13 new populations, one of which is Thanda Safari Game Reserve. The Thanda’s population was introduced in 2009 and was the BRREP’s fifth population and currently holds the highest growth rate amongst all the sites.

Across the project sites over 130 calves have been born thus far, with 29 calves in 2020 – two of the calves are second generation, meaning that their grandmothers were among those moved to create new populations. At this point, the project sites hold a combined 283 rhinos and rising. In 2019 BRREP established its first black rhino population outside of South Africa when black rhinos were translocated to Liwonde National Park in Malawi in partnership with Malawi’s Department of Wildlife and African Parks.

BRREP has contributed to the continual increase of black rhino numbers within KwaZulu-Natal over the last 15 years, an important feat given that black rhinos are a critically endangered species. www.wwf.org.za responsible traveller 65

THORNYBUSH more than just a game lodge... a place of nurturing and nourishment too 66 responsible traveller

words - Tessa Buhrmann pics - Thornybush Vommunity Projects / Tessa Buhrmann responsible traveller 67

W

e were visiting Thornybush Game Lodge, and those that know me, know that a safari experience is never just about the luxury, the game drives, the food. But rather about the people and the sense of place. The stories beyond the main story. And here there were plenty…

I decide that a good place to start the conversation is with Candice Grover, Head of Community for Thornybush. She tells me that when Thornybush refers to ‘Community’ they are including all their staff, the people in the surrounding communities, as well as each of their guests – which she says are often just as invested into their projects and initiatives as they are.

Thornybush Community Projects is the non-profit arm of Thornybush which Candice tells me “aims to nurture and uplift the surrounding local communities and businesses that many of our staff members come from. We currently help support a primary school, high school and local NGO that focuses on medical care for farm workers and child support for their children”.

“The greatest successes” she tells me “have come from two small farms, run by the local enterprises, that supply luxury lodges with their fresh produce”.

A few of the Projects are:

Thousand Herbs and Vegetable Garden: The Thousand Herbs and Vegetable Garden has been operational since 2014 and operates on a portion of land leased from the Manyangana High School in Uthla. It is a co-operative that currently supports five ladies and grows quality herbs, vegetables, and edible flowers which they sell to the surrounding game lodges and local retailers as well as members of their community.

The ladies receive training and can attend skills development workshops. In addition to the produce they sell, they also play a 68 responsible traveller

vital role in providing produce to a daily school feeding scheme and can some produce to take home for their own use.

They are also responsible for growing several medicinal plants for use by the community, some of which are remedies for common ailments such as headaches, stomach cramps and skin infections, as well as plants used for wound-care and as a general tonic. These include comfrey, moringa, helichrysum, yarrow, and lemon verbena.

“We help them with their business strategy, financial and administrative support, sales and marketing efforts, logistics and infrastructure development”, says Candice.

“We’re proud that the garden is close to being financially sustainable and will imminently become a self-funding and independent business”.

“They turnover a respectable profit and have become a flagship project for other NGOs and community start-ups in their surrounding communities”.

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The Hananani Primary School Garden: The Hananani Primary School Garden was started in 2014 at the Hananani Primary School in Dixie, a community near the Sabi Sand Game Reserve. The garden’s main purpose is to provide fresh produce for the making of a nutritious daily meal for 253 school children. Both learners and teachers are invited to participate in the preparation, planting and harvesting of the garden.

In keeping with the Thornybush ethos of empowering people, Keysman Nkuna, who started out as a labourer helping at the Hananani Vegetable Garden, is now a smallbusiness owner in this fledgling garden business. Not only does it provide produce to the school, but any excess vegetables are sold on to locals - Candice tells me that he has recently invested in chickens so that he can add eggs to his offering.

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Hlokomela: Close to Hoedspruit is the well-run project, Hlokomela, whose aim is to take care of farm workers with HIV/Aids- and TB-related illnesses. In addition to raising awareness, providing education and healthcare, they also provide children’s crèche to the children of farm workers, while their parents are being treated.

Fresh produce for the Hlokomela clinic and crèche is supplied by their herb-andvegetable garden, with the surplus being available for purchase - all of which they do very successfully, Candice says. “Thornybush Community Projects has been a great supporter of the work Hlokomela does and is proud to have them provide quality healthcare to our inhouse teams.”

Manyangana High School: Thornybush Community Projects supports the Manyangana High School by giving monthly contributions to cover their electricity costs as well as to pay for their security guards, to ensure the school is a safe environment for its 800+ learners. The also help in other ways, such as organising extra lessons by volunteers, infrastructure upgrades and assisting with donations from travellers through the Pack for a Purpose platform. (click HERE for more details)

Wild Shots Outreach: Wild Shots Outreach is an initiative that aims to engage young people from disadvantaged communities in wildlife and wild places through photography. It teaches new skills, introduces them to the natural world and raises the aspirations of these learners – the conservationists of tomorrow. Wild Shots Outreach is granted access into the Thornybush Nature Reserve in areas where the Thornybush lodges operate. These safari lodges host and facilitate game drives for the students. Many a budding conservationist or photographer in these groups, I’m sure. (click HERE for more details)

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As we all know, COVID-19 has put incredible restraints on many industries, especially tourism. And with little to no international travel happening in the foreseeable future, these hardships are likely to continue for some time. Thankfully, domestic tourism has helped, but the Thornybush team and their local communities are still under huge financial strain.

“Many families are battling” Candice tells me. “Those who were employed, have had to face a new stark reality of furlough or worse, retrenchment. Those who were already unemployed and struggling, are now in an extremely vulnerable situation”.

In their efforts to make sure that food security is maintained, they have partnered with Nourish Eco Village, to supply 326 families with vouchers redeemable at local supermarkets, for essential items.

Each beneficiary receives an SMS every month which they can redeem from nearby grocery stores.

Each voucher amount is based on what a monthly basic basket of essential food and toiletry items would be (1 Voucher = R500).

Candice suggests a visit to Nourish Eco Village, a non-profit focusing on building resilient communities that is in the nearby village of Sigagule, near Acornhoek.

Their projects range from education and conservation to sustainable farming, economic empowerment, and tourism.

Nourish Eco Village: We meet Candice and the relatively new Nourish Program Director, Johann Nortje, on a sunny Sunday morning before heading out to Thornybush Game Lodge. Johann tells us that he has been working in and around Nourish on various projects over the last year or so and has come to experience first-hand how impactful the work is that the team at Nourish put together.

“The team at Nourish have done a vast amount of work over the past 10 years and it is a real privilege to be able to step in and see how we can take it even further,” he tells us. “From conservation education, through social enterprise and training to 72 responsible traveller

tourism our programming has real capacity to build strong and resilient communities that live on the borders of some of our biggest wildlife areas”.

We walk as we chat; the classrooms might be empty (being Sunday), but the love of educating is no less evident. Bright and cheerful murals adorn the container classrooms, teaching materials await enthusiast learners, and the playground waits for breaktime. The resident donkeys inspect the herb garden and need to be shooed out, and adopted stray dogs follow to check we aren’t breaking the rules.

Education is high on the Nourish priority list, from supporting toddlers in early

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development centres to the 50+ learners who are fed and have access to the eco village library for daily learning. Adult education and business development are also important aspects of what Nourish do – the Nourish business incubator assists local entrepreneurs with the skills they need helps to develop these grassroots income-generation projects, which inadvertently provide an income and support for many.

There are water tanks for water harvesting, compost bins and a recycling centre, much of which is utilised constructively. There are walls are made from recycled glass bottles; car tyres are now playground equipment and seats, and bottle caps replace floor tiles. Wall art by local artists add a splash of colour to the ochre-coloured earth and the indigenous greenery.

The Shik-Shak Back Packer buildings are empty, as are the volunteer huts and curio shop. The coffee machines are switched off and the murmur of foreign voices silenced.

“It’s been tough during Covid”, Johann tells us, “a good portion of our revenue comes from tourism related activities, from those on site, to village tours and immersive activities. A number of our entrepreneurial projects rely on the purchase of goods from our curio shop too.”

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Nourish Program Director, Johann Nortje

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Johann shows us the moringa orchard and chicken farm, the labyrinth herb garden, fruit trees as well as the vegetable garden – he is experimenting with local heirloom seeds to grow ‘genuinely African’ produce, which, Candice tells me he hopes will be incorporated into Thornybush lodge menus. He picks an amaranth seed pod, shakes out the tiny seeds and explains that ground up, this makes an incredibly nutritious flour, and its gluten free.

Seeing Johann’s enthusiasm and passion, I could tell that agriculture is important to him, and the teaching of it to others. He tells me that they run permaculture workshops and have a seedling nursery – all with foodsecurity for local communities in mind.

We end up at the Eco-Kidz building, a cool structure (literally on this sweltering day) made using the rammed earth method of construction. The walls are adorned with wildlife art, tyres are stools and there are shelves heaving with books.

Johann explains that Nourish’s Green Kids programme focuses on greening hearts and minds, educating the next generation of conservation ambassadors! “Part of our Green Kidz program includes our Eco Scouts, our Environmental Education lessons, our Conservation field trips, our Eco Camps, and our Green Kidz creche”.

grow in their own appreciation and interdependence of the environment we live in” says Johann.

The vision that Nourish Founder, Sarah Bergs had 10 years ago was to “start a project that would connect communities to conservation in a meaningful way. That through community upliftment we could reach conservation outcomes, a thriving co-existence between animal spaces and people spaces; the buffer zones, where Nourish operates”.

I felt privileged to be walking around Nourish Eco Village and to be experiencing Sarah’s dream come to fruition – I should say ‘coming’ as there is so much more in the pipeline and always so much more that needs to be done. I understand why Thornybush is a proud supporter and why they encourage their guests to spend a few hours at Nourish, learning about their projects, lending a hand harvesting vegetables for their daily feeding scheme, spend time playing or reading in the daycare centre and touring the Eco village, or participating in one of the community tours and experiences. (click HERE for more details) Standing in the sweltering sun Candice continues to tell me more about the Thornybush ethos.

With local communities living near game reserves, one of which being the Thornybush Nature Reserve, it is important to expose these kids to wildlife – many grow up without ever having seen a rhino or elephant. And how can we expect them to understand conservation if they have not been given the opportunity to learn to love it? Through the Green-Kidz programmes these kids are given the opportunity to interact with nature and learn about conservation. Some no doubt destined to be the conservationists of the future.

“We have a commitment to employing locally, so the majority of our staff come from the surrounding local communities, with many of our team having been with Thornybush for over 20 years! A major reason for this is the sense of family we have within the team and how that feeling of inclusivity extends to the surrounding villages, suppliers, and our guests. We’re immensely proud of having nurtured this culture over the years, a culture that has its own platform in the Thornybush Community Projects,” says Candice.

“Over the next few years my goal is to develop and expand our programming reach through focus on conservation, sustainability and resilience in such a way that our game reserves will see benefits in the rural neighbouring communities and that these wildlife communities will

“Our efforts are focused on the surrounding communities and making sure that we use local suppliers and artisans as often as we can. Our philosophy is ‘Unity is Strength’ so many of our projects are designed to empower people and small businesses by providing them with the tools to build a responsible traveller 77

fulfilling, sustainable life” she says. “More than the aesthetics of the lodges or even the wildlife experiences, it’s the people who are the soul of Thornybush and the reason people love coming back to us.

Knowing this, we always aim to keep our teams engaged and passionate through setting goals, creating opportunities, and developing skills.”

Candice tells me that “helping every member of our Thornybush family reach their full potential is incredibly enriching and creates an environment that is easy to work in, bringing out the very best of what each and every one of us has to offer.”

“What keeps me motivated is seeing the people and projects we invest in, grow and thrive.”

I ask her about the Thornybush team, and if there are any special stories I should look out for. She laughs, and tells me that there are many, but “best if you find them yourself over the next few days that you are there”.

But that is story for another day… www.thornybush.com

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Candice & the team in the Community

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EDITORIAL PROFILE

VILLA

NEW TO THE LI V ING COLLECTIV E

the

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EDITORIAL PROFILE

The KwaZulu Natal Midlands is known for its majestic views of the countryside and its tranquillity. It is also home to The Living Collective (TLC), a full-service self-catering accommodation rental company.

The company offers a unique selection of modern and luxury homes and apartments that cater to clients with short to medium term leasing needs. The idea to start the company came when the founder, an entrepreneur and MBAgraduate Wendy Dlomo-Nwankwo was faced with a unique dilemma when her family were relocating from Durban to

Pietermaritzburg. The house they were building in Pietermaritzburg was still under construction and they had already sold their property in Durban.

The family faced several challenges trying to find alternative accommodation in the Pietermaritzburg area that could cater to their short-term lease needs and was fully furnished. This presented the perfect opportunity for Dlomo-Nwankwo to bridge the gap in the market by providing a hotel alternative with the same standards and luxury, but with space and the comfort of a home at a fraction of the costs.

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EDITORIAL PROFILE

Today The Living Collective has Properties in Pietermaritzburg And Hilton The first two properties are situated at THE GATES, a secure residential village along the western boundary of Hilton College and Gwens Stream. The homes have striking high ceilings that accommodate an abundance of light, and are equipped with kitchens, bedrooms, and bathrooms. When you step on to the enclosed patio, you have stunning views of the Drakensburg.

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EDITORIAL PROFILE The Living Collective’s WENVIC APARTMENTS are located on 90 College Road in Pietermaritzburg and are adjacent to the Premier’s residence, Pietermaritzburg Girls High School, and 450 meters from Maritzburg College. Guests are offered the option of short stay furnished or long stay unfurnished apartments. The furnished apartments come with fully equipped kitchens, dining areas, spacious balconies, and high-speed Internet.

THE VILLA is the company’s newest property and is also situated in Hilton, KwaZulu Natal on Azalea Drive. It features a stunning pool, garden, fully equipped self-catering kitchens as well as luxurious and comfortable furnishings. It is ideal for guests wanting to do bridal showers or even champagne breakfast.

THE LIVING COLLECTIVE properties are just a few minutes away from the Highgate Wine Estate, the family friendly Piggly Wiggly, Artisan Cafe, Farmers Daughter, Brahman Hills, St Ives Boma, the Nelson Mandela Capture Site, Umgeni Valley Nature Reserve & many more attractions suitable to entertain family & friends.

For further information contact

bookings@thelivingcollective.co.za or make your booking online at

www.thelivingcollective.co.za

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CONSERVATION SUCCESS STORY

Tango K9

Helping to protect...

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CONSERVATION SUCCESS STORY

T

hey’re fast, protective and have one heck of a sense of smell.

They love rewards and tickles behind the ears, and belly rubs too, I’m sure. But would I want to be on the receiving end of one of these beauties?

Absolutely not. And that’s why the anti-poaching professionals of Tango K9 are such a formidable team – at detection, apprehension, and tracking.

On a recent visit to the Thornybush Nature Reserve I had the privilege of meeting a few these anti-poaching professionals… Justice, Duke and Xipoko and their ‘well trained’ handlers, who for security reasons shall remain nameless.

There are squeals of delight from Xipoko as she is released from her crate on the rear of the vehicle – she’s dead-keen to get to work and show us how accomplished she is. She’s a Dutch shepherd x Belgian malinois, and her mottled colouring enables her to live up to her name, which means ‘ghost’ in the local Shangaan language.

One of the resident nyala heard her barking and came closer to investigate, and needless to say Xipoko was just as intrigued and had she not been restrained I’m sure she would have leapt at the chance of a closer look too. She is in training as a tracking, detection, and protection dog and with the contraband hidden she was excited to track and detect.

Even at the young age of just 11 months old her abilities were astounding with the first ‘test’ hidden in the vehicle found within 30 seconds, the next was a little more difficult as it was hidden within an area abundant with animal smells. Besides the slight distraction of the curious nyala, it didn’t take more than a couple of minutes, and with task accomplished she relished the kong and the associated hugs and love.

The kong is the reward toy that the conservation dogs work exceptionally hard for – in training they learn that if they do a certain behaviour, they are given a reward, which in this case is playtime with the kong. Xipoko’s trainer tells us that “it’s all responsible traveller 85

CONSERVATION SUCCESS STORY rewards-based training and the dogs are really, really keen to get that kong so they put in the effort to get it.”

We are told that a decision was made to train their K9’s to be able to do multiple tasks, such as detecting various forms of contraband, be it wildlife products or ammunition, rather than being scent specific, which would then require specific K9’s depending on the task at hand. The benefit of this is that they can search vehicles, buildings, bags as well as do inthe-field searches for whatever contraband is deemed necessary. In addition to this they are also well-accomplished at tracking people, and not just the scent of a specific person, but multiple people, which comes in useful when tracking several suspects at one time.

Next up is Duke, a Dutch shepherd who at just under two years old is still relatively young – young in age, but fearless and ferocious, and aptly nicknamed, ‘the Beast’.

Tracking and apprehension are his forte, and with the tracking demo quickly and efficiently taken care of he was eager to show us his apprehension skills.

