TRAGEDY IN NEPAL
SANParks National Parks Week
IRF 2006 CONGRESS
Message from a reader
Wildlife expert's bid to help save white rhino
CONGO: September 11
POSITION(s) AVAILABLE
Biodiversity & Wine Initiative
Matatiele Nature Reserve Post
EWT- Poison Working Group – Field Worker
Tailpiece
Hi again,
Herewith, some snippets from various sources.
I appeal to you to send me items to distribute to our members for the Cleft Stick, the Game Ranger magazine and to be posted on the web site. These are your magazine and website, so ensure it gets the news that you would like to see in it.
Please let me have any changes to your physical address, phone no. or e-mail address to keep the database up to date.
Thanks to all of you who have made the effort. Please will any of you who know of members who do not get this “electric” Cleft~Stick, & have access to e-mail, pass their address along to me.
Don Yunnie
7 Chalet Drive, Hilton, 3245, South Africa Local Tel & Fax (033) 343 1534 Int. Tel & Fax (+2733) 343 1534 cell 082 377 7562 E-mail dyunnie@xsinet.co.za.
If you do not wish to receive this e-mail newsletter please send a blank e-mail to me at the above address with the word “unsubscribe C~S ” as the message heading.
John Geddes Page
It is with regret we announce the death of one of our Honorary members John Geddes Page who passed away on 21/9/2006. This press release ,written by Jeff Gaisford, was printed in the Mercury.
There was a memorial service held at the All Saints church on Montgomery Drive, Pietermaritzburg, on Friday 29th at 11:00.
John Geddes Page (83), a bridge builder for benefit of conservation
JOHN Geddes Page, the respected South African conservation leader and long-serving head of the Natal Parks Board, has died in Pietermaritzburg after a short illness.
Geddes Page, aged 83, served as director of the Board (now known as Ezemvelo KZN Wildlife) for almost 25 years.
Born in King Williams Town in the Eastern Cape he spent much of his boyhood roaming the outdoors.
Educated at Dale College, he served in the infantry during World War 2 and began his conservation career with the Cape Department of Nature Conservation at Jonkershoek trout hatchery He moved to Kwazulu-Natal in 1954 to join the then Natal Parks Board as an inland fisheries officer and later became secretary to the Boards director, Jack Vincent.
He took over from Vincent in 1963, a post he held until his retirement in 1988.
During his tenure he took it upon himself to extend public awareness about the importance of nature conservation and the environment, and also pioneered the transformation of Queen Elizabeth Park in Pietermaritzburg from a city park to a nature reserve.
Several game species were brought in to stock the park.
During this operation a rhino managed to escape briefly on to the nearby N3 freeway.
Former board director George Hughes said Geddes Page was a man who would be remembered as a bridgebuilder, who had helped to heal and re-establish relationships with the farming community and other interest groups.
Geddes Page had extended the boundaries of nature conservation beyond game parks and nature reserves and had helped to initiate the first nature conservancies on privately-owned land.
He was a warm, outgoing man and I liked him enormously even though we fought like Kilkenny cats on occasion, said Hughes. I really am grateful for the foundations he helped to lay for my own work and he took the Board from a barely recognised nature conservation body to one of the best in the world.
Hughes said Geddes Page had directed the building of several new tourist camps in the province. During his directorship the first Zulu speakers were appointed to the Board in 1978 and he was also instrumental in ensuring that apartheid-based bans on black visitors were overturned in Natal Parks Board resorts in 1982.
In 1992, Geddes Page was awarded the SA Nature Foundations gold medal for his unerring dedication and extraordinary service to conservation and he was also a recipient of the Order of Meritorious Service (silver class) from former president PW Botha in 1989.
Geddes Page is survived by his wife, Mona, a son and two daughters.
A memorial service will be held at the All Saints Church at 11.00 in Pietermaritzburg (opp Grey's Hospital) on Friday, 29/9/2006.
