For Wildlife ACT, international volunteers and conservation expeditions have been the cornerstone of our funding stream. We depend on this support to conduct vitally important endangered and priority wildlife species conservation work, including our anti-poaching initiatives.
Our conservation projects, which extend across the Zululand area of South Africa (including those in uMkhuze, Tembe, Manyoni and Hluhluwe-iMfolozi Park), are under threat of closing due to the current global travel restrictions and local shutdowns. With your support, we can keep these projects open and functional and ensure the staff (our conservation heroes) can keep doing their vital work.
A SLICE OF BUSH LIFE
We are really trying hard to drive support in the form of more consistent and reliable monthly donations, to help see us through the next few months. In return for recurring donations, you can opt to become a virtual volunteer by being given access to one or more of our exclusive WhatsApp groups.
These groups are providing a slice of African bush life as our field staff go about their work, providing direct bush footage and insights into the everyday life of a wildlife monitor. For a minimum donation of $10 per month, you will qualify to be added to a project group of your choosing, $20 for 2 groups, $30 for 3 groups etc.
If you have made a qualifying donation and would like to be added to one or more of our project groups, please email info@wildlifeact.com
THE LIFE-RAFT
The Corona Storm has left Wildlife ACT particularly exposed when compared to other conservation organisations. In particular, our amazing field-staff, who have been wholly dependent on voluntourism income, need new, short-term funding avenues: our first and foremost concern is a life-raft to save their livelihoods, thereby ensuring that these skilled and dedicated conservationists are able to continue their work each day, to protect Africa’s endangered and priority wildlife species. Keeping them afloat and active is especially relevant during a down-turn in the economy, when protected areas and their wildlife come under more threat by increased poaching activities.
We have already introduced rigorous cost-cutting measures in an attempt to keep staff employed and conservation work functional during the Covid-19 pandemic, with a stormy outlook of at least six months.
Our whole staff compliment has been incredibly brave in facing the gravity of the effect that Covid-19 will have on the Wildlife ACT Family. We are incredibly proud to say that all of us in Wildlife ACT have voluntarily agreed to accept “survival salaries” to ensure the Wildlife ACT Family is kept employed and able to continue critical conservation work during this storm.
Following these cost cutting measures, we still need to raise ZAR1,457,500 ($90,000) over the next six months.
Other than survival salaries, funds will be used to:
- Keep our vehicles out in the field (many are all still financed) with fuel in their tanks - ensuring our staff can get around the protected areas they work in.
- Feed our staff, maintain our equipment, and
- Ensure we can communicate and track wildlife.
We fully appreciate the far-reaching impact that Covid-19 has had on the global community and we hope that you and your loved ones are safe and secure while we all weather this storm. If you are able, we would appreciate your support of this life-raft, with recurring monthly donations enabling us to plan better during this time of uncertainty.
WHAT WE DO
Wildlife ACT is an award-winning non-profit organisation working tirelessly since 2008 to help save Africa’s endangered and priority wildlife species from extinction, thereby enabling broad-scale biodiversity conservation.
We achieve this by:
- Conducting professional and strategic monitoring and research to enable and inform effective conservation management of wildlife in Africa;
- Securing existing protected areas, driving range expansion of African Wildlife, and combating illegal wildlife poaching;
- Identifying and developing programmes within surrounding communities to support biodiversity conservation and socioeconomic development.
Thank you for your support. We are forever grateful.
Your partners in conservation - Wildlife ACT.