With bite sleeve in place and one of the handlers posing as the foe, the command is given and Duke rushes in to apprehend, sinking his teeth into the sleeve and giving it really good shake – I would not want to be on the receiving end of that bite, especially without the protection of a bite sleeve! Task accomplished, with the reward of being able to tug playfully at the sleeve, and eventually retrieve it. Duke was now a very happy boy.

The intention is not to create blood-thirsty killers, as depicted in Hollywood movies, but rather well-trained, obedient and focused K9’s that will protect their handler at all costs and launch out to apprehend on command. Obedience is a key factor here, without which things could go awry, fast.

As is trust. Something that is built over time as the bond between handler and K9 grows to a point that the relationship is that of absolute best buddies. With the loves, hugs and cuddles this bond was clearly evident.

By this point Justice was doing his nut, and super-keen to ‘join the party’. His handler 86 responsible traveller

tells us that he is the ‘crazy one’ of the unit with the nickname of Tazz, the Tasmanian Devil, and as he leaps out of his kennel with purpose and determination I can see why.

He is a five-year-old Belgian malinois and came to the unit previously trained as a multipurpose K9 just over two years ago. But the bond between handler and K9 is already evident as Justice lavishes his love for his handler with a big hug. His drive is obvious as he finds the contraband in seconds and tears into the bite sleeve eager to earn his reward of the kong thrown his way, and a game of tug of war with the bite sleeve.

CONSERVATION SUCCESS STORY

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CONSERVATION SUCCESS STORY

We learn that the rest of the K9 team consists of another two multipurpose K9’s, Murphy and Spots, as well as three trailing K9’s – the oldest of the three is Beara, a bloodhound x doberman pinscher who a dedicated trailing hound. Beara ‘works for the pleasure of following the track and his reward is a pat on the head for a job well done’ and is exceptionally skilled at back tracking which makes him an incredibly useful tool when it comes to confirming a suspect’s activities on the reserve once apprehended. Khala, a full-blooded bloodhound, and Storm, a bluetick coonhound make up the rest of the tracking team.

The innate sense of smell that dogs have increases the likelihood of success when tracking poachers as against the visual clues such as footprints, broken twigs, flattened grass etc. required by a human tracker. In the same way that your precious pooch perks up when you open a biltong packet, these working dogs use their 88 responsible traveller

sense of smell to follow the scent trail that poachers leave behind.

With poaching being a real threat to the survival of several species, in particular rhino, elephant, and pangolin, protecting Africa’s wildlife is a team effort involving landowners, conservation teams, security teams, as well as specialised K9 units. The team at Tango K9 are an extremely valuable asset to Thornybush Nature Reserve and the surrounding Greater Kruger area, through anti-poaching patrols, community education, snare sweeps and preventative maintenance of the reserve boundaries.

Additionally, their K9 abilities are a deterrent to potential poachers, whether they be experienced rhino poachers or sustenance poachers looking to put food on the table – which unfortunately often escalates to the more hard-core poaching where money is the incentive.

www.tangok9.co.za Thornybush Nature Reserve

CONSERVATION SUCCESS STORY

Message from the Tango K9 Message from the Tango K9 team: Tango K9 is a team of passionate individuals and very hard working K9’s and Field Rangers whose mission it is to conserve and protect the wildlife in the 13,800 ha Thornybush Game Reserve NPC, part of the Greater Kruger National Park system, through anti-poaching patrols, community education, snare sweeps and preventative maintenance of the reserve boundaries.

However, it has become increasingly difficult to fund necessities to do our job of protecting important species on our reserve.

One of the biggest stumbling blocks we have faced this year is the pandemic of Covid 19. The global pandemic has obliterated South Africa’s international tourism sector which largely funds a lot of what we do. The ban on travellers and tourism operations has created extreme stress on conservation efforts across South Africa as a high number of tourism facilities are located in, or connected to, a National Park or Game Reserve. The conservation funding previously collected from tourists through entrance fees was greatly reduced and as the global market fell so did donations from our international audience.

Compounding the problem, the communities that surround our reserve and previously relied upon tourism for income are now facing a devastating increase in unemployment and related food insecurity. This has resulted in a significant increase in sustenance poaching which has made the conservation of our environment all the more important.

As poverty in the local community is increasing it has become even more pertinent for our team to become more active as threats of snare and dog incursions increase.

Our initial goal is to raise R60 000. We appreciate any donation big or small that will enable us to push ahead and keep the animals safe and alive. Our most urgent needs are funding for the K9s and for our vehicles. Our K9s are our most valued team members, they require lots of care to be kept in prime shape.

We need donations for: • Food and veterinary expenses for our K9s, they work hard and need lots of love and care.

• Treats and training rewards (toys) for the K9s to keep them motivated.

• Replacement leads and collars.

• Additional blankets and bedding.

• Repairs to the kennels.

• Ongoing training for the current K9s.

• Our APU patrol fleet is also in need of some TLC, most importantly the tyres and wheels. The terrain we patrol in is unforgiving and the bush is thick with thorn bushes. It is vital that we are able to respond quickly to attempted incursions. One vehicle currently has split rims making it unsafe to repair punctures in the bush. We need funding to replace the steel rims and purchase all-terrain tyres.

Thank you for your help, as we continue to Conserve and Protect, we appreciate your support!

Support through www.gofundme/tango-k9 responsible traveller 89

An ‘almost Big Five’ bush experience at

THANDA SAFARI words & pics - Tessa Buhrmann

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here is nothing more invigorating than being on foot in the bush, especially in the early morning. We walked quietly, in single file along an animal track, watching our guide for the appropriate signals of stop, back away or come closer. The sunlight was gradually finding its way through the dense vegetation, lighting our path in a dappled fashion.

We were a group of friends staying at the luxurious Villa iZulu, where time was our own and no schedules were prescribed. We were warmly welcomed by Linda Gumede, one of the team leaders, had lunch prepared by our private chef, and were served by our own private butler who had access to the wine cellar and cappuccinos on offer whenever we required – all this, every day. Oh, and our own private game viewing vehicle complete with ranger and tracker. What more could we ask for?

Later that afternoon we met our ranger Buselaphi (Buse) Mngomezulu and his very capable tracker Winneth Khumalo and set off on our first game drive. Virtually a few hundred metres from the lodge we came across two adult lionesses and their ‘not so little’ cubs.

When we arrived at the sighting there was another vehicle there and the lions were just relaxing under a tree in what was a dry waterhole. The occasional flick of a tail and slight head movement was all we got from the lionesses, the cubs were a little more active, but still a distance away.

Perhaps it was the noise of the other vehicle leaving, or maybe they just felt like giving us a treat... no sooner had the other vehicle had moved off playtime began. One of the cubs had found a piece of plastic and this became the desired plaything, first for the five young ones and then even one of the moms joined in. There was much chasing and frolicking, some play fighting amongst brothers and then some loving time with mom. responsible traveller 91

It was such a treat to watch them interact with one another, totally relaxed and although aware of our presence, totally unperturbed - and close enough to even get reasonable cell phone pics. This was the benefit of an un-rushed, private game drive - the fact that we weren’t on an agenda, and this meant that we were able to spend as much time with them as we desired.

Zebra, wildebeest, buffalo, giraffe and even a cheetah mom and her three cubs later, and it was time for sundowners. We even spotted the two territorial male lions doing what cats do best – napping. They would no doubt soon be up and about seeking to fill their bellies. Which was something we were heading home to do too.

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Bright and early the next morning we headed into the hills in search of the Thanda breeding herd of elephants.

Down narrow ‘roads’ and through thick vegetation, down steep inclines and then back up the other side... and then finally on the distant hillside, there they were. Big ones, little ones, and teenage ones...

We watched in awe as the herd happily milled around munching leaves, tugging branches, and generally getting on with the business of eating.

A little one tried to grasp at a few blades of grass with its trunk and seemed confused as to why it wasn’t working, a ‘teenager’ used brute force on a sapling

and almost uprooted the whole tree, whilst the mums in the group kept a watchful eye on both the young ones and us.

At one point a little one took fright at something and immediately several adults closed rank around it, protecting it from harm and almost glaring at us for the intrusion. Buse backed away slowly giving them room and soon they were relaxed and munching away as normal.

Here too, we just sat and watched until they moved off the road and back into the bush... parched and a tad warm we headed off to find a safe spot for our coffee break - ranger coffee (fresh plunger coffee with

Amarula) and the yummiest of chocolate muffins. Ah, life is tough in Africa!

Breakfast on the veranda was waiting for us on return, a delicious spread of fruit, homemade muesli, assorted cold meats, a selection of cheeses as well as the option of cooked breakfast and good coffee. Then it was decision time – to toast in the sun and then cool off in the glistening pool, or grab a good book and curl up on the couch?

Another benefit of being in a private villa is that curling up on the couch, and even lunching in the garden with just a sarong wrapped around your waist is acceptable.

It’s as good as been at home, only better views, more luxury, and superb service!

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More game drives, more fabulous cuisine but still no rhinos. I guess we couldn’t have it all, could we?

The next morning, we were up at sparrows, well some of us were - and that’s another benefit of being in a private villa, we could do whatever we liked, sleep in, go on a game drive, or in our case choose to do a bush walk.

We set off in the game viewing vehicle so that we could be dropped off ‘somewhere’.

We were left in the capable hands of our ranger Buse (rifle at the ready if required, and in radio contact), while Winneth and Nicola set off on a game drive for one...

The air was fresh, and I relished the opportunity to breathe in deeply and smell the fragrance of the bush around us, to be able to pause and appreciate the stillness.

There is nothing more invigorating than being on foot in the bush, especially in the early morning. Walking quietly and pausing often – this wasn’t a stretch the legs at speed kind of walk - Buse pointed out porcupine tracks and the little kitty footprints of a genet.

Soon the tracks were bigger and more plentiful - it was the elephant breeding herd! The dung indicated that they had passed through earlier that morning, and the broken twigs were still fresh, confirming this. “Maybe they’re heading for the waterhole” Buse said... excitement and adrenalin now peaking and the heart rate beginning to increase, we followed. Quietly.

We heard trumpeting in the distance... too far, they had already moved on and were now on the hillside across the valley – “there are no animal tracks across there and it’s too dangerous in the thick bush” we were told. Theresa said, “ah no”, and Lesley and I breathed a sigh of relief - not just because of the ellies, but for the hill we would have had to climb!!

We munched on sour plums, marvelled at spotted foam nest frog nests and inspected ticks on a rhino rubbing post. Recent rhino tracks and a vast indentation in the soft sand at the edge of the waterhole indicated their presence would not be far off. As we responsible traveller 95

emerged from the waterhole, we spotted rhino mum and a young one - about three years old, Buse told us.

Using a flimsy bush as camouflage we inched closer, as quietly as possible, and pausing occasionally so that she wouldn’t hear us. Rhinos have an incredible sense of hearing, but thankfully their eyesight isn’t great. After spending some time watching her, we backed off to continue our walk.

Lion tracks, big ones, and little ones - the pride we had been watching a few days before. Buse told us that it appeared that they had gone to drink at the waterhole we had passed and had returned along the same route.

I was remembering how easily they had disappeared into the grass when they were playing and was hoping they weren’t hiding in the grass along our path - and if they were, that they would have had a recent meal!

We see more rhino tracks and another sleeping spot in a tamboti thicket. “There’s another waterhole ahead” Buse told us, they must be there. They weren’t the only ones, Buse spotted buffalo dung and a couple of tracks - a lone dagga boy - probably the most dangerous of the big five!!

He spots both the rhino and the buffalo, and we skirt the bushes exceptionally quietly, watching every footfall to make sure we don’t step on a twig. Finally, we are out of sight of the buffalo, with two rhino wallowing in the mud a short distance away.

We watch in awe as they delight in the soft squishy black mud. A rhino spa for sure.

All through our walk Buse had kept in communication with Winneth, and with two dangerous animals in our midst, Winneth had arrived and was now parked on the far bank. We watched the rhinos, who by now had heard something, unaware of where we were, but troubled, nonetheless.

Unbeknown to us, but easily seen by Winneth and Nicola, the buffalo had roused himself out of his mud bath and was sauntering in our direction...

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All we heard was the sudden acceleration of the vehicle while we quietly, under the watchful eye of Buse, made our way back towards the path. Once back in the vehicle we were told of our ‘narrow’ escape, Winneth the hero, but Buse saying the buffalo was simply curious and that we would have been fine.

Either way, I felt completely safe knowing that Buse was well trained, confident, and fully able to take care of the situation if he had to.

Back on the vehicle we headed, first to where Winneth and Nicola had seen the two male lions, and then to a well-deserved coffee stop. All we had missed on our Big Five walk was evidence of leopard... but who knows, one might have been nearby without our knowledge.

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The Villa iZulu experience...

In this Covid time I appreciated the outdoor dining, vast open spaces, and the ease at which one can social distance. It was also comforting to have sanitiser close at hand and to know that all staff are not only temperature and symptom checked daily, but wear masks very efficiently. We were a group of friends, but the Villa would be PERFECT for a multi-generational family getaway.

One definitely has a sense of place at the Villa, with plenty references to being in the bush as well as of the local Zulu culture. With five en-suite bedrooms, lounge, dining room, TV/ games room, library, and business centre, as well as outdoor dining and relaxing spaces there is plenty of choice. An indigenous garden surrounds the incredibly welcome swimming pool for those hot Zululand days, and a deck overlooks a waterhole that was frequented by nyala, zebra, warthog as well as a few buffalo.

And the food was absolutely delicious! Our private chef, Sindy Maphumulu, under the watchful eye of Thanda Safari Executive Chef Catherine Garden, had us indulging in fresh, uber-chic cuisine – with us all asking her to please share her recipes with us. Not in a million years though could I replicate the finesse of a private chef, or the ambiance that dining in the bush offers.

And from me, “a huge thank you to Villa iZulu’s wonderful staff, including Linda Gumede (team leader), Wonderboy Mngomezulu (butler), Catherine Garden (executive chef), Sindy Maphumulu (chef) and the rest of the kitchen team as well as our wonderful ranger Buselaphi Mngomezulu and Winneth Khumalo our tracker. Thank you for the service, the laughs and the genuine smiles”.

www.thandasafari.co.za responsible traveller 99

A CONSERVATION FIRST FOR PANGOLIN

CONSERVATION SUCCESS STORY

Pangolin successfully reintroduced at andBeyond Phinda Private Game Reserve to reverse local extinction

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n a project launched in mid-2019, conservation-led travel company andBeyond, successfully reintroduced the highly endangered Temminck’s ground pangolin at its flagship game reserve in South Africa. A feat that is said to have reversed the local extinction of the species in the province.

The world’s most intensively poached and trafficked mammal, the pangolin is on the verge of extinction around the world. A near insatiable demand for their scales, which are used in traditional medicine in the Far East, has left all four of Asia’s pangolin species facing extinction.

The four remaining African species have increasingly become targeted, with 68 tons of scales representing an estimated 120,000 African pangolin intercepted by law enforcement agencies and customs officials at ports in both Africa and Asia in 2019 alone. Since 2016, more than 206 tons of scales have been intercepted, representing almost 400,000 African pangolins.

Working in conjunction with the African Pangolin Working Group (APWG), the Johannesburg Wildlife Veterinary Hospital and the Humane Society International (HSI) Africa, andBeyond has released several pangolin retrieved from poachers or illegal wildlife traffickers across South Africa in operations undertaken by the South African Police Service (SAPS) and the APWG.

words & pics - andBeyond

In Africa, over and above the huge losses due to poaching, the additional pressures of habitat loss, the bush meat trade and their traditional use in African tribal dress and medicine have seen the numbers of pangolin decline dramatically. While the savannahs of KwaZulu-Natal were once home to a healthy population, pangolin are thought to have gone locally extinct in the area. The selection of andBeyond Phinda Private Game Reserve as the first pangolin release site in KwaZulu-Natal offers an opportunity to change that.

“Since its inception, Phinda has always been about re-establishing and returning species long gone extinct in the area,” explains Simon Naylor, Conservation Manager at andBeyond Phinda Private Game Reserve. “We were one of the first private or state-owned reserves to attempt the reintroduction of lion, cheetah, elephant and buffalo. Smaller species such

as serval, klipspringers, rock hyrax and caracals have all been brought back to the area. The Temminck’s ground pangolin is one of the last remaining mammals to be reintroduced to an area where they once occurred but where they went extinct.”

“This reintroduction attempt is important for a number of reasons. If successful, it could provide a breeding nucleus from which to create further populations of this threatened species. In this way, it brings back a species thought to be extinct in this province. We are very proud to be partnering with the APWG and to be the recipients of the pangolins in their care.”

“The release of pangolins retrieved from the illegal wildlife trade at Phinda is not only a monumental achievement for the region but also a pivotal study to monitor the reintroduction of pangolins into a province that had experienced a local extinction of the species a few decades earlier,” agrees Professor Ray Jansen, Chairman of the APWG. “This ground-breaking project is the first of its kind for the species and likely for the order Pholidota globally. The dedicated team at Phinda is monitoring the pangolins very closely and we hope to develop a release protocol that can be implemented elsewhere across the species’ distributional range.”