TRAGEDY IN NEPAL
Dear WCPA Members
It is with great sadness that we advise that a number of key conservation leaders have died in a helicopter crash in Nepal. Seven WWF staff from its offices in Nepal, the UK and the US, were on board, as were as high-ranking government officials, representatives of other agencies, journalists and Russian crew members. More information on this tragedy is available on the WWF website at: http://www.panda.org/index.cfm?uNewsID=81260
Amongst those killed were 3 WCPA Members:
Chandra Gurung, Country Representative, Asia Pacific Programme, WWF, Nepal
Mingma Sherpa, Managing Director, EHEC, WWF US
Narayan Poudel, Director General of the Department of National Parks and Wildlife Conservation, Nepal
We are sure that all WCPA Members and the whole conservation community will join with us in offering our sincere condolences to the family and loved ones of all who were killed in this tragic accident.
David Sheppard
Head, IUCN Programme on Protected Areas
Dear Members,
It is with great sadness that I confirm the news of the helicopter crash.
It had been missing since Saturday but we had been hopeful till the last moment. We were so busy with the rescue efforts and updates that were to be sent to family members and the network that I missed out the WCPA network.
We are all shocked and in mourning but we have to be strong for the family members and relatives of those who lost their lives in the crash.
They were all in Taplejung for the official handover ceremony of the kangchenjunga Conservation Area Project to the local Comunity.
List of Persons on board were as follows:
IRF letter of condolance
Dear David:
The members of the International Ranger Federation – rangers from scores of nations from around the world – join you, your colleagues at IUCN, and, indeed, everyone in the world conservation community in mourning the tragic deaths of so many fine people in the crash of the helicopter in Nepal. The work that WPCA, the World Wildlife Federation and kindred organizations do on behalf of the world’s dwindling wild lands and wildlife has been and continues to be absolutely indispensable.
As rangers, we are altogether too familiar with death in the line of duty. As you know, protected area defenders are all too often the targets of those who would exploit and destroy our common natural heritage. Those who died in the accident were engaged in another form of defense – the creation of a new conservation area and the protection of the wildlife therein. They were as much on the front line as rangers, a reality that amplifies our sorrow at their loss.
Although the number of protected areas around the world continues to grow, the reality is that they still constitute only a little more than a tenth of the planet’s surface and that the pressures on them grow daily. The work you and your partners do on the behalf of all the world’s citizens grows more vital every day. Please know that we are squarely behind your efforts and applaud the hard and steadfast work of the people of IUCN. Let us transform the sorrow we feel into an even firmer dedication to achieve our common goals.
Warm Regards.
David Zeller
President
International Ranger Federation
Address by Dr. David Mabunda Chief Executive: SANParks on “SANParks National Parks Week” 18th September 2006, Groenkloof, Pretoria
National Parks are an embodiment of those elements of the environment which citizens consider worthy of state protection.
They evoke a love of the country for its intrinsic, rather than its political, value;
Thus national parks are not merely a physical entity, a geographical area or a suite of ecosystems and species but a mirror of society and a vigorous symbol of nationhood;
National parks are connected to the history of a nation’s evolution and growth.
Early Origin of National Parks
George Catlin (1796-1872), a self-taught artist, is regarded as one of the pioneers in crafting the national park concept.
On a trip to the Dakotas in 1832, he was worried about the impact of America’s westward expansion on Indian civilization, wildlife and wilderness. He suggested that the culture of the indigenous Americans (Indians) and wildlife might be preserved “by some great protecting policy of government… in a magnificent park… A nation’s park, containing man and beast, in all the wild and freshness of their nature’s beauty”
National Parks were not established for science or biodiversity purposes; they were for protection of the last wild places and the associated cultural landscapes for the benefit of the people or public enjoyment. Science became a means to achieve the natural wildness of the protected environments much later.
In 1872 the national park movement gave birth to the proclamation of Yellowstone National on 1st March 1872.
