GREAT PLAINS CONSERVATION FOUNDATION

PROJECT REWILD IS FOCUSED ON THE TRANSLOCATION OF WILDLIFE INTO THE LOWER ZAMBEZI VALLEY, WHERE DUE TO HISTORIC POACHING, WILDLIFE NUMBERS DECLINED SIGNIFICANTLY. IN 2022 WE LAUNCHED OUR FIRST EFFORT TO TRANSLOCATE ELEPHANTS ON A LARGE SCALE, WITH 101 ELEPHANTS ARE NOW FREE IN THE SAPI RESERVE. WITHIN EACH GROUP WE COLLARED EACH HERD MATRIARCH, NOT ONLY TO PROTECT INDIVIDUAL ANIMALS BUT ALSO TO RESEARCH, LEARN AND CONTRIBUTE TO THE BODY OF KNOWLEDGE AROUND SUCCESSFUL ELEPHANT TRANSLOCATIONS. WE ARE DEVELOPING MAPPING OF ELEPHANT RANGES NOW TO UNDERSTAND WHERE WE CAN ACCOMMODATE ELEPHANTS IN A REWILDING PROGRAM ON A VERY LARGE SCALE. THIS PROGRAM INCLUDES THE CONSTRUCTION OF A RESEARCH CAMP AND SECURITY AND MONITORING CAMP WITHIN THE 132,000 HECTARE AREA.

RHINOS WITHOUT BORDERS HAS BEEN INSTRUMENTAL IN THE RELOCATION OF 87 RHINOS FROM SOUTH AFRICA INTO THE BOTSWANA WILDERNESS. THERE ARE 3 CORE BREEDING HERDS AND OVER THE PAST 6 YEARS 68 NEW CALVES HAVE BEEN BORN. THE PROGRAM COVERS THE FULL COST OF PRETRANSLOCATION QUARANTINE COSTS AND ALL LICENSING COSTS, TRANSPORTATION COSTS, RELEASE COSTS, AND POST-RELEASE SECURITY AND MONITORING. THE FOUNDATION COVERS THEC OSTS OF TWO MONITORING TEAMS WHO ARE BASED CLSOE TO THE BREEDING HERDS, THE COSTS OFA CENTRAL MONITORING STATION, TELEMETRY EQUIPMENT, AND SATELITE TRACKING OF THE RHINOS. THIS HAS ENSURED THAT THE HERDS ARE MANAGED AND RELOCATED AWAY FROM HIGH-RISK AREAS. POACHING RISK HAS RISEN IN THE LAST YEAR IN BOTSWANA AND THE CONSTANT ON THE GROUND MONITORING COMBINED WITH AERIAL OBSERVATION AND SATELITE TRACKING HAS SIGNIFICANTLY REDUCED THE THREAT. MONITORING TEAMS CONSISTENTLY ENGAGE WITH THE COMMUNITY TO EDUCATE ON THE BENEFITS OF A DIVERSE WILDLIFE POPULATION AND THE COMMERICIAL BENEFITS WHICH FLOW FROM EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITIES IN THE TOURISM SECTOR.