The release of the pangolins has been gradually and carefully monitored. After specialised veterinary treatment by Dr Karin Lourens at the Johannesburg Wildlife Veterinary Hospital and following the release protocol and guidance of the APWG, the animals were slowly introduced to their new habitat. Spending their sleeping hours indoors in specially designed crates, the pangolins were initially released for three to four hours at a time.

During this time, they were closely followed and observed by Phinda’s conservation team, as well as researchers. Once the responsible traveller 101

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research team was satisfied that the animals were feeding well, had achieved the ideal weight, and were settled in the chosen area, the pangolins were fitted with VHF and satellite tags and released. After a few days of around-the-clock monitoring, the research team has reverted to checking in on the pangolins twice a day and weighing them once a week.

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With the project marking the first time that pangolin have been released into an area where they have previously gone extinct, the close monitoring and research are essential.

Because of their solitary and nocturnal nature, pangolins are the least studied order of mammals. With andBeyond’s long-term plan being to release several more pangolin and create a breeding population at Phinda,

CONSERVATION SUCCESS STORY population,” says Naylor. “It is also vital that the pangolin are secure, which is why they are being monitored by our Anti-Poaching Unit and conservation management team.”

In an exciting recent development to the reintroduction project, andBeyond Phinda has welcomed the birth of a pangolin pup, the first of this endangered species to be born in South Africa’s KwaZulu-Natal province in many decades.

“We are very excited about the birth, which is a great indicator of the success of our project and testifies to how comfortable the pangolins have become in their new habitat,” says Naylor. He explained that “in the second half of 2020, we received a female pangolin who had been confiscated from the trade and was found to be pregnant, although we were unsure how far along in the pregnancy she was.”

“In the course of monitoring the pregnant female, we noticed that her weight had dropped slightly and her mammary glands were swollen,” says Naylor. “Suspecting that she may have given birth, we set up a camera trap to confirm the good news.

The camera uses a covert back flash, so we were confident that we wouldn’t disturb the animals.”

Footage from the camera has confirmed the birth of the pangolin pup, which is now estimated to be about sixteen weeks old. The reserve’s conservation team is continuing to monitor its progress from afar, using the mother’s tags and the remote camera trap to keep tabs on the new arrival.

With one of the aims of the pangolin reintroduction project at andBeyond Phinda being the establishment of a breeding nucleus from which to create future generations of pangolin, the successful birth of a pup is a significant milestone. it is crucial to learn more about the species.

Their plan is also to assist and collaborate with other release sites and protected areas to get a regional viable population.

“We have specifically developed release and monitoring techniques to ensure that the reintroduction is successful, and we attain our goal of creating a viable breeding

“While KwaZulu-Natal was once home to a healthy population, pangolin are thought to have gone locally extinct in the area generations ago,” explains Naylor. “The fact that the first pup has been born at andBeyond Phinda after decades offers us an opportunity to change that. We can’t wait to see more of our reintroduced pangolins breeding and are looking forward responsible traveller 103

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CONSERVATION PROFILE to seeing this success replicated at the other release sites that have now been chosen in the surrounding reserves.”

While many of the costs that come with such an extensive monitoring and research programme have been covered through grants by interested parties such as the Oak Foundation and Ichikowitz Foundation, andBeyond has also launched a Pangolin Conservation Experience that will not only bring in additional income for the project but will also serve as an opportunity to highlight the threats facing the pangolin to its guests.

As part of the Experience, guests can choose to fund the periodic replacement of the tags that are attached to the pangolins’

scales and used to track them. In return, they will get to witness the delicate operation and get to spend some time following the little mammal and monitoring its behaviour. Additionally, guests visiting andBeyond Phinda Private Game Reserve now stand the chance of seeing one of these highly endangered animals foraging in the wild during game drives or while on a guided walk. andBeyond would like to thank the Department of Environmental Affairs, Ezemvelo KZN Wildlife, the members of the Mun-Ya-Wana Conservancy and the Wild Tomorrow Fund for their assistance and support with the reintroduction of the pangolins.

www.andbeyond.com If you want t donate to make a difference, click HERE responsible traveller 105

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AMAKHOSI SAFARI LODGE ...a haven for cheetah words & pics Rowan Buhrmann

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had heard about cheetah cubs that romp with abandon, elephants that get so close that you can almost touch them, and rhino that munch grass sedately as you watch from nearby. That the Mkhuze River runs through it, and that the views from the rocky hilltops are spectacular.

That the food is delicious, and the people are amazing...

My parents had always come back from Amakhosi Safari Lodge, raving about their amazing time away. Hearing their stories about the incredible wildlife sightings, the great birding and the delicious meals they dined on, planted Amakhosi firmly on my bucket list of places I had to visit, so I knew that it would be the perfect choice for our honeymoon – the perfect place to destress after the crazy rush that led up to our wedding.

The Amakhosi Safari Lodge, nestled snuggly along the banks of the Mkuze River, is one of KwaZulu-Natal’s hidden gems so we didn’t mind the early wake-up at all, both of us really excited to get into chill-mode for a few days. After a scenic four-hour drive from Durban, we arrived to find a herd of nyala grazing on the front lawn as we drove up to the reception.

We received the warmest welcome and immediately felt at home.

The reception area opens up onto a stunning boma and deck, where we would be dining for the next few days. From here, we got to take in the breathtaking view of the very full Mkuze River, which clearly had hugely benefitted from the recent, unexpected rain that fell just before our visit.

We were in the honeymoon suite, a wonderfully private and luxurious space complete with its own splash pool – perfect for those hot Zululand afternoons. After settling in we headed back to the main lodge area, crossing paths with some nyala along the way, where we met our ranger, Jacques, and tracker, Jeremy, who prepped us for our first afternoon drive in the Amakhosi Private Game Reserve.

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CONSERVATION SUCCESS STORY Although being a Big-5 Reserve, Amakhosi is so much more. As budding birders, we were pleasantly surprised by the diverse birdlife, and were impressed by Jeremy’s bird call mimicry skills and Jacques’s knowledge on the local species - and Jacques’ patience at stopping at every tiny bird we spotted!

We were treated to a closeup sighting of a mother rhino and her two adolescent calves, and after spending some time watching one of the big bull elephants having an evening shower, we set off in the hope of finding some more wildlife coming out to enjoy the cool late afternoon air.

Before long, we were in pursuit of a lioness that was sighted moving quickly in the dense bush. After some time searching, Jacques decided we should make our way through a densely vegetated path as a lastditch effort to spot her.

Suddenly, and very unexpectedly, Jeremy quietly whispers “Cheetah!” while pointing a finger into the bush just to the right of our vehicle. We could hardly believe our eyes! There, a mother cheetah was casually sitting in the short grass watching us, while her four cubs lay beside her. Jacques pulled the vehicle off the path for us to get a better view. The mother cheetah gave us a quick assessment, she seemed to realize we were not a threat, and to our amazement, lay right in front of the vehicle while her cubs took the opportunity to engage in some carefree play.

The cubs seemed totally unperturbed by our presence. One of them even took a quick break to check us out, before returning to play with his siblings. Play time ended abruptly with a quick chirp from their mother indicating it was time to go, and just like that, they disappeared into the bush.

We felt very spoilt to have had such an incredible sighting, especially after hearing that the global population of cheetah has been on a decline for many years. In Africa, cheetahs are now only found within 10% of their historical range and they are currently listed as ‘vulnerable’ according to the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Even more disheartening, recent data shows that this 108 responsible traveller

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CONSERVATION SUCCESS STORY status should be amended to ‘endangered’.

Through ongoing surveys, it has been estimated that the southern African cheetah population is less than 4 300 individuals, and of this, South Africa is home to around 1 300. The dwindling numbers, combined with the very real threat of this iconic cat species going extinct, sparked the need for something to be done.

The Endangered Wildlife Trust established the Cheetah Metapopulation Project in 2011. It recognized the important role that smaller wildlife reserves, such as Amakhosi, have in the protection of, and for the survival of, the cheetah species.

The project was developed to maintain a high level of genetic variability within the gene pool of South Africa’s cheetah population, thus reducing the chance of inbreeding within smaller reserves.

This is achieved through the exchange of adult cheetahs between the participating reserves within the EWT Cheetah Metapopulation Project.

Today, there are 60 reserves throughout South Africa that are part of the project, and Amakhosi has been part of it all since the very beginning. To date, Amakhosi has sent two males and one female to participating reserves in the Eastern Cape and has exchanged one male for another from the Dinokeng Game Reserve in Gauteng. Amakhosi’s participation in the project has proved to be effective, as there have been two litters successfully born on the reserve since 2017.

Currently, Amakhosi is home to four adult cheetah: two males and two females. One of the females is from the first litter to be born on the reserve, and she has now established her own territory and could soon begin contributing to SA’s cheetah population as well.

While we did not get to see the other adult cheetahs during our time at Amakhosi, we were privileged enough to spot that same mother and her playful cubs on all three days of our stay. The sighting on our last afternoon drive was one we would never forget. Not many people are fortunate 110 responsible traveller

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CONSERVATION SUCCESS STORY enough to see a cheetah in real life, and I would imagine that even fewer people are lucky enough to witness one hunt.

Daylight was slowly coming to an end. And we were slowly making our way towards a herd of buffalo at a waterhole, then suddenly Jeremy’s keen eye fell on the cheetah family once again. We watched as the cubs chased each other playfully and we were rather amused by an interaction between them and some rhino casually passing by, both parties seemingly startled by each other’s sudden appearance.

Meanwhile, a herd of zebra that had been making their way towards the waterhole had caught the attention of the mother. She chirped at her cubs who, rather obediently, hid themselves in the tall grass. We sat completely silent, holding our breath, as we watched this iconic predator stealthily stalking the zebra. She blended into her surrounding so well that we lost sight of her for a brief moment. Suddenly she made her move on the unsuspecting herd.

Unfortunately, this time her attempt was unsuccessful, but it surprised us to see how protective zebra can be when under threat!

As she made her way back to find her cubs,

she was pursued by a handful of zebras charging her down rather persistently.

Thankfully, she stood her ground and was ultimately able to fend them off and get back to her cubs safely.

Learning of Amakhosi’s contribution to cheetah conservation made our trip that much more memorable as both my wife and I are biologists and have a deep understanding of the importance of conserving our natural environment and biodiversity – and every species counts!

Through the collaboration of Amakhosi and other participating reserves with the EWT Cheetah Metapopulation Project, South Africa is the only country in Africa whose cheetah population has shown an increase in numbers over the past decade.

We thoroughly enjoyed our stay at the Amakhosi Safari Lodge, and Jacques and Jeremy made our game drive experiences truly memorable. Our cheetah encounters will be fondly remembered until the next time we are able to visit – where we are looking forward to witnessing a cheetah population that is continuing to flourish.

www.amakhosi.com

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REBUILDING THE AFRICAN P E N G U I N P O P U L AT I O N

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he African Penguin and Seabird Sanctuary (APSS), a project of the Dyer Island Conservation Trust, is based in Gansbaai and is focused on rebuilding the Dyer Island African penguin population. The APSS turned six in February 2021 and Conservation Manager Trudi Malan looked back at what APSS has contributed to the hopeful recovery of this endangered species. words - Trudi Malan pics - Marine Dynamics / Dyer Island Cruises 114 responsible traveller

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Disappearing lines The African penguin is disappearing from the landscape everywhere in Southern Africa but the situation on Dyer Island is dire. Once home to a vibrant African penguin colony with an estimated 25 000 breeding pairs in the early 1970’s, the numbers have dwindled to less than a 1000 breeding pairs today. The current South African population is an estimated 13 500 breeding pairs.

The rescue, rehabilitation and release of every single penguin makes a crucial contribution to the conservation of the species. We are at the stage where #EveryPenguinCounts.

Hope is a feather….

During the past six years we have rehabilitated and released 675 African penguins. (283 Adults & 392 Chicks).

The 283 adult African penguins that we saved could each have a partner on Dyer island – that is potentially 14.15% of the breeding population. These saved birds could contribute a total of 517 chicks to the population over 5 years.

If we did not step in to rescue the 392 chicks, there would be 73 less pairs of adult breeders (at age 4 of age) recruiting to Dyer Island. Low odds, we know, but this outcome is under the current depressive scenario with no other pro-active interventions.

We are hoping that the pro-active actions of habitat restoration via the artificial nest project aimed at improving fledgling success, predator management and ongoing consultations with the fishing industry to close some fishing areas around the breeding colonies will help us to change the current scenario into a scenario where we can stabilise the population and hope for better outcomes.

“Hope is the thing with feathers that perches in the soul - and sings the tunes without the words - and never stops at all” – Emily Dickinson

Education brings change We are very thankful that we could share the plight of the African penguin with the 108 000 people that popped in to the APSS. Our education at APSS engaged with over 3000 local learners annually, and we reached thousands more through responsible traveller 115

CONSERVATION SUCCESS STORY outreach at schools. Through our tourism partners we have preached the message of conservation to thousands of visitors.

Ubuntu, it takes a community We salute the contributions made to our cause by so many people, from big corporate donors to a child with a piggy bank full of money. Together we made a difference. We know we can count on your continued support.

“You may never know what results come of your action, but if you do nothing, there will be no result” – Mahatma Ghandi

We will continue to work alongside CapeNature, the management authority for Dyer Island to support their efforts to preserve not only the African penguin but the amazing biodiversity of this very special area.

The APSS would not be able to care for penguins if we did not have a platoon of passionate penguin people. We have a small, dedicated staff and a team of hard working penguin volunteers. Project partners like Marine Dynamics & Dyer Island Cruises that provides valuable education opportunities and the best penguin taxi service imaginable.

All weaved together into a strong penguin support network.

The Covid crash With the funding model we envisaged for the APSS, we were aiming to not only rely on grants and donations, but also to have an income stream through our coffee & gift shop. In the year of the rat, 2020, this all came crashing down. We must ensure that the financial impact of the Covid19 pandemic does not affect our efforts to prevent the extinction of this iconic creature. We have had to do some extreme juggling. We reduced the number of balls we had in the air. Expansion and maintenance plans were temporarily placed on the very top shelf to be dusted off once the Covid waves have dissipated.

The commitment to the cause from the APSS staff has been phenomenal. They have continued caring for our penguin patients in spite of adverse personal circumstances.

Only going forward because we cannot find reverse We ask you to stay with us on this quest, to keep on looking forward, to contribute to our cause, to never give up.

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Behind the scenes - Penguin Rehabilitator Xolani Lawo and founder of the Dyer Island Conservation trust, Wilfred Chivell, release an African penguin on Dyer Island. Each penguin has a transponder (microchip) inserted underneath the skin which aids in the identification and relevant data of an individual. pic credit Eliana Escobedo

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MISSION: The African Penguin and Seabird Sanctuary aims to: •

•

Operate a self-sustaining conservation initiative that supports, the objectives of biodiversity conservation management & the vision of the South African Department of Environment’s Biodiversity Management Plan for the African Penguin; ensuring through adaptive management, the implementation of innovative and dynamic protocols to maintain best practice in achieving optimal rehabilitation success.

•

Implement & constantly improve protocols for surveillance, diagnosis and management of injured, compromised or diseased adult African penguins & other seabirds.

•

Population bolstering: Capture, raise and release African penguin chicks that are unlikely to survive without intervention.

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Provide the highest standard of veterinary and husbandry care.

Halt and reverse further decline or loss of colonies of the African Penguin population and improve their breeding habitat.

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Maintain & grow a stranding network to ensure that stranded African Penguins are admitted to the APSS as soon as possible to increase survival rate.

Oil soiled penguins receiving attention at APSS

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Contribute towards - and participate in a workable Oil Spill Contingency plan to service the Overstrand Coastline, ensuring adequate preparedness in case of oil spills.

•

Network with all relevant authorities and bodies in the field of marine bird rehabilitation and conservation.

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Provide a platform for furthering research into effective rehabilitation and release of marine birds to ensure the birds’ successful return to their colonies.

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Raise awareness around the perils marine birds face out in the wild by educating the public and local youth about the conservation of these species.

GIVE TO SAVE The African Penguin and Seabird Sanctuary depends heavily on donations. Should you wish to assist our feathered friends, below are a couple of ways to do so: • • •

Contribute to the Fishy Fund – R100 per 5kg box – donate as many boxes as you wish.

Buy a penguin home – R500 – own a piece of prime ‘real estate’.

You can also support a booster block - R1000 - which means that you can have your name as a permanent supporter on the entrance wall to the African Penguin and Seabird Sanctuary.

The African Penguin and Seabird Sanctuary is open to visitors, with no entrance fee. The coffee and curio shop on site supports the funding model. Open from 9am to 4pm.

Feeding time at 3pm.

