Makame Wildlife Management Area - Honeyguide Foundation
The Wildlife Ranger Challenge 2021
Fundraising for Tusk Trust
Story
About the Wildlife Ranger Challenge:
Covid-19 has created a temporary safer world for Africa’s wildlife. But the floodgates are opening as the economic impacts of Covid drive more poaching. With tourism gone, the rangers who care for wildlife lack the resources to do their jobs. African People & Wildlife’s ranger teams are joining thousands of others across the continent taking part in the Wildlife Ranger Challenge, a series of physical and mental challenges, culminating in a 21km virtual race on Saturday 18th September.
You can join them! Show your support and sign up to run or walk with the community game scout team from wherever you are in the world: WildlifeRangerChallenge.org/registration. Now is the time to go the extra mile to support our rangers!
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Your contribution will help support 28 rangers and an estimated 18,000 livelihoods in and around the Makame Wildlife Management Area in Tanzania. Every dollar we raise via JustGiving will earn an additional 25% match!
Your donation also helps to unlock vital funds for other ranger teams across Africa; the Scheinberg Relief Fund will donate the equivalent of 75% of the amount raised to the Ranger Fund!
The role of rangers:
Honeyguide works in 430,000 hectares of community land comprising three conservation areas in the Tarangire ecosystem that are located in critical migratory corridors and dispersal areas for wildlife. The rangers have been selected and are from these communities. Honeyguide, support community owned and managed conservation areas that receive tangible benefits from conservation that leads to improved livelihoods. In all areas, the rangers' work is critical in this objective; protecting rangelands for the community livestock, protecting community crops from elephant raids and protecting wildlife and habitat that in turn secure much-needed revenues from nature-based enterprises. In Makame WMA, Randilen WMA and Manyara Ranch, the communities value and support the conservation activities because of these benefits they receive and in return, the local community provides information on any illegal activities that threaten the habitat of wildlife in the areas.
Honeyguide started work in Makame Wildlife Management Area in 2018 with initial investments in protection-with a ranger post, radio repeater and protection vehicle purchased and the training of a small and effective protection unit of 13 rangers deployed in the villages to cultivate the intelligence networks and 14 rangers centrally located able to respond to intelligence rapidly. Between 2019 and 2020, the rangers were able to apprehend 38 poachers, seized 19 firearms and 22 motorbikes.
We supported the management team to develop tools and systems like annual budgets and emergency Covid-19 cash flow for effective and robust.
Impact that 2020 WRC had on Organisation & Rangers:
The Wildlife Ranger Challenge inspired and uplifted the rangers, they realized that there was a bigger community out there who cared for them and their work, who was willing to step in at a time of crisis and support them to continue to do what they love to do, protect wildlife.
In the Makame Wildlife Management Area the funds were used to pay the fourteen rangers half their salary per month, whereby they remained in their villages on half pay and continued to support intelligence efforts in the village, data collection of any HWC and have a presence on behalf of the WMA.
Ongoing effects of the pandemic:
Due to this remoteness, the residents of Makame are predominantly pastoralists that have been living with little connection to the hustle and bustle of the urban centers. The only interruption for a few months was due to schools closing in Tanzania between 18 March and 1st June 2020.
From 2022 onwards funding will only be needed for 10% of management expenses in the WMA and for one final year of Honeyguide coaching and mentoring support to instill the systems and culture of best practice. management and governance
How support in 2021 could help:
Makame already has an operating approach that uses minimal rangers for the area that is required to protect (137sqkm per ranger) and cannot afford to make any rangers redundant. The goal will be to maintain this structure and the team in place, to build their capacity to improve the intelligence and to equip and continue to train this small RRU to deter any poachers. Honeyguide will prioritize funding for this unit over 2021/2 to ensure that they are able to continue to have both the RRU and the intelligence units operable during the year.
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Funding from WRC in 2021 would help in several ways. Most importantly, it would allow community rangers to continue the 30 years of work to protect Bioko Island's vulnerable wildlife, especially the thousands of nesting turtles that come ashore each year and the endangered monkeys (e.g., the Bioko Drill and Pennant's Red Colobus). In addition, the support from WRC would help the families of the biomonitors to continue their highly successful ecotourism enterprise, EG Expeditions (on pause in 2020) and other sustainable livelihood activities that help local communities be champions for their park and their wildlife.
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Tusk Trust Limited is a charity registered in England and Wales, No: 1186533, and a company registered in England and Wales, No: 11948023.
In the US, “The Friends of Tusk Fund” donor advised fund is administered by CAF America (Tax ID 68-0480736)
Donors who pay tax in the UK can enhance their donation through Gift Aid, meaning that for every £10 raised, Tusk can recover an additional £2.50 for the cause from the UK Government.
US supporters wishing to make a tax deductible donation please click here.