Yellowstone is regarded as America’s gift of the national park concept to the world. It influenced the spreading of the national park concept worldwide. South Africa was no exception. Among others the establishment of the following parks is linked with the Yellowstone model and influence;
“Though distinct in character, national parks are united through their inter-related purposes into one national park system as cumulative expressions of a single national heritage; that individually and collectively, these areas derive increased national dignity and recognition of their superb environmental quality through their inclusion jointly with each other in one national park system preserved and managed for the benefit and inspiration of the nation”
In 1969 the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) recommended that all governments agree to reserve the term “National Park” to areas sharing the following characteristics:
National Parks are the highest form of protection status that a country can accord to its natural and cultural heritage system. In South Africa the national park system replaced the “Game Reserve” system which had been in existence since the early 19th century. Game Reserves were preservationist in outlook and were focused on the protection of animals (game) from poachers and hunters alike. Ecosystem and plants did not feature in the game reserve “equation”. Even our provincial protected areas are no longer protecting game only but ecosystems in their entirety (nature reserves). It is therefore inappropriate to refer to our parks as “game reserves”. That was the case 100 years ago.
In 1926 the then Union of SA government established the National Parks Board as a national park management system with only the KNP as its first park. In 1931 three more parks (Kgalagadi, Bontebok and Addo) were added to the stable. Today we boast a total of 22 national parks throughout South Africa except in KZN, North-West and to a certain extent Gauteng. National Parks cover just under 4 million hectares of land and constitute 53% of all state owned protected areas.
National Parks Week will become our annual proclaimed week for the celebration and recognition of our national parks. Our national parks are living examples of the best that our nation can offer – our magnificent natural landscapes and our varied yet interrelated heritage. National Parks provide recreational tourism experiences, opportunities to learn and grow, and places of quiet refuge. Through this week’s celebration we want to positively influence and inculcate responsible behaviour towards national parks and the environment as a whole. In this era in our history national parks should promote nation-building and socio-economic development by protecting biodiversity and associated cultural heritage.
Thank you.
REPORT –IRF 2006 CONGRESS – STRIRLING, SCOTLAND ,14-21 June 2006
In my capacity as the “Young Professional Ranger Link” of the Game Rangers Association of Africa to IRF, I assisted my colleague from Australia, Cassie Wright, in running a workshop on Day 5 on Young Professional Rangers (YPR) and their role in the conservation arena. Forty rangers under the age of 35 attended this workshop, during which we identified the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats to YPR, and looked into what niche we can fill to help protect our environment. Five core aspects were identified, and at a later meeting, rangers were assigned to these aspects in order to reach set goals for the next three years. These aspects are: 'Career Development'; 'Profile'; 'Network'; 'World Commission on Protected Areas and other Partners'; 'Group Development'. One or more YPR representatives for each continent were also identified, of which I will act as the representative for Africa for the next three years. These representatives are to promote the concept of YPR in their areas, and motivate other YPR to become involved in higher levels of environmental management at a younger age.
Results on targets will be measured during the next IRF Congress in 2009 in Bolivia.
MARIUS FULS
GRAA / IRF Young Professional Ranger Link
This message from a reader
Hi
Once again a pleasure receiving the latest cleft stick #21 of 2006. I was quite surprised to see my Mamba episode mentioned. By the time Charlie sent out her feedback she had already received some strange queries, as the news traveled fast in a small country like Namibia and she just wanted to clarify a few things before they got completely our of hand. Needless to say I have a renewed respect for Mamba's and how quickly a little of its venom can affect one. Fortunately I and the Mamba are none the worse for wear and Ralph Meyer (from Lianshulu Lodge) released the Mamba unharmed in West Caprivi a few days after the incident.
Some feedback and information you may find of interest
Coincidently, I read through the article on the Congo 11 September regarding the Virunga National Park "war" and it stuck in my mind as a most distressing situation. One always, however feels powerless to contribute being so distant. Shortly afterwards I read an article in the recent African Geographic (August 2006) which paints a distinctly different picture. I am not able to Photostat this article so I will quote it.
"Virungu recover: a recent census of the Virunga National Park has revealed that the number of Elephants and other large mammals in the park has increased, a sign that ant-poaching efforts by park guards are working after a decade of civil war and rampant poaching. These efforts have come at a high cost since 1996 more than 100 guards have been killed.