Discover. Protect. Educate

APSS rehabilitator, Mervin Visagie Rehabilitated penguins being released pic credit Tami Kaschke

The Dyer Island Conservation Trust was established by conservationist Wilfred Chivell in 2006. Wilfred’s awardwinning eco-tourism companies, Marine Dynamics and Dyer Island Cruises are the operational platform for the work of the Trust. Besides African penguin conservation, the team does critical research on marine species – white sharks, whales and dolphins, seals, seabirds – research that can impact conservation decisions at government level. The team also handles all marine animal strandings in the immediate area and is passionate about marine pollution issues. Education is a priority and work is done within the local, and global community.

More info on projects: www.dict.org.za ( NPO 052-204 / PBO 930032314 / BBBEE Level 1 )

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Mozambique’s

Gorongosa - Wikimedia

Gorongosa Restoration Project

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words & pics - Angus Begg (unless otherwise indicated)

’m immersed in Mozambique’s Gorongosa Restoration Project. In the national park of the same name, it’s a literally phenomenal tale. One of reconstruction, redemption, and, in keeping with the tiny 1950s Catholic chapel I saw yesterday not far from the entrance to the park, a resurrection of sorts. responsible traveller 121

CONSERVATION Gorongosa National Park (GNP) in Mozambique is perhaps Africa’s greatest wildlife restoration story. In 2008, the Government of Mozambique and the Carr Foundation formed what would become known as the ‘Gorongosa Project’, a 20year Public-Private Partnership for the joint management of the Park and for human development in the surrounding communities.

Curtiz - Mozambiqe’s first qualified female guide - said Gorongosa National Park was looking for guides, especially females.

Why? One of the core driving forces behind the Gorongosa Restoration Project appears is the empowerment and education of young women - essentially, bluntly speaking, to help them avoid being married off at a young age with no education. So Dadiva applied to be a guide, and started studying, starting with her English (25% On June 7th, 2018, the Government of proficiency is required). She still practises, Mozambique signed an extension of the on people like me, and other guests, with management agreement of the park for any notion of marriage the furthest thing another 25 years. “By adopting a 21st Century conservation model of balancing from her mind. One thing that doesn’t need coaxing is her vision, evidenced by the small the needs of wildlife and people, we spotted genet she saw winding its way up are protecting and saving this beautiful the branches of a tree in search of a snack wilderness, returning it to its rightful (fledglings or eggs) - while she was looking place as one of Africa’s greatest parks” says Greg Carr, philanthropist and founder out for a gorgeous bush shrike she’d heard. and driver of the Project.

Agness Geooffrey is also good with spotting The park has a variety of landscapes, some birds and sprouts off the Latin names of the trees we pass (i have a thing about are lush, welcoming, and green, others brown and harsh. The long-forested avenue tree ID). She told me that the genus name acacia now pretty much belongs to Australia leading out from Chitengo camp towards members of that family (which has 1000 of the town of Villa Gorongosa is one of my favourites. I chat to some of the wonderful the 1350 acacia species) - we are now left with Vachellia and Senegalia (apparently characters, driven and talented, who have referring to straight and hooked thorn seized opportunities presented by the respectively - i have not checked yet - all project that is both rebuilding community and identity, and rewilding a national park. I know is that Acacia tortillis (the famous umbrella thorn) is now Vachelia tortillis.

Conservation is about so much more than Data and laboratory technician Margarita wildlife, which as a youngster was my Vitor, from Nampula in northern singular passion. I came to understand as Mozambique, and part of the ongoing an older youngster that it is about the web and deeply impressive science team at of life, the intricate dance of all species Gorongosa National Park, showed me interacting with each other and the earth.

It’s the rhythm of that dance that determines around. Officially her title is ‘technician’ with Geographic information Systems whether or not the various species, and our (GIS) at the park’s EO Wilson Biodiversity host, planet earth, survive.

Laboratory, the only molecular laboratory Gorongosa National Park is a living, dynamic in a national park in Mozambique. The reconstruction-work in progress, an example, exploration and documentation of perhaps, of how life on earth can work. biodiversity is the lab’s primary goal, says Margarita, slipping in the fact that Like with Dadiva Salomao, 20, in her khaki since 2014, just after it was established, uniform, who comes from the small town of about 175 new species of ants have been Nhamatanda, nearby Gorongosa National discovered. There is some intense science Park. She is an example of the dance of what being conducted here. has long been knowing as ‘people and parks’.

Dadiva says the university course she had Seen in context, Margarida working at this chosen to study after school didn’t work lab - creating a future for herself in the out for her. While looking for suitable work, world of science - is massive.

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CONSERVATION Gorongosa’s elephants.

Gorongosa’s lion population has grown to roughly 00 in the past 12 years.

Pink-backed pelican

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Gorongosa National Park’s coffee seedlings on Mt Gorongosa - amngst the indigenous rain forest.

It’s part of Gorongosa’s ongoing mission to educate and create sustainable futures for Mozambique’s young women, who without intervention would otherwise be left to tend the crops, raise children, and make food.

reforesting a threatened mountain, and providing communities with a living, giving them incentive to protect the remaining rainforest on the mountain.

Seriano Tacanhe Sumbrero is Technical assistant and coffee producer at Gorongosa National Park’s coffee farm on the slopes of Mt Gorongosa – which is ‘run’ by the park, although physically a couple hours by road removed.

Recently Gorongosa National Park, with the help of rural coffee farmers, saw its coffee taking its place amongst the world’s finest brands on the shelves of Waitrose premium retailer in the United Kingdom. It’s a manual process that’s all about creating work and saving a rainforest.

It’s not often - if ever - that a national park starts a coffee farm and production business, but that’s what’s happening. The park has a twin project here, protecting and

Impoverished rural Mozambicans are benign incentivized to save - quite literally - Mt Gorongosa’s remaining rainforest.

Home to a variety of endemic species, a

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CONSERVATION This part of Mozambique, in and around the Gorongosa National Park, experienced its own bit of hell in the 30-year civil war lasting from the 1970s. The women and girls went through their own traumas, which are perhaps best left stored in the imagination. Beyond that, most of rural Africa, not just Mozambique, is traditionally a patriarchal stomping ground (think elephant bull) - so being female is tough.

We’re not speaking of the ‘glass ceilings’ of the developed world. Few women growing up here have been able to think beyond collecting water, having babies, and tending crops. So, the roughly 50 Girls Clubs set up by the Gorongosa Restoration Project are not only restoring identity to a community worn down by those ruling by guns or favour but educating girls as to life’s possibilities.

With many young women working at the biodiversity laboratory in the park, and the park’s chief elephant scientist a 32-year-old local woman, there is good reason for the next generation to dance.

One of the apprentice girl guides accompanying me on a game drive. Greg Carr’s vision is to see girls being educated and going to varsity rather thatn being married off at 13 years.

rebel base on the mountain during 30-year civil war didn’t help its chances of emerging unscathed.

Gorongosa National Park is changing Mozambique’s world. It’s a long process, but someone had to start, and beneath the pre-rains blanket of village-made firesmoke, the signs are encouraging. I visited a displacement camp just outside the Park where villagers forced by circumstances to relocate, mostly women and children, were being assisted by Park and NGO staff with nutrition and health efforts. I visited a Girls Club - a Park initiative now numbering around 50 such clubs - where there is a focus on educating young girls.

Dancing and singing are common in Africa, almost ubiquitous at game lodges to welcome guests. But these girls are dancing with real purpose. They see a changing present around them and can dream of a brighter future. One in which they can, while holding on to the best of their cultures and values, raise their children to be the best men and women they can be.

The head of Gorongosa National Park’s Ecotourism project, Test Malunga, spends much of his time exploring - identifying new opportunities - with an eye to both enticing Africaphiles and providing work opportunities for local communities.

As with growing the coffee on Mt. Gorongosa, if the park and its resources can assist communities in the generation of income and development of skills, they will protect it.

A couple months back, brothers Baptista and Jeremiah Chimbatata introduced the extrovert Malunga (built like a football quarterback) to a network of caves in the forest and gorges where they live. His practised eye, gained from guiding around Zimbabwe and South Africa, saw what he responsible traveller 125

CONSERVATION called great potential. Malunga also found the area was home to a list of bird ‘specials’, the eastern nicator, silvery-cheeked hornbill, Mozambique batis and African broadbill among them.

Baptiste told me it took three days to build the camp once they’d found the location. The ubiquitous warm, wet flannel and welcome drink when we arrived after a long drive, were so odd in the circumstances - we’d driven far off-road, with no physical infrastructure in sight but extra welcome given the sincerity with which they were offered.

Whether it be camp manager and ‘cook’ Silverio Domingos, guide Tonga Torcidos or the Chimbatata brothers, they really wanted us to enjoy ourselves. Not just because that’s expected in tourist establishments, but because they were so evidently really excited at being involved in something like this. With leisure tourism

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figures in Mozambique far below that of its neighbours, beyond the beaches people don’t really understand tourism.

The attention to detail paid to my tent (USB ports and a fan) laid out deep in the forest, the way the path was cut, the ablution tents set up and the way the meal presented.... it was as if the chorus of cicadas were providing an accompanying welcome song.

By partnering with the community, the park can offer this adventure to travellers and tourists seeking unique experiences.

This is a landscape rewilded, in many areas probably untouched. A place of wild animals, birds and exploration - out here, travellers can literally venture where not many beyond the local villagers have been.

Real and raw, this fabulous, 400 000-hectare Park...which, with its new boutique, tented camp, and Biodiversity Laboratory, is getting ready to present itself to the world.

www.gorongosa.org

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Angus Begg – “I hope to be leading tours to Gorongosa when appropriate, and developing a Mozambican circuit itinerary which will include this remarkable park and two other compelling destinations - all woven together by story”.

www.angusbegg,com

Tent set up for travellers seeking real tourism experiences in Mozambique.

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Protecting the pristine

SEYCHELLES T

he one thing travellers expect from a beautiful beach holiday is a beautiful beach. Clean sand, clear water, abundant sea life and a general respect for the beauty that nature has bestowed.

words & pics - Lesley Stones

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CONSERVATION You don’t always get it. I’ve picked up endless plastic bottles abandoned on beaches in various countries, despaired at high tidemarks littered with junk, picked beer cans out of coral reefs, and peered into murky, oily water wondering what, if anything, can survive down there. Humans really are relentless in our ability to stuff up paradise.

Then you get the Seychelles, a scattering of 115 islands in the Indian Ocean, where mankind finally seems to be on nature’s side.

The islands feel far more pristine and unexploited than many other countries.

Perhaps that’s partly because they’re made of granite, with narrow roads that twist through hairpin bends to cross the mountainous interiors. Spectacular, but not conducive to farming or industrialisation. So nature and its lure for tourists is pretty much what keeps the economy afloat, and the islanders are determined to protect it.

The results are obvious. One day I took a 2km hike through Morne Seychellois National Park on Mahé island to Anse Major beach. It’s stunning, and almost completely deserted because you can only get there by hiking or by boat. The snorkelling was fabulous, and I almost choked with laughter when I was magically swirled up in a shoal of hundreds of silver, shimmering fish.

While you might think that Madagascar has the monopoly on bizarre endemic animals thanks to the DreamWorks movies, the Seychelles aren’t short of quirky specialities either. One is the Aldabra giant tortoise, and I spent ages feeding some in Mahé’s Botanical Gardens, dodging their massive feet as they jostled each other to chomp the leaves I enticed them with.

Another endemic novelty is the Coco de Mer, a palm tree with male and female versions. The female produces giant nuts that resemble the female pelvis, and it’s such a rarity that there’s a lucrative poaching and smuggling scene. This cheeky palm tree inspired the lovely bum-shaped 130 responsible traveller

stamp that immigration officials bang in your passport when you enter the country.

Island-hopping is the best way to experience the Seychelles, and from Mahé you can easily reach Praslin by ferry or a 20-minute flight over the brilliant turquoise waters. Much of Praslin is devoted to the Vallée de Mai nature reserve, and from there it’s a short ferry trip to La Digue, where everyone tootles around on bicycles. I pedalled along the flat coastal road to Anse Source D’Argent, hailed as one of the most photographed beaches in the world. What makes it more Instagrammable than the usual combo of golden sand, clear water and lush palms are its huge granite boulders, tempting the agile to climb up for a selfie.

CONSERVATION Unesco rates the Seychelles as a global biodiversity hotspot, with the world’s largest populations of several seabirds, a high diversity of cetaceans including breeding habitats, the only dugong population in the Indian Ocean, and abundant marine life including turtles, sharks, invertebrates and more than 1,000 fish species.

The conservation of all this is supported from the top, with a Ministry of Environment, Energy and Climate Change, as well as multiple non-profit organisations protecting its plants, animals and seas. In 2020, the country hit its target of declaring 30% of its ocean territory as a Marine Protected Area. Laws ban anyone from building within 25m of

the high tide line, or from using sunbeds on the sand to prevent erosion, says John Narin, sales manager of the Constance Ephelia hotel on Mahé.

The Ephelia straddles a spur of land that juts into Port Launay Marine Park, but the rooms aren’t described as having a sea view, because if palm trees or colourful hibiscus bushes are blocking your view, they won’t be cut down.

Constance Hotels and Resorts have made a commitment to sustainable tourism with initiatives including slashing their use of plastic, a mangrove reforestation programme, and desalination systems to filter seawater for use around their properties.

La Digue

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CONSERVATION My base on Praslin was the Constance Lemuria hotel, which boasts its own turtle manager, Robert Matombe, to protect the green and hawksbill turtles that nest on its beaches. “The first priority for the Seychelles is conservation,” Matombe says. “There are living creatures everywhere and it’s a small world – we need to share it.”

Green Sea Turtle - pic Wikimedia

His eco-hut is open to guests all day, with information boards about the wildlife and the fish you’ll see while snorkelling. He’s fascinating to chat to, describing how green turtles breed all year round and will beach to lay their eggs at night at any time of year, while Hawksbills beach during the day from October to February.

Outside the water they have blurry vision, so if a turtle beaches near you, stand still and it won’t notice you, he says. But if you startle it with a sudden movement, it will head for the sea and never dare to return.

A turtle will mate once then lay up to 1,000 eggs in batches, making return visits every fortnight to lay 200 eggs each time. It’s all so exhausting that they only reproduce every two years.

Matombe patrols the beaches every morning, noon and evening, and spends the night there if he’s expecting a turtle to return, to protect it from poachers. The eggs are buried about 50cm deep and hatch between 56 and 72 days later. But if its rained a lot the sand becomes too heavy for the hatchlings to break free, so after 72 days Matombe digs them out.

The eggs only hatch at night when the sand is cool, and the temperature of the nest determines whether the turtles are male or female. At the moment the births are heavily skewed to females because global warming is raising the temperatures.

Since the hatchlings find the sea by its luminescence, the Lemurai has removed all the lights around the nesting beaches so the babies don’t crawl towards them by accident.

I didn’t see any turtles when I snorkelled, but I swam amongst fanciful fish of bright

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Constance Lemuria - pic Constance Hotels & Resorts

CONSERVATION Hawksbill sea turtle - pic Constance Lemuria Resort

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CONSERVATION blue and yellow; boxy dotted fish, madly striped and swirled, and dozens of angel fish. There are sea urchins too, waiting to spike careless feet. But some of the coral is bleached, and only the more robust, less delicate varieties are thriving.

“Climate change and global warming is making the bleaching more severe, so the coral reefs aren’t as diverse as they used to be,” says Chris Mason-Parker, CEO of the Marine Conservation Society Seychelles (MCSS). “It’s fairly bad in terms of mortality, especially for the pretty branched versions. The ones surviving are the rounder, less exotic looking types.”

The MCSS runs a reef restoration project in St Ann Island, with a nursery where they transplant living coral onto frames made of rope or metal. Once the coral takes hold, the frame is sunk in a reef to restore the damaged areas. “Seychelles is very environmentally-focused and prides itself on its wildlife,” Mason-Parker says.

“Hopefully, increasing the amount of coral will bring back the fish as well, and improve the livelihoods of people who use the marine parks, like glass-bottom boat operators and hotels, so it will also be good for tourism.”

The MCSS also protects a species of terrapin that’s only found in the Seychelles, by tagging and monitoring them to get an idea of which areas they inhabit. It also runs a turtle monitoring programme, monitoring the critically endangered hawksbills by using software that lets them identify the individuals from their shell patterns.

Mason-Parker believes it’s important to work with hotels and their guests wherever possible, to highlight issues like climate change and over-fishing. “We’re trying to provide more information so they don’t just feel like they are on holiday, but they’re learning something in a fun way and understanding how as individuals we can reduce our impact and how our individual behaviour can affect things.”

At Beau Vallon, a popular holiday spot on Mahé, guests from Le Méridien 134 responsible traveller

Fisherman’s Cove hotel can join guided snorkelling trails to see how the reef is being restored. While the MCSS protects most marine life, it’s working to remove one particularly nasty creature - the crown-of-thorns (Acanthaster planci), a large, thorned starfish that hunts in the shallow reefs. This is a freak-show starfish, with up to 23 arms that can all regrow, covered with poisonous spines.

