About Tusk Trust

Tusk Trust is a dynamic organisation, which has 20 years experience initiating and funding conservation and community development programmes right across Africa. Supported by UK celebrities such as Rory Bremner, Ronnie Wood, Griff Rhys Jones, Joanna Lumley, Ruby Wax, Zoe Ball, Ben Fogle and Alistair McGowan, the charity’s work to deliver direct sustainable conservation has been widely covered on television and in the media. In 2005 HRH Prince William of Wales became the charity’s Royal Patron.

Since it’s launch, the Trust has raised more than £9 million. On average 85 per cent of these funds have been invested directly into a diverse range of conservation projects, making Tusk Trust the pre-eminent UK based wildlife charity focused exclusively on Africa.

Tusk’s current portfolio of 40 field projects spread across 17 African countries is designed not only to protect wildlife, particularly endangered species, but to help alleviate poverty and encourage sustainable development and education amongst many poor rural communities who live alongside wildlife. Conservation of wildlife remains a key objective with substantial funding being applied towards the protection of many threatened species such as elephant, rhino, cheetah, Chimpanzee, mountain and lowland gorilla, African wild dog, giant sable and even marine species such as turtles.

As the ever expanding human population and its demand for more land brings it into increasing and often disastrous conflict with wildlife, Tusk’s aim is to forge an inextricable link between the preservation of Africa’s natural heritage and the future of it’s land, culture and peoples and one that seeks to engage global support for a vision that will bring about an end to such conflict through education, job creation, and ultimately self-sufficiency.

The Trust’s main aims are:

• SUPPORT COMMUNITIES: Provide practical support to alleviate poverty amongst rural communities living in areas rich in biodiversity

• PROMOTE EDUCATION: To initiate, sponsor and develop educational programmes amongst rural communities

• PROTECT WILDLIFE: Encourage the simultaneous protection and conservation of habitat and wildlife, especially endangered species, for the economic benefit of the people.

Tusk has, with its project field partners such as the Lewa Wildlife Conservancy in Kenya, been at the forefront of establishing and promoting community driven conservation programmes. The charity’s holistic approach recognises that the long-term future for wildlife is dependant on education and sustainable development. A number of the charity’s initiatives therefore incorporate work to improve environmental education, security, healthcare, and responsible tourism. One such programme managed by the Northern Rangelands Trust and supported by Tusk has seen 2 million acres of community land come under a common conservation policy with initiatives that are directly and simultaneously benefiting 65,000 people and a significant wildlife population in northern Kenya.

Tusk strives to provide practical, logistical and financial support to a diverse range of projects. In the past this has included the purchase of vehicles, aircraft, radio equipment, as well as the construction of primary and secondary schools, clinics, water improvement schemes, roads, buildings, bridges and airstrips, as well as covering the direct costs of rangers. The charity enjoys a reputation for being financially efficient with an average of 85% of the net funds raised reaching the field.

Tusk facilitates the fundraising for rural communities and conservation programmes that don’t have the capacity and experience to make such approaches to overseas donors. We retain one member of staff as our Project manager in Africa, based in Nairobi. Over the last twenty years we have built up a strong and reliable voluntary network of experienced individuals to act as additional eyes and ears on the ground. Naturally our own small executive team (4 staff) as well as our Trustees travel regularly to Africa to visit and assess projects first hand. British Airways has kindly donated tickets for all the staff flights over the last 11 years.

Our history

Trusk Trust was formed in 1990 by Charlie Mayhew, chief executive, as a field operating trust in response to an international call to support conservation initiatives in Africa.

The ever growing human population and its demand for land brings it into increasing and often disastrous conflict with wildlife threatening the existence of many species and wilderness areas.

Since it’s launch, the Trust has raised more than £5 million. On average, 87 per cent of these funds have been invested directly into a diverse range of conservation projects, making Tusk Trust the pre-eminent UK based wildlife charity focused exclusively in Africa.
 
The charity employs only three people, whose salaries are sponsored by independent sponsors, thus enabling the charity to maintain its high percentage of funds raised into the field.