Established in 1925, Virunga National Park once had the highest density of large mammals in the world, but since 1960 the parks population of elephants hippos and buffalos has plummeted. In the past three years, however, elephant numbers have increased from 265 to 340 individuals. The census also found approximately 3800 buffalo, up from 2300 in 2003. Uganda Kob, a species of antelope now number nearly 13000, almost a return to 1960's levels." (Environmental News Service)
Also following in the same magazine; "Okapi rediscovered - in the same census, the Okapi related to the giraffe - was rediscovered in the park. It is the first sign of the Okapi in Virungu since August 1959. The survey team included trackers from the local Bambabtu and Twa communities, who are familiar with Okapi signs. They recorded 17 Okapi tracks, including prints in the mud, evidence of browsing and dung. They also noted the presence of the Bongo, a rare large forest Antelope, which has also not been recorded in the area for years." (WWF).
I am sure you will agree it is somewhat conflicting and reported only a month or so apart. Nevertheless it may be worthwhile to correct the figures and give a more accurate update to this very worthwhile magazine which doubtless has a few million subscribers/reader more than our cleft stick.
I will see if I can keep you supplied with some more snake bite episodes.
Cheers
Mark.
Wildlife expert's bid to help save white rhino
By David Adam
Guardian News Service: A wildlife expert has told how he convinced an African rebel army, which has fought a bloody struggle with the Ugandan government for nearly two decades, to sign up to a conservation project to save one of the world's rarest animals.
Lawrence Anthony, founder of the South African environmental group the Earth Organisation, persuaded the Lord's Resistance Army - the leaders of which are wanted for war crimes by the international criminal court - to join with scientists to protect the northern white rhino, of which only four are thought to remain in the wild. As part of an ongoing peace process, the rebels have pledged not to harm the animals and to tell wildlife experts if they see one.
``I just wondered what on earth could be done to protect the last of this species in the wild,'' Mr. Anthony said, adding: ``Desperate times call for desperate measures, I suppose.''
Environmentalists feared the worst last year when the LRA took up residence in the Garamba national park, a sprawling and densely forested reserve close to the Ugandan border in the far north-east of the Democratic Republic of Congo.
The park is home to the last of the northern white rhino, as well as other rare species including the highly endangered okapi and the pygmy Congo giraffe.
The LRA is notorious for its use of child soldiers and has been accused of numerous atrocities including rapes, mutilations and the mass murder of civilians. Its 19-year fight has left tens of thousands of people dead and an estimated 2 million displaced.
Conservation seemed far from its priorities - particularly after its members shot dead 12 of the park's game rangers and then eight Guatemalan UN soldiers sent to the region to keep order this year.
``It was a desperate, impossible situation,'' Mr Anthony said. ``The UN then withdrew entirely from the area and the LRA de facto controlled the park. From that point on the fate of the rhino lay entirely in the hands ofthis rebel army. That was a conservation disaster. If this species goes extinct they will be the largest land mammal to die out since the woolly mammoth.'' Unlike the related and relatively abundant sub-species the southern white rhino, the numbers of northern white rhino have failed torecover in recent decades.
Experts feared the LRA, living off meat from the park's animals, would shoot its last rhinos and sell the horns, worth about GBP20,000 each on the black market, or that with the game rangers too scared to work in the park, the animals would be killed by poachers.
``We were closely monitoring the situation, but with precious few solutions available to us. The fate of the rhino appeared to be sealed,'' Anthony said. ``Then we heard that the political wing of the LRA and the Ugandan government were having peace talks in Sudan. We got word that some of the LRA leaders had come out of the Garamba jungle to join the talks and decided to try to talk to them about the rhinos.''
With no visa and no invitation, Anthony headed for Juba, southern Sudan, last month. ``The talks were taking place at a tented camp in the town. The LRA chairman for the talks, Martin Ojul, was pointed out to meand, during a break in the talks, I simply walked up to him, introduced myself and explained the reason for my visit. His initial response was distrust, covert hostility and no interest.''
This is not the first time that Anthony has weighed in in a war on the side of the animals. In April 2003 he was one of the first outsiders to enter Baghdad after the US invasion when he talked his way over the border from Kuwait to rescue species from the ruins of the capital's zoo, the biggest in the Middle East. A book on his exploits will be published next year and a Hollywood film is planned.