These carnivorous predators can reach up to 80cm wide, and feed on live coral, sponges and other organisms.

Reefs that are already bleached because climate change is heating up the oceans stand less chance of recovering if these starfish devour any new growth. To help the reef at Fisherman’s Cove recover, the team is removing crown-of-thorns starfish from the reef, and hotel guests can get involved. If they tread carefully, of course.

www.constancehotels.com www.seychelles.travel (Lesley Stones was a guest of Constance Hotels & Resorts and the Seychelles Tourism Board)

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Beau Vallon Beach

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A Green Perspective

my first visit to Trat and Bangkok words -Dawn Jorgenson pics - Dawn Jorgenson / Sourced responsible traveller 137

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here’s a strong smell of incense as I enter the temple, the sweet-spicy aroma wafting gently on the warm air. Monks in orange robes chant their prayers as they gently rock back and forth. The moon has moved a call to prayer and the community has gathered in unison, bringing with them offerings of coins, lotus flowers and fruit. I drop to my knees, lower my head and welcome the holy water sprinkled onto me, while meaningful words I don’t understand are said.

I think back to my first visit to Thailand a few years, where the focus was on discovering a greener side to this soughtafter destination where Buddhist temples, spectacular islands, white beaches, a rich history and unique culture are the drawcards. Not to mention the delicious Thai food and healing massages.

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This visit saw my arrival in Bangkok for a night’s rest, before travelling to Trat where I would meet local communities and learn about their symbiotic relationship with the surrounds. Trat, a province in Thailand’s south eastern corner, borders Cambodia along the Cardamom Mountains.

A true and honest look at the gentleness

and respect with which these special communities co-exist with nature and how openly they are prepared to share their lives with visitors and tourists.

With a coast on the Gulf of Thailand, the province encompasses numerous islands with white-sand beaches and coral reefs, many of which lie within Mu Ko Chang National Park. The largest island is Ko Chang, known for its dense jungle, waterfalls and offshore coral reefs, plus Bang Bao village with its houses on stilts.

Chong Changtune Community The Chong Changtune community aims its focus on the tradition of health and

wellness, which is deeply ingrained in their culture. Enjoy a deep Thai massage with herbal compress ball treatment and Spa de Chong, a herbal steam treatment in a woven chicken coop that was invented here. There is a strong passion here for natural and cultural conservation and this was evident as we walked the area provided for tree plantation and the nature walk. The Chong people live strongly by their philosophy “whatever we take from nature, we have to give back”.

The community is dedicated to natural and cultural conservation. They are replanting many kinds of plants and herbs in the area, which are no longer commonly found in the

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wild, and they replace everything that they pick with a new plant. They use natural products and herbs not only for their chicken coop saunas, but for food, soaps, exfoliating scrubs, massages, and even these little inventions called sniffing jars, which are filled with herbs and spices that have a wonderfully refreshing aroma.

Huai Raeng Community All of the communities will touch you in different ways, yet the sense of space and calm in the wooded Huai Raeng farming district stands out. Referred to as the ‘Land of Three Waters’, the fertility of the land and success of their agricultural projects is due to a combination of fresh, brackish, and saltwater on the river. Here they demonstrate respect and gentle coexistence with nature and the environment.

Take a cruise on the Khlong canal to see how they harvest palm leaves and catch prawn for consumption. Make betel palm leaf wraps, a traditional lunch pack with

rice, salty eggs, walnuts, onion, pineapple.

Also learn about the production of coconut oil and mangosteen soap and taste the delicious freshly hacked open palm fruit, which resembles litchi in flavour and texture.

Nam Chiao Community Ban Nam Chiao is a living and working community complete with schools, places of worship, markets and the trimmings of modern-day life that has motorbikes weaving along the narrow lanes. Here too, a community of Muslims and Buddhists that has successfully maintained a traditional way of life, living peacefully with an ancient temple a short walk from the 200-year-old mosque.

Situated on the canal lined with colourfully decorated boats, they have been involved in culinary based tourism for 11 years and have now branched into the sustainable sector. One of the best ways to appreciate life at Ban Nam Chiao and the work of the fishermen is by longboat out to the

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estuary with views of Ko Chang in the near distance. In the shallow waters, you can try your hand at catching the local delicacy, long-tongue crabs that live in the thick mud below the surface.

Back at the village, you have the opportunity to enjoy a cooking demo and eat the catch of the day, as well as learn how to make tang may, a delicious crispy caramel treat.

A highlight will be the weaving of a hat called Ngop Nam Chiao made from palm leaves that grow in the nearby mangrove forests and for which the area is known.

Highly recommended is the cycle tour around the village.

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Bangkok, City of Angels From here I returned to Bangkok and this vibrant city that never sleeps. The Chao Phraya River running through the centre, traffic pulsating and public transport ranging from The Skytrain (BTS) and underground (MRT) rail systems to river taxis and express boats for easy access to the many sites and attractions.

Of the must-see attractions, is the Grand Palace and Emerald Buddha Temple where on a 60 acres property in the heart of the city, in 1782 the first King of Thailand started construction of these incredible temples and palaces with their intricate detail, mosaic, Buddhas, turrets and bells.

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The mythical animals command your attention and you’ll be marvelled by the beauty. Allow plenty of time and don’t get tricked. There are often ‘guides’ on the street here trying to con you into paying for entrance or a tour, there is no reason, find the entrance that is ALWAYS open and walk yourself around.

Take a day trip to visit the Wihan Phira Mongkhon Bophit Tempel at Ayutthaya, the first capital of Thailand and holder of the status for 417 years. An incredible depiction of how life was and insight into the much-revered royal family. The bronze Buddha inside offers serenity and blessings and the groups of school children visiting a look at the future.

We walked the ruins of Wat Phira Si Samphet with its ancient turrets, stairs, towers and walls.

Took a long boat down the river and walked around the grounds of the Kings Summer Palace with its detailed buildings and topiary filled landscaped gardens and the surrounding village is well-developed with some good markets to shop at.

How to get there Many of these villages mentioned are not that easily accessible without the help of somebody on the ground and we recommend Local Alike, a Thai-based social enterprise that assists with developing authentic eco-tourism while offering support to the communities they visit.

Note. Access to Trat is conveniently serviced by daily direct return flights to Bangkok.

First published by Dawn Jorgensen in:

www.theincidentaltourist.com

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AFRICA TRAVEL WEEK

AFRICA TRAVEL WEEK Responsible Tourism Programme 148 responsible traveller

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AFRICA TRAVEL WEEK frica Travel Week (ATW), with its various shows, conferences and award ceremonies, has always been a highlight on the travel industry calendar. The arrival of the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020 saw ‘in-person’ trade shows the world over disappear, virtually overnight.

With the uncertainty around travel restrictions and in keeping with global precautions, ATW went virtual. Initially with informative webinars and online content, and this year in April with a ATW Virtual, complete with dynamic networking and a bumper content programme, featuring trends, insights and speakers from across the globe.

A highlight for Responsible Traveller mag has always been the informative and inspirational responsible tourism programme, and this year was no different.

Here’s an overview of some of the great content…

DAY ONE: Progress in Responsible Tourism – a

panel discussion, moderated by Harold Goodwin, Responsible Tourism Advisor, World Travel Market.

Panellists: • Eugenio Yunis, Member of the World Committee on Tourism Ethics and independent advisor • Tim Harris, CEO of Wesgro • Manisha Pande,Co- founder and Managing Director Village Ways • Dr Niki Glen, CEO of Africa!Ignite • Shannon Guihan, Chief TreadRight & Sustainability Officer for The Travel Corporation During this session we take look at how far we have come with Responsible Tourism.

The following questions will be answered: What solutions can we point to that make tourism better? Solutions that have been tried and tested and proven to deliver results? How much progress have we made? What should be out priorities for the next decade? How can we achieve more?

Click HERE to watch this session

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AFRICA TRAVEL WEEK What role for certification? - a panel

discussion, moderated by Harold Goodwin, Responsible Tourism Advisor, World Travel Market.

Panellists : • Lee-Anne Bac, Director: BDO South Africa Advisory • Olivia Ruggles-Brise, Director, Greenview Andrea Nicholas, CEO Green Business UK Ltd • Kelly Bricker, Professor and Director of Parks, Recreation, and Tourism at the University of Utah The Global Sustainable Tourism Council was established to ensure a consistent baseline across the wide variety of schemes that emerged to empower travellers and holidaymakers to make more informed choices and drive sustainable tourism development. Reflecting on the last two decades, what have we learnt about what works and why? How can we increase the effectiveness of certification in delivering sustainable tourism?

Click HERE to watch this session

What transformational travel means for sustainability – presented by Tom Fels, Founder of Animarem

A new wave of travellers is set to spark a change in the future of travel, where the journey itself is once again imbued with meaning and intent. Join those at the cutting edge of reshaping their outlook as Tom Fels unpacked the far-reaching implications of this movement, covering topics such as responsible citizenship and experience design.

Click HERE to watch this session

DAY TWO: Tourism and Biodiversity: Friend or Foe - a panel discussion, moderated by was

Shaun Vorster, Professor at the University of Stellenbosch and member of the Advisory Board, Tourism Forum Lucerne. Shaun also moderated the panel at WTM London where a different group discussed the issues.

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Panellists: • Luthando Dziba, Head of Conservation SANParks • Prof Emma Archer, Associate Professor, University of Pretoria • Paul Simkin, Chairman, The Forest (Kenya)Michael Lutzeyer, Owner Grootbos Private Nature Reserve (Western Cape) • Richard Vigne, Managing Director OL Pejeta Conservancy (Kenya) A panel discussion about the relationship between tourism and the maintenance of biodiversity. Africa is still blessed with much of world’ charismatic megafauna, the Big 5 and a host of other species which tourists will pay top dollar to see.

There can be no doubt that at least some of Africa’s biodiversity is highly valued - too highly valued perhaps. Some species are worth more dead than alive as trophies, for decoration or “medicine”. There is big money to be made from legal consumptive trophy hunting and illegally from poaching for ivory, rhino horn or lion.

Click HERE to watch this session

How can tourism create more value for local communities? - a panel discussion,

moderated by Harold Goodwin, Responsible Tourism Advisor, World Travel Market.

Panellists: • Glynn O’Leary, Co-founder and Chief Executive of TFPD • Dr Salifou Siddo, Chief Executive of SME TradeLinks (Pty) Ltd • James Fernie, Founding Director of Uthando • Adama Bah, Founder of the Institute of Travel and Tourism of The Gambia • Rupesh Kumar, State Responsible Tourism Mission Coordinator, Responsible Tourism Mission, Govt. of Kerala Inclusion and reducing poverty are as crucial as tackling climate change and biodiversity loss as post-Covid we struggle to realise the Sustainable Development Goals’ aspirations. We’ve brought together a panel of practitioners to share their experience of how best sufficient we can

AFRICA TRAVEL WEEK create sufficient value to raise the living standards of local people in the areas that attract tourists.

between hosts and guests, what does that mean for practice? How can we celebrate diversity better?

Click HERE to watch this session

Click HERE to watch this session

DAY THREE: Whose diversity is it? - a panel

discussion, moderated by Harold Goodwin, Responsible Tourism Advisor, World Travel Market.

Panellists: • Judy Kepher Gona, Director and Lead consultant at Sustainable Travel & Tourism Agenda • Uwern Jong, Experientialist-in-Chief of luxury & experiential travel journal, OutThere magazine • Aziz Abu Sarah, Co-founder of MEJDI TOURS Siyabulela Siyaka,Executive member of Langa Tourism Forum There has long been an academic critique of the ways in which our industry commodifies cultures and cultural artefacts. At the heart of Responsible Tourism is the principle that communities should use tourism for their sustainable development rather than be used by it. We aspire to create meaningful connections

Stories bring experiences alive - a panel discussion, moderated by Harold Goodwin, Responsible Tourism Advisor, World Travel Market.

Panellists: • Toroga Denver, KHOIKHOI First nations language and cultural activist and writer JoAnna Haugen, Founder of Rooted • Dirk Hermanus Pienaar, Tourism and Conservation Officer, Khomani San CPA We need to think about the stories we tell in the itineraries and places we recommend and market. We need to have more diversity in the experiences and stories we tell. We need to take responsibility if travel is to broaden the mind rather than reinforce prejudices. Only through storytelling can we realise the ambition of Responsible Tourism to provide “more enjoyable experiences for tourists through more meaningful connections with local people, and a greater understanding of local cultural, social and environmental issues.

Click HERE to watch this session

www.atwconnect.com

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TOURISM NEWS

What’s New In

TOURISM?

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TOURISM NEWS

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TOURISM NEWS Singita Pamushana is open to guests once more After a year during which travellers yearned for restorative experiences in nature, the continent’s most remote wilderness settings offer an undeniable spirit of joy, hope and rejuvenation.The recently reopened Singita Pamushana Lodge* and exclusiveuse villa Malilangwe House, located in the 130,000-acre Malilangwe Wildlife Reserve in Zimbabwe’s remote southeast, are perfectly positioned to provide guests with exclusivity, comfort and connection – and they encapsulate the essence of an African safari.

below. Guests have the relaxed freedom to tailor-make their stay any way they want and Malilangwe House comes with a full staff complement, including a dedicated private Chef, Field Guide and Host catering for every need.

As is the case at all Singita’s other lodges and camps, the health and wellbeing of guests are top of mind, and complete privacy and essential COVID-19 safety protocols ensure peace of mind and a carefree return to nature.

The area’s rich cultural history invites explorations of its vast and captivating

After abundant recent rains, the reserve’s vast landscapes are bursting with new life and greenery and the unparalleled gameviewing in this lush wilderness is now even more exceptional than ever before.

For guests who’ve had to postpone special celebrations during COVID-19 lockdowns, or those who long to reconnect with nature, loved ones and themselves, Singita Pamushana provides the ultimate backdrop for shared experiences – and a much-needed sense of grounding and togetherness.

From Singita’s locally inspired farm-totable food journey to rejuvenating wellness activities and enlightening bush walks – a stay at Pamushana seamlessly combines the kind of stillness and healing travellers have come to value most. * Singita Pamushana Lodge was recently featured in the Condé Nast Traveller 2020 Readers’ Choice Awards at No. 5 for Africa Resorts.

As one of Africa’s most remote hideaways, Singita Malilangwe House offers breathtaking views and every conceivable comfort, and this stately African home is now also open. Epitomising seclusion and serenity on the edge of the wilderness, this elegant home features five-bedrooms – each with its own private deck – as well as an interactive kitchen and large rimflow pool overlooking the Malilangwe Dam 154 responsible traveller

Featuring relaxed, light and airy shared spaces, the villa’s free-flowing living areas provide a sense of seamless ease and a convivial setting for a contemporary safari that is both casual and sophisticated.

TOURISM NEWS archaeological heritage – including visits to the Malilangwe Reserve’s 107 rare and unique rock art sites. Among these precious records of the past are fascinating San Bushman rock art paintings and three newly discovered archaeological sites, dating back hundreds of years, documenting one of the oldest cultures in Africa.

While Singita has always offered guests the opportunity to draw from the physical and emotional nourishment that comes with wide open spaces, privacy, wholesome food and the unhurried pace the bush, the need for complete restoration is greater than ever.

Guests have exclusive access to explore the reserve’s thriving wildlife – including endangered white and black rhino, large prides of lions, wild dogs, elephants and an astounding variety of birds.

Days are spent on game drives, fishing on the picturesque Malilangwe Dam and visiting rock art sites, while boma dinners, world-class wine-tasting and stargazing make for magical evenings. Singita Pamushana is an ideal long-stay destination courtesy of the abundance of activities.

www.singita.com

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TOURISM NEWS Ojimah: A one-stop Travel Tech Solution Many people have never visited Africa and may never even consider visiting the continent. Yet there is a particular image of Africa in their minds.

At the end of 2020, an international public service broadcaster, attributed Africa’s success in curbing the spread of the notorious coronavirus on the continent to “poverty”. The story was headlined “Coronavirus in Africa”.

This is a vivid example of negative stories the media tends to publish about Africa. At Ojimah, we believe that by educating the community about our continent we can overturn some of its negative clichés and use them to our advantage.

Without a doubt Africa needs to actively rebrand itself. Through Ojimah, we want

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to be part of rebranding Africa as a global touristic destination by sharing stories and genuine experiences of travelers throughout the continent. We believe that by offering ordinary people a tribune to share their everyday experiences, Ojimah will be capturing positive human moments.

These moments of joy, play, celebration, love and human interaction, will help create new narratives of Africa and hopefully, start changing people’s perception of the continent. To every negative comment about Africa, Ojimah will respond with a thousand stories of success to help changing the continent’s image.

Every year, billions of tourists rely on technology that has not kept up with the expectations of the modern connected traveller. That is why we have built Ojimah,

TOURISM NEWS a One-Stop Travel Tech Solution that make travel effortless for today’s travellers.