The breakthrough with the LRA came the next day when, with the help of an official, Anthony was invited to talk to the rebels about the rhinos. Ignoring warnings of a possible kidnap plot, he met them on the banks of the White Nile river.
``I was surprised that despite the LRA's fearsome reputation some of the delegates were well-educated, articulate and friendly. When I explained there were only four rhinos left in the wild they were genuinely shocked. They thought there were still hundreds of them.''
The LRA told Anthony the rhino was the totem of the largest tribe in their home area, giving them a cultural and spiritual affinity with the animal. ``They said they did not eat rhino and did not use the horn for medicinal purposes. They said they all grew up in the bush and had strong cultural ties to all wildlife.''
When the LRA officials subsequently signed a ceasefire with the government, it included pledges to protect the endangered rhino and to allow the park rangers to resume their work unmolested.
Mr Ojul told agency reporters at the talks: ``The statistics we were shown were devastating and shocked us, and so we have given a tacit commitment that we will do whatever possible to live in harmony with the animals. We will act as their curators and do everything possible to see they are not harmed for posterity.''
Mr. Anthony said: ``I was simply blown away. Until this happened the rhinos had no chance whatsoever of surviving. Now they do.'' He has since received an invitation to visit Joseph Kony, the LRA leader, at his secret headquarters in the reserve and to work in the park under his protection.
``We got word that Kony has contacted all of his generals in the park and has told them about this agreement. They said they would allocate soldiers to me for my personal security if I wanted to go into the area and monitor the situation.''
Many of the LRA soldiers are now emerging from the park, as agreed under the peace deal. But the future of the rhinos is still far from secure. The game rangers have not yet returned to work, though Mr. Anthony said they would be briefed on the ceasefire by an official from the Juba talks this week.
If the estimated four animals can be kept alive (only two have been seen from the air, though scientists say the park may hold twice as many), conservationists hope to breed them with a handful of rhinos in zoos in San Diego and Prague.
``They have a gestation period of 18 months, breed once every three years and have one baby, so this is long-haul stuff,'' Anthony said.
``But if it's accorded the proper importance then it can be done. We’ve broken new ground with this and I think we have to focus on the positive aspects. The negative aspects are clear; it's an impossible situation. This is a guerrilla army whose leaders are wanted for war crimes and we're doing deals with them.''
DAVE MORGAN
POSITION(s) Available Biodiversity & Wine Initiative
Exciting opportunity with the Botanical Society of South Africa
Biodiversity & Wine Initiative
The Biodiversity & Wine Initiative (BWI) is a pioneering partnership between the South African wine industry and the Botanical Society. The goal is to minimise the further loss of threatened ecosystems and to contribute towards sustainable production through the implementation of biodiversity guidelines throughout the industry. For more background, please go to: www.bwi.co.za
Job Description
The BWI Coordinator will work with the existing BWI Project team to implement the objectives of the BWI in the Cape Floristic Region and Succulent Karoo. The role of the Coordinator will be to provide leadership in the technical, marketing and auditing aspects of the BWI, as well as to give strategic direction to extension work. Specifically, this exciting post entails:
Experience and qualifications required:
Terms and Remuneration
The position starts in January 2007 and the BWI coordinator will likely be based out of an office in Stellenbosch. The salary package will be commensurate with skills and experience.
Please send a covering letter, concise CV (no certificates) and contact information for three referees to Sue Winter, BWI, Fax: 021 882 9510, or email to bwi@sawb.co.za. The Botanical Society promotes fair representation and preference will be given to designated groups. Closing date is 15 October 2006. If applicants do not receive a response within four weeks of closing date, they can assume the application has been unsuccessful. The Botanical Society reserves the right not to make the appointment.