We are a multichannel platform aimed at opening the African travel market both to the world and to its regional tourists by providing a user-centric interface with access to airline tickets, hotel bookings, rent a car, visa services, online currency exchange and tailor-made experiences.

We pride ourselves in having a powerful group of young travel disrupters – each skilled and enthusiastic in their particular field of expertise: innovative engineers, marketing and social media experts, customer centric professionals, operational talents and instinct-driven creatives.

that tourism supports their well-being.

You will learn from native experts on where to stay, what to do and see, as well as the best safety and travel tips to prepare you on your journey to explore Africa. If you do not want to explore Africa as a mere tourist, but rather experience real life while giving back to society – Ojimah is your company of excellence.

We know this is only the beginning of our journey, but we are here to create a long-lasting relationship based on trust and transparency. We want to give our contribution in developing the continent by finding innovative ways to solve African issues.

Join our community by helping Ojimah give We are committed to respecting the rights, Africa a voice on the global arena. history, and culture of locals while ensuring

Ojimah – Changing Tourism For The Better Excitement is building in the countdown to the launch of Ojimah – an African travel tech company that believes it is changing the travel industry for the better.

Ojimah’s multi-functional platform not only covers almost every aspect of a customer’s journey, from flights, accommodation, local experiences and car rental to visa applications, e-wallet, destination guides and real-time conversations with advisors, but does so using proven sustainable and responsible tourism providers and inter-Africa, low-cost airlines.

Ojimah’s CEO Mike Tavares says, “Ojimah was conceived by hospitality experts using technology to enhance the customer experience, as opposed to a tech company coming into the hospitality area.” He adds, “Our background in hospitality makes us customer centric, with core values to support small businesses and local communities, and respect cultures and the environment through responsible and sustainable tourism. Whether travelling for business or pleasure, we create compelling experiences that emotionally connect people to the places they visit.”

Tavares has a background in international tourism and hospitality consultancy and operations. As Founder of United Consulting, he works with governments to design and implement sustainable tourism strategies and products, and with high-level stakeholders to develop hotels from the ground up.

Tavares knows that what guests and travellers really want is outstanding customer service and a user-centric interface from which to achieve all their travel needs in one go. Tavares says Ojimah will provide that as a seamless experience on a full-service platform, where a click on the live chat button puts you in touch with a real person. responsible traveller 157

TOURISM NEWS Another significant differentiating factor is that unlike flight price comparison websites, Ojimah integrates 81 low-cost carriers including Africa’s top 13 low-cost airlines into its algorithm, to provide cost-effective and time-effective ways to reach a destination.

Tavares asserts that Ojimah is redefining the concept of online travel and will provide complete solutions for regional travel within the continent and international travel to Africa. Customer support teams will be located in Cape Town and Lagos to start.

Ojimah’s Beta version will be released on the 24th of May and will focus on three main products: flights, accommodation and experiences. “The Beta version will initially be available to people that are already on the waiting list or to those subscribing to Ojimah.com” says Tavares.

The full website www.ojimah.com will be launched by the end of June and amongst other innovative features, it will include a visa platform which allows you to find out up-to-date entry requirements and apply in minutes, eliminating the frustration with lengthy government forms, and expensive journeys to the embassy.

While Ojimah specialises in the African market, the platform also accesses the full range of travel services around the world. From booking a hotel in Miami, to purchasing a flight from Sydney to Paris or to simply booking a day tour in Shanghai. All at very competitive prices.

Subscribe NOW and be part of the Ojimah journey!

www.ojimah.com

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TOURISM NEWS

Serengeti Sojourn Mobile Camp Returns to the East African Plains After 12 months of closure the unique Serengeti Sojourn luxury tented camp has finally reopened for bookings. This premier game experience allows guests to view the spectacle of the annual wildlife migration where, following the seasonal rainfall, over one million white-bearded wildebeest and other species migrate from Masai Mara in Kenya to the Serengeti in Tanzania, offering spectacular game viewing opportunities.

that with the increase in the vaccine uptake (internationally) and the gradual return to a sense of normalcy, that we’ll be more than ready to welcome guests. Travel provides essential income to so many who rely on business from tourism – so many who have struggled over the past year. It is with great excitement that we look forward to opening our doors and welcoming you to the holiday of a lifetime!”

The elite tented Serengeti Sojourn camp moves within the national park to ensure the best possible sightings of this phenomenon and offers guests the chance to enjoy a raw African experience that is upclose and wild – an adventure of a lifetime.

“More than ever before, we crave to be in nature. We crave space, travel, new experiences – a break from what we’ve known and lived through inside our own four walls over the past year.”

From 1 July 2021, the camp will open in Lobo, northern Serengeti, where it will remain until November. During this period, guests get to witness the great migration of over one-million wildebeest, 200 000 zebras and other magnificent animals, including four globally threatened or endangered “We’ve seen a surge in bookings and a species: the black rhino, elephant, wild promising start to the second quarter of dog and cheetah. From 22 December 2021 2021,” says Neil Markovitz, CEO of NEWMARK, the camp will open in Ndutu, southern Hotels, Reserves, Lodges and Residences.

Serengeti.

“Our decision to re-open Serengeti Sojourn www.newmarkhotels.com came after much deliberation, but we feel As parts of our world slowly return to normalcy and begin to open borders, we celebrate with this breath of good news: an opportunity to make that bucket-list travel dream come true.

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TOURISM NEWS 8 Surprising Travel Trends Forecast for Winter 2021 December is historically the high season for travel in South Africa, but the second wave of COVID-19 generally kept people close to home. So, while winter may not usually be a favourite travel time for locals, industry experts are predicting a rise in 2021. Basically, they say, winter can be a magical time too. While temperatures do drop, South Africa’s winters are a far cry from those in the northern hemisphere, where staying beside the fire is something of a necessity. Here, early mornings and evenings might be chilly, but many days are actually sunny and can even be quite warm.

hosting meetings and conferences. In fact, traditional conferencing is making a strong comeback. Johannesburg, the country’s corporate hub, is leading with conferencing bookings. But Cape Town and Port Elizabeth are also showing early signs of increased events and meeting business. “Since there is so much uncertainty in the world currently, Radisson’s new policies allow bookings to be postponed for up to a year,” says McIntyre.

3. Budget-friendly travel

The coronavirus negatively impacted incomes across the globe in 2020. Many “South Africa is a beautiful country at any employees were retrenched, while many time of the year, but the mild daytime more experienced salary cuts as businesses temperatures during winter offer a pleasant battled to stay afloat. Even though the change to the scorching summer sun,” says economy has made something of a William McIntyre, Regional Director, Africa, recovery, budgets remain tight. So, those in Radisson Hotel Group. “This makes winter a a position to travel are looking for the best perfect time to explore the country.” value for their money. And this applies not only to accommodation, but also to meals Here are eight hospitality and travel trends that McIntyre forecasts we’ll see and activities.

come to the fore this winter.

1. Flexible booking policies

When travellers around the world had to postpone or cancel their bookings in early 2020, many hotels and airlines waived cancellation policies as the industry ground to a halt amidst COVID-19 and the associated lockdowns. The uncertainty that the pandemic sparked has left many travellers still concerned about losing deposits on any future travel plans.

“We are very conscious of budget restraints, which is why Radisson is keeping costs as low as possible with deals and added incentives,” says McIntyre. “Members of our loyalty club, Radisson Rewards, receive a discount on the best available rate when booking directly on our website or mobile app. And members can redeem their points against accommodation costs, which helps keep their expenses to a minimum.”

Budget constraints also mean that many travellers are choosing destinations closer “They’re more likely to book with a hotel to home; they can still get away, while or airline that will allow them to change keeping down travel costs. Staycations their travel dates without incurring cut the expense of fuel or flight tickets penalties, giving them that extra level of considerably, allowing travellers to spend confidence as they begin venturing out and money on activities and meals instead. about again,” says McIntyre.

2. Conferences make a comeback Zoom enjoyed overnight success at the start of lockdowns, but Zoom fatigue quickly became widespread as people began missing the human connection of faceto-face interaction. Now that restrictions have eased, corporates are increasingly reinstituting business travel, and even 160 responsible traveller

4. Workations

Remote working is no longer only for the lucky. When the country was forced to close office buildings, many companies discovered that staff members could perform their duties equally well at home. This has freed many staff from the shackles of an office job, affording them the freedom to manage their time, and location, differently.

With a laptop and internet connection, work can happen just about anywhere. So employees are opting, more and more, to take their office to new and interesting destinations. And they’ll be grading accommodation on the quality of the WiFi and comfort of the working spaces.

5. Dining out After months of cooking at home or eating takeaways, more people are opting to dine out. Due to social distancing rules, restaurants may only serve about half the number of usual guests, but that doesn’t mean anyone needs to miss out on a fantastic meal. “Radisson prides itself on a great dining experience, and all of our restaurants are open to the public,” says McIntyre. In fact, the hotel group is currently running myriad amazing dining experiences, including two-for-one and set menu specials.

6. Isolated destinations With COVID-19 known to spread in confined, crowded spaces, travellers are seeking more remote, less populated destinations where they are less likely to encounter the usual holiday crowds.

They’re venturing away from travel hotspots and heading out of town to less well-known areas instead – making this a great time for out-of-the-way destinations to advertise what they have to offer.

7. Spontaneous trips

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Travellers have become much more spontaneous over the last year, and this trend is set to continue throughout the winter months. So many long-awaited holidays had to be rescheduled when lockdowns hit and people were bitterly disappointed when even their rescheduled plans had to be cancelled. The uncertainties driven by COVID-19 have translated to much more impulsive travel planning, including family getaways. Get away now, they think before we all get slapped with a new restriction.

8. Wellness retreats People have probably never been more aware of the importance of maintaining their physical and mental wellness.

Lockdown and self-isolation for large portions of 2020, the uncertainty around employment, and a host of other factors sent stress levels spiralling. When travel wasn’t permitted, people found ways to manage their mental stress at home.

Since restrictions have eased, visiting a spa – whether for a few hours or a few days – and indulging in massages, facials, manicures and pedicures, has become popular. “What better way to relax and destress than in a calm, tranquil environment designed to invoke peace?” concludes McIntyre.

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TOURISM NEWS DiDi expands to Cape Town DiDi enters the Cape Town market with a commitment to bringing entrepreneurship opportunities and safer, more accessible mobility options.

local police, 24/7 support via a dedicated safety hotline, preview information for riders and drivers, and safety training for drivers, among others.

DiDi, the world’s leading mobility platform, has started its registration process for drivers in Cape Town, South Africa, and will begin offering ride-hailing services in the province over the next few weeks.

Since February 2020, DiDi’s anti-COVID experience has created strong and positive results in addressing local challenges by: • Introducing Health Guard technologies to ensure that masks are worn during trips and that all vehicles are disinfected • Providing financial assistance to driverpartners in overseas markets through a dedicated US$10 million relief fund

This new expansion follows a very successful pilot launch in Gqeberha, South Africa, on 1 March 2021. Since then, more than 2,000 drivers in the city have already downloaded the DiDi Drivers app, enabling more than 20,000 local residents, who have already signed up with DiDi, get to where they need to be safely and affordably.

Much more than just another ridehailing service, DiDi focuses on providing high-level resources, safe and flexible entrepreneurship opportunities for driverpartners, and reliable mobility options for the public. In a country like South Africa, where unemployment rates and safety are major concerns, this platform is not only much-needed but highly valuable.

“The pandemic has had a huge impact in South Africa and has rapidly changed our lives. As such, we decided to launch the DiDi platform in the country and offer a necessary, high-quality tool to mobilise recovery and reconstruction. Our platform creates better income opportunities for drivers and safer and more affordable mobility alternatives for the people of Cape Town, and hopefully the rest of South Africa very soon,” said Lyn Ma, DiDi’s General Manager for Africa.

Despite the challenges of the pandemic, DiDi continues to focus on providing resources, safe and flexible entrepreneurship opportunities and reliable mobility options to new regions and people.

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Beyond investments in these special programs, DiDi remains dedicated to protecting the health and safety of its users and providing safe, affordable and convenient services.

The launch and expansion of DiDi in South Africa marks another milestone for the company’s fast-growing network of international markets, which now includes 14 countries outside of China, including Australia, New Zealand, Japan, Brazil, Mexico, Chile, Colombia, Peru, Costa Rica, Panama, Russia, the Dominican Republic, and Argentina.

www.didiglobal.com

TOURISM NEWS Blue Train is welcoming the world to the luxury of SLOW, again South Africa’s luxury train - The Blue Train - is starting to see an increase in the number of international guests travelling for leisure as worldwide Covid-19 vaccination rollout programmes get underway, an early indication of recovery in the tourism sector.

For the first quarter of 2021, The Blue Train welcomed visitors as far as from the United States of America, the United Kingdom, Germany, Belgium and Switzerland on board the luxury train. The Blue Train has also enjoyed the company of local tourists who, following the easing of Covid-19 lockdown regulations in November 2020, have been supporting this national treasure and other local tourism businesses.

“Since returning to operations, we have had the great fortune of overwhelming support from local guests. We kicked off with fully booked trains as per new capacity dictates well into the first quarter of 2021, and we continue with that winning streak.

Worth mentioning is the increasing number of international guests from the United States of America and European countries that we have been hosting on board The Blue Train over the last few weeks,” said Nomasonto Ndlovu, Executive Manager of Tourism, Hospitality & Heritage at Transnet.

COVID-19 precautions, aligned with Department of Tourism and World Health Organisation guidelines have improved at The Blue Train. The latest addition to these precautions was the introduction of rapid antigen testing for all guests and crew prior to departure. This, on top of the strict wearing of masks in shared spaces, frequent sanitizing and servicing of air conditioning systems has gone a long way in ensuring that guests can surrender to the luxury of slow without any worry.

In the wake of Covid-19 - lockdowns worldwide, over a year ago, the tourism sector was among the hardest hit and lost billions in revenue in the process.

The sector adapted and stayed spirited, adapting to uncertain and consequential variables within stringent health and safety guidelines. In spite of these challenges, South African guests showed up, and continue to do so, to support the industry and appreciate domestic tourism experiences.

For more information on the protocols for travel in a COVID-era, please visit our website at:

www.bluetrain

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TOURISM NEWS

Stellenbosch Wine Routes celebrates half-century of leadership and innovation The Stellenbosch Wine Routes celebrates its 50th anniversary this year, a milestone that also marks the birth of South African wine tourism. Beyond offering the highest density of exceptional premium wines in South Africa, the Stellenbosch Wine Routes paved the way for the creation of the country’s wine tourism, an industry that contributes R7.2bn to GDP per year.

“The occasion of our 50th comes at a most opportune time,” says Stellenbosch Wine Routes chairman, Mike Ratcliffe. “The wine industry and indeed, the country, is undergoing one of its most challenging seasons and reflecting on historic achievements is important for the inspiration it provides given the work that awaits us.”

Since its first step 50 years ago, the footprint of wine tourism has extended to 164 responsible traveller

wine-producing regions in five provinces with 23 recorded wine routes. The development of wine tourism in South Africa has also led to the transformation of the rural landscape in these wine routes, with state-of-the-art wine estates, graded hotels and event facilities having been added for guests. More than half of member wineries have incorporated food-related experiences into their wine-tourism offering.

Today, the Stellenbosch Wine Routes comprises a myriad of world-class wine tourism encounters in addition to wine tastings.

From wine safaris to award-winning gourmet affairs, the Stellenbosch Wine Routes justifiably earns its reputation of being the biggest visitor attraction outside of Cape Town. Every year, hundreds of thousands of guests traditionally visit the area, which is

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a staple of trips to the Western Cape – for both local and international guests.

In 2019, the Stellenbosch Wine Routes became a founding member of Visit Stellenbosch, the town’s official Destination Marketing Organisation. This joint initiative is unifying Stellenbosch tourism stakeholders under one umbrella with the objective of growing the tourism and experience economy in Stellenbosch for the benefit of all communities.

The same year, the organisation became the first Southern Hemisphere wine region to join the Porto Protocol. Here, it committed to accelerating its focus and efforts on good environmental practice principles and executing projects oriented towards local sustainability. “Stellenbosch’s success is due

to the unique combination of several critical factors. These include the quality and number of wineries; the beauty of the surrounding landscape, collaboration; and, availability of cultural tourism that augments wine tourism,” says Ratcliffe.

The Stellenbosch wine region has received the most wine awards per capita than any other of its kind in South Africa, underscoring a link between quality of wine and successful wine tourism.

“As the first and largest wine route in the country, Stellenbosch Wine Routes will continue to lead the way. Included in our mandate is challenging local, provincial and national government on issues that affect our members and the industry, collectively addressing climate change as a member of responsible traveller 165

TOURISM NEWS the Porto Protocol and driving the social agenda,” Ratcliffe says.

that are dependent on this sector cannot be underestimated either,” says Ratcliffe.

“Stellenbosch recognises the leadership role it must play on climate change and socio-economic issues too. We are committed as the wine and tourism ecosystem of Stellenbosch to drive environmental protection and social cohesion and foster good principles among all our stakeholders.”

Quick off the mark when COVID-19 arrived on our shores, Stellenbosch rallied fervently to support economically vulnerable people living in and around the winelands. Among the initiatives was Stellenbosch Unite, through which last year it fed 690 000 people with 207 000 litres of soup and 36 800 food parcels.

On the effects of the pandemic, Ratcliffe says it demonstrated once again how in times of crisis communities pull together.

The industry itself has faced seemingly insurmountable crises in the past and risen to meet the challenges every time.

Vinpro estimates that more than R2.5bn in revenue was lost between March and July 2020, with most losses incurred at the tasting room.

This year, it co-ordinated the donation of hundreds of care packages to staff across all roles in the medical sector, including nurses, cleaners, porters, security guards, administrative officers, clinic workers and support staff.

Stellenbosch was also the first destination in sub-Saharan Africa to implement World Travel and Tourism Council-approved stringent health and hygiene safety protocols for “The impact to profitability, employment the wellbeing of staff and guests. “As a wine and the financial stability of the communities route, we continue to put a firm focus on

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ensuring our wine and tourism eco-system continues to implement these protocols consistently for the safety of our staff and guests,” Ratcliffe says.

The Stellenbosch Wine Routes was founded by a now-famous fearless threesome who sought to change the existing status quo in the 1960s of grapes being sent to co-ops to produce the final product. At the time, the industry was controlled by KWV and co-operatives due to oversupply and vineyard owners could not sell wine under their own labels.

During a trip to Burgundy in 1969, Frans Malan (Simonsig) and Niel Joubert (Spier) discovered the famous Routes des Vins at Morey St Denis and saw the possibility of a similar scenario being established in Stellenbosch. Returning home, the two regrouped with Spatz Sperling (Delheim) to form the new organisation and so the Stellenbosch Wine Routes was officially launched in 1971.

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The three founding members were soon joined by Groenland, Koopmanskloof, Blaauwklippen, Verdun, Overgaauw, Neethlingshof, Hazendal, Uiterwyk, Muratie, Mooiplaas, Hartenberg and Koelenhof.

At its inception, the Stellenbosch Wine Routes created an organised network of wine farms offering cellar door tastings and, in some cases, light meals. The consumer could then drive from farm to farm to taste and buy wine. The law of the day prescribed that wine had to be sold in cases of 12.

Today, the wine route has five sub-routes offering diverse wine tourism experiences, from all-inclusive luxury wine estates with tasting rooms, restaurants, and accommodation to small boutique wineries. It currently has over 120 wine and grape producer members within the boundaries of Stellenbosch Wine of Origin classification.

www.wineroute.co.za www.visitstellenbosch.org

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CONSERVATION & ENVIRONMENT NEWS

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What’s News in

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CONSERVATION & ENVIRONMENT NEWS Mount Camdeboo Secures Top Spots in Cheetah Conservation Stakes MOUNT Camdeboo, the private game reserve in South Africa’s vast and spectacular Great Karoo region owned by the Buchanan family, has recorded not one but two wins in the race to save wild cheetah from extinction.

Both success stories involve animals born in captivity – including two brothers handreared in Britain – and are in the process of being “wilded”. The cheetah, Acinonyx jubatus, has been declared a vulnerable species by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN).

With fewer than 7000 animals remaining in the world, only 1000 exist in the wild.

Most are in South Africa’s two largest game reserves, the Kruger and Kgalagadi National Parks, and can be regarded as healthy populations. The remaining 350 are spread between 50 smaller game reserves and it is these animals that are most at risk.

In the wild, 90 percent of cheetah cubs die in their first three months. Half fall victim to other predators and the rest die from infections which their immune systems, weakened by in-breeding, are unable to overcome. Overcoming genetic homogeneity is a focus of an Endangered Wildlife Trust initiative, the Cheetah Metapopulation Project, in which Mount Camdeboo Private Nature Reserve actively participates.

Partnering with Mount Camdeboo are Ashia Cheetah Conservation from South Africa and the Aspinall Foundation in Britain.

Ashia is a not-for-profit organisation that tests and treats captive-born cheetah for disease and malnutrition. Their DNA is also mapped.

Four-year-old brothers Nairo and Saba were donated to Mount Camdeboo by the Aspinall Foundation. They arrived in South Africa last February from a zoo in England, the first cheetah born in Britain to return to their African roots. Saba was (of necessity) hand-reared by Victoria Aspinall, wife of Aspinall Foundation chairman Damian.

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The Aspinall Foundation’s commitment is to conservation, through captive breeding education and reintroduction. As an animal charity, the foundation is working in some of the world’s most fragile environments to save endangered animals and return them to the wild.

In South Africa, the Aspinall Foundation was founded in 1995 with their first reintroduction of eastern black rhino.

They became the first charity to send a brown hyena born in the UK back to Africa. In more recent years, they have rescued elephants, giraffes and antelopes and have achieved another world first in conservation for sending a pair of UK born cheetah, Nairo and Saba, back to the wild.

“Our relationship with the Aspinall Foundation is based on respect and

CONSERVATION & ENVIRONMENT NEWS trust,” says Mount Camdeboo owner Iain Buchanan. “Damian and Victoria visited the reserve in 2019 and I told them of my desire to return the eastern Karoo to the days, 150 – 200 years ago, when it teemed with wildlife. “We took them for a helicopter flip around the reserve and they were blown away. I think they could picture their precious cubs running free in this magical landscape.

“We explained the Mount Camdeboo approach to conservation over the past two decades and they completely bought into our philosophy, ethos and vision. They were happy to shake hands on the deal right there and then,” says Buchanan.

“The rest is history albeit the story is ongoing. It has just been a pleasure to work with the Aspinall Foundation and I can’t wait for them to be physically part of the process when we release the two boys “into their forever free home”.

Mount Camdeboo Private Game Reserve covers 14 000 hectares, nearly 400 times the size of the wild animal park in Kent from which the Saba and Nairo came.

The climate and topography are also very different.

However, it didn’t take long for the pair to bring down their first prey after being released into their current home, a 300ha “rewilding camp” that has been stocked with small antelope. The camp is devoid of other predators and closed to Mount Camdeboo visitors. Adjacent to the hunting camp is an 8000ha enclosure with the characteristic Camdeboo landscape of savannah, high hills and deep valleys.

“This is where we will release the brothers when we feel they are ready for the final leg of their odyssey,” says Buchanan.

In this area is Ava, another “Ashia” cheetah. She is older than Saba and Nairo,

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CONSERVATION & ENVIRONMENT NEWS and a year further in the wilding process.

Ava had her first litter of cubs in December 2020. Both sets of animals are monitored

by Les Slabbert, one of Mount Camdeboo’s most experienced field guides.

Having a sheltered upbringing has proved no handicap to the brothers, he says, and they are in a class of their own when it comes to hunting. “I recently watched them pull down a fully grown kudu bull – something even wild-born cheetah would never normally attempt – in a classic twoanimal kill. “Hunting is definitely in their genes.”

Saba and Nairo, he adds, are also quickly losing the dependence they developed in England on humans for companionship.

Ava, says Les, is rearing her two cubs “as if she’s been doing it all her life instead of for the first time.” The litter was sired by one of Mount Camdeboo’s “wild” cheetah.

“While a first-time mother’s cubs are always more at risk than her subsequent litters, the absence of other predators in the enclosure enhances the chances of these little ones’ survival. They are very active and are clearly healthy.”

Mount Camdeboo Private Game Reserve is represented by NEWMARK Hotels, Reserves, Lodges and Residences, which operates nearly a score of hotels, reserves, lodges and residences in South and East Africa as well as Mauritius. Mount Camdeboo is located about 60km southeast of Graaff-Reinet and is in a malariafree region of South Africa.

Accommodation currently comprises three elegant manor houses (two feature lavish “Out of Africa”-style décor and the third, with more contemporary furnishings, is ideal for families), as well as an intimate cottage for two.

For booking enquiries about the Eastern Cape’s iconic Mount Camdeboo Private Game Reserve, visit:

www.newmarkhotels.com Click HERE to read about Responsible Traveller’s previous Mount Camdeboo experience 172 responsible traveller

CONSERVATION & ENVIRONMENT NEWS

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CONSERVATION & ENVIRONMENT NEWS Australia buys back gum trees and improves SA’s water saving The first massive eucalyptus trees have been felled in the mid-Breede River area in a bold ‘value-adding chain’ project that will return seven million litres of water per hectare cleared per year to the river system, and will sell much of the gum tree wood back to Australia where it came from. The winwin-win project represents a collaboration between the Western Cape Department of Agriculture’s (WC DOA) LandCare Areawide Planning initiative, Inhlabathi Environmental Services, the farming community, private enterprise, and local SMMEs, which will benefit from training and development by Avocado Vision to ensure their sustainability and increased job creation.

LandCare Areawide Planning is a comprehensive problem-solving process that integrates social, economic and ecological concerns over defined geographical areas to sustain environmental health through a natural resource management approach incorporating locally driven initiatives.

Western Cape Minister of Agriculture, Dr Ivan Meyer, says, “At the heart of our commitment to sustainably manage our biodiversity lie partnerships with organisations such as Inhlabathi, Avocado Vision, the farming community and local SMMEs. Together we must ‘bend the curve’ of biodiversity loss and take steps to mitigate the negative impact of unsustainable farming practices and climate change on our biological diversity.”

He adds that not protecting our ecological infrastructure will lead to the collapse of our natural ecosystem. “Higher pollution incidents and an increase in invasive alien plant (IAP) infestations will decrease the availability and quality of water, creating perfect conditions for soil erosion, land degradation and loss of biodiversity.”

The removal of IAP species has been shown to be the least expensive and most effective means of avoiding another ‘Day Zero’ in Cape Town and surrounds. According to Louise Stafford, Director of Water Funds at The Nature Conservancy (TNC), research

by TNC in 2019 showed that IAP removal was significantly the most cost-effective intervention, delivering the highest potential water saving.

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Water saving interventions and the potential water saving in the first six years: IAP removal in 7 priority sub-catchment areas - 55.6 billion litres; desalination - 55 billion litres; waste water re-use 39.2 billion litres and groundwater supplies 36.5 billion litres.

The mid-Breede project is taking the removal of IAPs along 25km of the Bree River frontage near Bonnievale to a new level of adding value to biomass – and, with a hint of poetic justice – is selling much of the harvested eucalyptus wood to global markets that include Australia and Vietnam.

Rudolph Röscher, LandCare District Manager in the Cape Winelands District, for the WC DOA, says, “In implementing the LandCare Areawide Plan and working together with the farming community, we identified the IAPs along this specific riparian zone as one of the primary causes of the natural resource decline. The farmers agreed that the healthy state of the river through alien clearing and active restoration should be their number one priority.”

The WC DOA invested funds to complete a numeration study to calculate the volume of biomass within the floodplains of the river that pose a risk during flooding. Röscher adds, “We shared the findings with the farmers who shared it with Inhlabathi, which is heading the team that’s harvesting these IAPs. As a result, a potential saving of millions of rand of government funding has taken place due to private investment to harvest the wood, while also delivering benefits of water saving, land restoration, job creation and SMME development.”

David Gardner, Director of Inhlabathi, says the first felling of the IAP trees in December represents an important milestone in the Western Cape’s sustainable water-saving journey. “This is the start of our virtuous cycle-based approach that incorporates 100% clearing of eucalyptus from river areas, ensuring that maximum value is extracted from the felled trees, and that a certified programme of aftercare is implemented to return the river ecosystem to its original state.”

The Inhlabathi model is founded on the intense IAP clearing that has been taking

CONSERVATION & ENVIRONMENT NEWS place in the upper Breede Valley area for about 15 years, spearheaded by the WC DOA’s LandCare programme, which has cleared thousands of hectares of invasive vegetation, and more importantly, is keeping the area clear through LandCare’s strong relationships with and commitment from local farmers.

Gardner notes that to ensure sustainability, Inhlabathi is also working with the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) and CMO to set up a Resource Management Unit that is assessing the IAP species and sizes of the trees; their potential for high-value commercial use, such as decking, furniture, arts and crafts, or for use in charcoal, chip production for soil reinvigoration, and firewood; and full restoration of the cleared land.

Gardner says, “The project started with five farmers whose land is being certified by the FSC and as we access the feedstock and sell it into appropriate local and international markets, we can continue funding the IAP harvesting.” Clearing the IAPs will be total.

“In the past, we’ve seen the devastation where invasive trees have been cherry-picked for their value-add potential. We’re making sure that all the IAPs are being cleared, which means developing a wide range of markets for the biomass.”

This also means that a key aspect of the midBreede model is small business development and job creation. A major wood harvester has

been contracted to clear the big trees, then to clear the smaller IAPs, small businesses are being trained and equipped to do the job efficiently and become suppliers to markets that have been sourced and developed.

Avocado Vision, an Inhlabathi affiliate and parent company of the Green Business Value chain that developed the virtuous cycle concepts being applied here, is implementing a training incubator where small businesses with potential will be trained to run sustainable businesses that go beyond clearing the biomass, but possibly also into charcoal or chip production.

The mid-Breede ‘virtuous cycle’ IAP biomass project ticks several boxes in the Western Cape’s Climate Change Response and Implementation Plan for the agricultural sector, known as the SmartAgri Plan, developed by the provincial departments of Agriculture, Environmental Affairs and Development Planning and the University of Cape Town’s African Climate and Development Initiative, and embraced by the LandCare programme.

The comprehensive SmartAgri Plan calls for the WC government and other relevant stakeholders ‘to lead the way to a climateresilient agricultural future for the Western Cape’, with a goal to optimise the sustainable use of water and land resources to increase climate-smart agricultural production.

Dr Meyer states that agriculture is an essential contributor to food security in the province and for the entire country. “The agricultural sector in the Western Cape depends on the health of the available natural resources. Any impact on natural resources may affect the sustainability of a viable and vibrant agricultural industry.”

Adds Röscher, “The mid-Breede IAP biomass project addresses SmartAgri’s priorities and has the potential to be a replicable model in the growing biomass economy. This project requires intense and careful management, but every successful step forward will mean more water in our taps, more jobs created sustainably, and smarter agricultural practices.”

www.inhlabathi.co.za www.avovision.co.za responsible traveller 175

CONSERVATION & ENVIRONMENT NEWS Keep recycling – South Africa’s paper recycling rate is on the up During 2020, South Africans recycled 1.1 2. Keep paper products clean and dry million tonnes of paper and paper packaging, by making a paper-only bin or box putting the country’s latest paper recovery Put this in an accessible place, preferably rate at 73%, up from 68.5% in 2019. near your current rubbish bin. Space permitting, you may want to have a smaller This is according to RecyclePaperZA, the paper-only bins around the house – kitchen, paper recycling association, which states that South Africa has kept 19 million tonnes bathroom (for cosmetic boxes and toilet roll cores), garage, etc. of paper out of landfills over the past 15 years, enough to cover 3 456 soccer fields.

3. Know your recyclables

“This is a fantastic achievement, but there is Recyclable paper products: always room for improvement. With more • Milk, beverage and food cartons (liquid companies moving to paper packaging for their products, consumers need to play board packaging) their part too,” says RecyclePaperZA general • Office paper (preferably not shredded), manager Anele Sololo. envelopes • Big brown cardboard boxes Sololo believes that Earth Day, on 22 April, • Pizza boxes is a good opportunity for citizens, schools • Cereal boxes, cosmetic and medicine and businesses to be more proactive in boxes, toilet roll cores terms of waste and recycling. “Firstly, • Books (if they can’t be donated or are don’t drop or dump your rubbish. Keep obsolete) your rubbish with you until you find a bin.

Secondly, recycle in your homes, businesses • Paper gift wrap and schools!”

• Paper cups • Magazines and brochures, including Recycling, often termed ‘separation at glossy varieties source’, involves separating your wet waste • Newspapers from recyclables such as paper, paper packaging, plastic, glass, tin and even Remember to remove any non-paper electronic waste so that these materials can packaging (e.g., plastic windows) from the be reprocessed into new products. paper or cardboard.

“By recycling we not only reduce the Not recyclable in the paper waste stream burden on our landfills and support livelihoods, we are also more mindful of Some paper products are not recyclable the waste we create and where it should because of contamination, finishes – in the be going,” notes Sololo. “In a world where case of laminates and foils – or because packaging pollution clogs its waterways we simply don’t have the appropriate and rubbish lines the streets, recycling is processing facilities in South Africa. something that citizens can do to bring about a cleaner South Africa.”

• Used paper plates, disposable nappies, tissues and toilet paper Sololo adds that her team has put together • Wax-coated, foil-lined or laminated five tips to making more paper and paper boxes (unless stipulated) packaging gets into the recycling loop: • Used cement bags • Used dog food bags 1. If you are not already recycling, choose one material that you are going • Foil gift wrapping to start with • Carbon paper • Laminated paper “Naturally, we want people to start with paper because it’s something we use every • Backing paper from adhesive labels day,” says Sololo. Once you get the hang of 4. Do something with your recycling it, start recycling plastic, glass or tin.