Matatiele Nature Reserve Post
I have been asked by the Matatiele Municipality whether I know of anyone with experience in reserve management who is looking for a challenging job in protected area management. The person would be employed by the Matatiele Municipality, receive a competitive salary and Municipal perks. This would be a permanent appointment. The main task would be to establish and manage a protected area around the town of Matatiele. The area earmarked for this comprises almost 5000ha of grassland. It has small game on it as well as trout waters. The appointed manager would have to start the reserve from scratch ensuring that work such as fencing, road repairs, management planning, alien vegetation control, erosion rehabilitation, reintroduction of game, game guard training, eco-tourism development etc. is done. The position has been advertised in EC and KZN newspapers, but a suitably experienced candidate has not yet been found.
Please circulate this amongst GRAA members. Anyone who is interested can contact me for more information via email or on 0824170155.
Cheers
Div 13/9/2006
EWT- Poison Working Group – Field Worker
(to expand into a Human-Wildlife Conflict Mitigation Group) NPO 015502
The Endangered Wildlife Trust, based in Johannesburg, South Africa, has grown over the past thirty-three years into one of the major non-governmental conservation organisations operating throughout southern Africa.
The Endangered Wildlife Trust seeks to appoint a professional Field Worker to implement effective field extension and conservation work for the EWT’s Poison Working Group. The candidate shall have a have a firm background and a tertiary qualification in nature conservation, the biological sciences or a related field.
The preferred candidate will be highly motivated, must be able to work independently for much of the time, but still be a team player, and therefore have above average administrative and organisational skills. The candidate will have exceptional extension skills in interacting with landowners from different communities and be able to manage situations where wildlife conflicts lead to emotional and often deleterious human reactions. A highly professional person is required with strong communication skills to ensure good working relations with colleagues throughout KwaZulu-Natal, the Eastern Cape and other regions as required.
A good understanding of agro-chemicals is important and a commitment to expand this knowledge within the environmental interface is essential. Knowledge of animal behaviour (particularly predators) is desirable. Also required are good PR skills in order to liaise with farmers’ associations, sponsors in industry and elsewhere, the ability and willingness to acquire the necessary skills to respond appropriately to wildlife poisoning cases and similar field demands, and a good understanding of the current legislation as it relates to toxins and wildlife damage management methods and use of devices such as traps and cages. Proficiency in the use of e-mail and good report writing skills are required. The ability to speak English, Afrikaans and isiZulu, or at least to communicate effectively in at least 2 of these 3 languages is required. An understanding of and willingness to adapt to the conservation NGO environment is essential.
The successful Field Worker will work within an established Working Group, reporting to the Working Group Manager. Mentorship, training and support will be provided.
This is a contract appointment.
The Endangered Wildlife Trust is an equal opportunity employer.
Successful applicants may attend interviews in either Johannesburg or KwaZulu Natal, the selected candidate will be based in the KwaZulu-Natal Midlands area and fall under the manager of the EWT Poison Working Group.
Applicants are to submit a comprehensive CV, as well as a motivation as to how they would see their role in this post.
All applications will be treated in the strictest confidence.
Candidates who have not been contacted within 14 days of the closing date, must please assume that their applications were not successful. The EWT reserves the right not to make an appointment.
Closing date: 29 September 2006
To apply please e-mail your CV to alisond@ewt.org.za Or post to “Human Resources Manager”, Private Bag X11, Parkview, 2122. Or fax to +27 (11) 486 1506
Summary of core activities:
Tailpiece-
Todays Deep Thought
I think the cycle of life is all backwards!
You should die first, start out dead and get it out of the way.
Then you wake up in an old age home feeling better every day
You get kicked out for being too healthy, go collect your pension, then, when you start work, you get a gold watch on your first day.
You work 40 years until you are young enough to enjoy your retirement.
You drink alcohol, you party, you are generally promiscuous and you get ready for high school. You go to primary school, you become a kid, you play, you have no responsibilities, you become a baby, then, you spend your last 9 months floating peacefully with luxuries like central heating, spa, room service on tap, larger quarters every day.
And finally you finish off as an orgasm!
I rest my case….
Matter of Fact
This is an electronic newsletter of the Game Rangers' Association of Africa. The opinions expressed are not necessarily those of the Association, nor of the Editor. This is intended to be an exchange of news snips, ideas and communication between members. Newsletter content may be copied and re-distributed without authorisation. Correspondence should be addressed to the Editor at dyunnie@xsinet.co.za