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CONSERVATION & ENVIRONMENT NEWS • Support your neighbourhood waste collectors by leaving a separate bag of recyclables on rubbish day for them.

This will save them from having to dig through your smelly bin or bags, and help them to earn a little more.

• Support a local school or community centre if they collect paper for fundraising. Check out Mpact Recycling’s paper bank network here.

• Find a collection programme or drop-off point through MyWaste and Treevolution.

5. Make sure everyone in your home knows what recycling is and how your system works Recycling is a team effort so ensure the family, your domestic helper, friends and visitors know that you recycle and how it happens in your home or office. If you are having people over, keep two bins outside – one for waste and another for recyclables.

So start making a difference for the sake of the environment and the livelihoods of others. Even a small family can make a big difference by recycling.

www.recyclepaper.co.za

pic - www.hippopx.com

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CONSERVATION & ENVIRONMENT NEWS Kirstenbosch Strives to Save Rare and Endangered Silver Tree Kirstenbosch National Botanical Garden in Cape Town, in collaboration with the Botanical Society of South Africa, Table Mountain National Park (TMNP), FABI (Forestry and Agricultural Biotechnology Institute) and the South African National Biodiversity Institute (SANBI), has launched an innovative project to save an endangered tree which only occurs naturally in a tiny area of the Cape Peninsula.

The Silver Tree (Leucadendron argenteum), also known as the Silver Leaf Tree, Witteboom, or Silwerboom, is a protected evergreen tree which is part of the Protea family. This enormous silver Protea is naturally confined to a tiny area in and around the city of Cape Town – with its main population growing on the slopes of Table Mountain, notably the Lion’s Head area, above Rhodes Memorial and the mountain slopes above Kirstenbosch National Botanical Garden.

of our garden beds is infested with this devastating organism, which is why many of the Silver Trees in Kirstenbosch are dying.”

In a bid to save the Silver Trees, Kirstenbosch, in collaboration with FABI, have launched a phosphite treatment trial. “We are testing the application of a biodegradable fungicide known as phosphite, which can protect plants against Phytophthora die-back. Phosphite will not eradicate Phytophthora from the soil, but it can protect plants from infection, and can help them recover if they are already infected,” explains Dr Paap. “We have sprayed some of the Silver Tree seedlings and injected bigger trees with phosphite.

We have also left other plants untreated, as controls, and are monitoring the survival rates of the treated and non-treated trees.”

Phosphite is used in South African agriculture and horticulture settings to guard against Phytophthora root and crown Historically, the Silver Tree was widespread rot of several important commercial crops. on Table Mountain, covering much of However, it has never been applied to its slopes in shimmering silver forests. indigenous South African flora. “The team is However, early demand for timber led to much of these forests being felled and now incredibly excited about the first use of this treatment on indigenous South African flora the Silver Tree is a rare and threatened and are optimistic that the trials will confirm species - in danger of becoming extinct the suitability of phosphite application as a in the wild in the next 50 years if we means to protect this iconic tree species,” do not take care of the remaining wild says Dr Trudy Paap from FABI (Forestry And populations.

Agricultural Biotechnology Institute).

Unfortunately, this rare tree is susceptible “Not only do we hope to find an effective to infection from a fungus called treatment against Phytophthora in order Phytophthora cinnamomi, a soilborne to save the Silver Tree population in pathogen that causes root and collar rot.

Kirstenbosch, but we also have the objective Phytophthora feeds on living plant roots of restoring 8000 Silver Trees to sites where and stems, reducing the plants’ ability historically they occurred naturally.” to transport water and nutrients – often leading to the death of the host.

Visitors to Kirstenbosch may notice marked trees. This is to assist with the monitoring Dr Trudy Paap, Dr Mesif Gosa from FABI, of the project and people are urged not Mashudu Nndanduleni and Mpendulo to remove these tags. Kirstenbosch are Gabayi, the conservation horticulturists at also calling on the public to stay out of Kirstenbosch National Botanical Garden the plant beds as the microscopic spores explain that this devastating introduced of Phytophthora are easily spread on the pathogen is present in wild Silver Trees bottom of shoes. as well as in the population found in Kirstenbosch National Botanical Garden, Kirstenbosch National Botanical Garden where it is causing the death of many of forms part of a network of exceptional these trees. “Unfortunately, the soil in some National Botanical and Zoological Gardens 178 responsible traveller

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that exist across the country which are managed by the South African National Biodiversity Institute (SANBI).

“SANBI’s overall mandate is ‘To explore, reveal, celebrate, and champion biodiversity for the benefit and enjoyment of all South Africans’. To this end, conservation projects such as this one, which plays an integral part

in the protection and survival of indigenous trees, are essential,” concludes Gabayi.

For more information on the conservation efforts and unique species found at Kirstenbosch visit:

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CONSERVATION & ENVIRONMENT NEWS Sibaya’s environmental efforts draw praise on the world stage Durban casino’s commitment to several environmentally-related projects has received international recognition. Sibaya Casino & Entertainment Kingdom, located in Durban, has been identified as “one of the top eight environmentally friendly casinos in the world” by website casino.org, an international online authority on the global gaming industry.

Other properties recognized include some of the biggest casinos in the world including Mandalay Bay, Caesars Palace and MGM Grand (all Las Vegas based), the Venetian and Melco Resorts (Macau), Resorts World (Singapore), and Turtle Creek (Michigan).Sibaya, which forms part of South Africa’s largest casino group, Sun International, was recognised for a range of environmental efforts.

Commenting on the recognition, General Manager Myan Moodley said Sibaya was delighted to be recognised internationally. “As custodians of the environment, we at Sibaya believe we should do everything possible to respect and conserve our natural resources. Our management is also actively involved in rooting out wasteful mindsets among our staff and inculcating a culture of environmental conservation and sustainability”.

It’s advanced water saving initiative is based on a water recovery system that catches waste water from cooling towers and reuses it for irrigation, an internal waste management programme and a 450 kilolitre water reservoir. The property has also introduced a number of efficient water saving devises in its kitchens and bathrooms.

As an ocean-based casino, Sibaya also places environmental emphasis on sustainability of our oceans. The property has started the war on plastic and its casino, restaurants and hotels have eliminated plastic straws completely. They choose glass over plastic in the canteen and everything goes into the recycling bins. Chefs at the restaurants also ensure that they serve only fish green listed by the SA Sustainable Seafood Initiative (SASSI). The aim of the initiative is to protect endangered fish species from extinction through overfishing.

Moodley also confirmed that the casino has just approved a R50-million solar power project aiming to generate about 2,4/5 mega watts of energy for the property. Work on this project has begun and expected to be functional by December.

Sibaya is a participant in the national Carbon Disclosure Project which aims to reduce greenhouse emissions. In 2019, Sibaya recycled 248.5 tons of waste and amidst the COVID pandemic in 2020, managed to recycle 114.5 tons. Waste handling contractor for the property, Oricol Environmental Services recycles the casino’s glass, paper, plastics and cardboards boxes offsite while moving their food waste to the composting zone onsite.

Additionally, Sibaya aims to achieve ‘Zero Waste to Landfill’ by 2023.

Myan Moodley is an eco-warrior for whom issues of sustainability are extremely important. Prior to taking over the reins at Sibaya in 2019, he managed the Wild Coast Sun. While there he led a mammoth challenge to achieve a zero waste to landfill project, making the Wild Coast Sun the first company in Africa to do so. The property was audited by the Green Buildings Council of South Africa (GBCSA) who verified the claim.

“Recycling has become so important to me that I now do this at home too. I routinely separate all waste in my home into separate recycling bins. This has enabled me to cultivate a number of crops at my home such as cabbage, cauliflower, tomato, herbs, chili, litchi, mango, lemon, and apple.”

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CONSERVATION & ENVIRONMENT NEWS The Travel Corporation announces New Climate Action Plan to achieve Carbon Neutrality by 2030 As members of the global travel industry, The Travel Corporation (TTC) recognises its role and responsibility in creating greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions through its trips and operations. The need for both travellers and businesses to take action to address GHG emissions and climate change becomes clearer and more urgent every day.

And so, in celebration of Earth Day 2021, TTC and its family of brands announced a five-step Climate Action Plan to achieve carbon neutrality by 2030, and support their continued efforts to achieve the organisation’s sustainability goals.

To further support the transition to a lowcarbon future, TTC and its TreadRight Foundation are investing in two naturebased carbon removal solutions, Project Vesta and GreenWave. TreadRight has also launched a new Impact Hub in an effort to be transparent as to progress made at TTC and its family of brands against the groups’ 11 sustainability goals, while also providing tips to travellers on how they can help.

Respectively, the goals commit to becoming carbon neutral by 2030 and to sourcing 50% of electricity from renewable sources across the organisation by 2025. This includes TTC’s 20+ offices, 18 Red Carnation Hotels, 13 Uniworld ships, six accommodations/ facilities, 500+ vehicles and more than 1,500 itineraries operated worldwide by its 40 award-winning brands including Contiki, Trafalgar, Insight Vacations and Uniworld.

Since the launch of its first sustainability strategy in 2015, TTC has invested in energy conservation and reducing its environmental impact across its portfolio of brands. This new Climate Action Plan builds on TTC’s progress made to-date and its commitment to continual improvement.

Advancements to date include the installation of solar panels in 2020 at the Uniworld head office in Encino, California, the implementation of a 400kW Tesla plant supplying over 95% of Xigera Safari Lodge’s energy, which opened December 2020 as part of the Red Carnation Hotel Collection and the recent shift to 100% renewable Climate change is directly linked to an electricity by Contiki’s Chateau De Cruix and increase in greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions Haus Schöneck as well as Red Carnation in the atmosphere, of which globally, a Hotel’s Ashford Castle, which sits on a 350reported 51 billion tons of GHG emissions acre property. are emitted annually. TTC’s Climate Action Plan addresses Goals #1 and #2 of its fiveLooking forward, TTC has committed to year sustainability strategy, How We Tread carbon neutral offices and business travel Right, which target the carbon footprint of beginning January 1, 2022, through its its business. partnership with offset provider South Pole.

Project Vesta

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CONSERVATION & ENVIRONMENT NEWS On the same timeline, Contiki will move a step ahead to become a completely carbon neutral business, meaning unavoidable emissions from all trips departing as of January 1, 2022 will be offset going forward.

5. Evolve – Continue to learn from others, invest in new technologies and support strategic alliances that enable us and the industry to move to a low carbon economy.

“Our TTC Climate Action Plan is not marked by one quick fix, because there isn’t one. It is marked with the need to act now, to learn and adapt as technology and innovation support our need to transition to a lowcarbon business,” states Brett Tollman, Chief Executive of The Travel Corporation.

TTC’s TreadRight Foundation will action step three of its Climate Action Plan in 2021, through an investment of $100,000 USD into two developing permanent carbon removal projects. Project Vesta aims to accelerate the natural process of weathering to permanently store carbon into rock.

GreenWave is studying how kelp can be added to soil to increase its carbon storage potential, while decreasing harmful nitrous oxide emissions on regenerative farms.

“There is much debate as to the right approach when it comes to decarbonising travel and tourism, and our position is that this must be a process that begins now and commits to evolving as the solutions “Carbon removal and carbon capture continue to improve and become available to technologies are deeply promising and us,” he concluded. showing signs of acceleration,” notes Shannon Guihan, Chief TreadRight The Travel Corporation’s Climate Action & Sustainability Officer of The Travel Plan consists of five points: Corporation. “It’s important now, more than ever, that we support science-based pilot 1. Measure – Measure the emissions from projects to explore every possible solution, our business and trips. in addition to reducing our emissions and 2. Reduce – Build on reduction efforts and purchasing verified carbon offsets from our set ambitious reduction targets by midpartner South Pole,” she added.

2022.

3. Remove – Through our TreadRight To share its sustainability strategy, efforts Foundation, invest in new technology and impact, as well as to guide consumers and nature-based solutions to remove and travellers on addressing their own excess carbon from the atmosphere. carbon footprint, TTC has launched a new 4. Offset – Purchase carbon credits to offset unavoidable emissions, including sustainability Impact Hub. phasing in carbon neutral trips between Learn more at Impact.TreadRight.org.

2022 – 2030.

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CONSERVATION & ENVIRONMENT NEWS Contiki goes Carbon Neutral as part of Five Point Action Plan and offsetting unavoidable emissions by partnering with leading offset provider, South Pole, to purchase carbon credits from a combination of three meaningful carbon offset projects. These offsetting projects include Gold Standard and Verified Carbon Standard projects to guarantee As the world prepares to open up to begin carbon reductions are made, while offering travelling again, Contiki Holidays lights the co-benefits that positively impact local way forward for the travel industry with the communities: Forest Conservation in announcement it will be going 100% carbon Australia, Biogas Energy in Thailand, and neutral by 2022 – as part of its new five-point Renewable Energy in the USA. Climate Action Plan which also commits to The idea of sustainable and conscious carbon reductions and evolving to support travel isn’t new to Contiki - the new Climate the transition to a low-carbon future.

Action Plan builds on progress made to Looking forward, Contiki has committed to date and its commitment to continual being carbon neutral by January 1, 2022, this improvement. Since the launch of its first will include investing in carbon credits from sustainability strategy in 2015, Contiki has offset provider South Pole. This means that invested in energy conservation and worked all Contiki trips from 2022 will be carbon to actively reduce its environmental impact. neutral trips. And travellers won’t need to Now, Contiki’s Chateau de Croix and Haus reach into their own pockets to fund the Schöneck properties are powered by 100% carbon credits: the cost to offset every trip is renewable energy and it uses the most being covered by Contiki.

In celebration of Earth Day, Contiki announced a new five-point Climate Action Plan to achieve carbon neutrality by 2022, plus investment in developing carbon removal projects and appointment of a Sustainability Officer.

Contiki’s five-point Climate Action Plan is being announced in celebration of Earth Day 2021, as part of its sustainability strategy, How We Tread Right. The Climate Action Plan supports Goals #1 and #2 of the strategy, which targets the carbon footprint of the business - seeing Contiki commit to becoming carbon neutral by 2022, and also to sourcing 50 percent of electricity from renewable sources by 2025.

To further support the transition to a lowcarbon future, Contiki is investing in two developing, nature-based carbon removal solutions, Project Vesta and GreenWave.

“Carbon removal and carbon capture technologies are deeply promising,” notes Adam Armstrong, Contiki CEO. “It’s important to us that we support the science developing around every possible solution, in addition to reducing our emissions and purchasing verified carbon offsets. It’s equally exciting to have Tasha on board to lead this for us, the next phase of Contiki Cares.” he added.

The five points of the Climate Action Plan include reducing emissions and setting ambitious reduction targets by mid-2022; 184 responsible traveller

CONSERVATION & ENVIRONMENT NEWS fuel-efficient Euro 6 coaches throughout Europe, while coaches in other regions meet or exceed efficiency standards. This year has seen the launch of more ‘staycation’ trips that remove the need for long-haul travel, alongside lower-carbon footprint ‘by rail’ itineraries, a new vegan itinerary and options for lower-emission vegan and vegetarian meals on all trips. Contiki is also working with partners to increase the use of local food products to reduce food transport emissions and is assessing the use of biofuels for coaches within Europe.

A leader in youth travel since 1962, Contiki recognises the need for both travellers and travel businesses to take action on climate change and address its greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, and has appointed a new Sustainability Officer, Tasha Hayes, to lead the way.

About her new role, Tasha Hayes says: “With our How We Tread Right sustainability strategy, the evolution of Contiki Cares,

and now becoming carbon neutral it made sense to have a front person for Contiki’s great sustainability initiatives. During my time with Contiki I’ve always championed sustainability and looked at ways we could do better both on the road and in the office.

Contiki becoming carbon neutral is massive, and it’s the perfect opportunity for me to support this direction, as someone who can oversee and monitor to make sure we stay on track to achieving the ambitious goals we have set out.”

To share its sustainability strategy, efforts and impact, as well as to guide consumers and travellers on addressing their own carbon footprint, Contiki has published its Climate Action Plan on its website.

Read the Climate Action plan HERE and find out more about Contiki’s global goals HERE. To find out more about how Contiki is going carbon neutral click HERE.

www.contiki.com

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The leading 5-star cage diving experience in South Africa.

More than just a dive, our marine biologists share their knowledge & adventures on each trip!

Not just another whale watching trip.

Experience the Marine Big 5 in their natural habitat, around the world famous Dyer Island ecosystem.

In association with Volkswagen Focused on the conservation and protection of the endangered African Penguin & other Sea birds.

African Penguin and Seabird Sanctuary - APSS

Offering marine enthusiasts a range of life-changing experiences, designed to improve their skills and employability prospects.