The role of rangers:

In the Nsumbu Mweru Ecosystem, formerly a heavily poached area, a ranger force of Wildlife Police Officers and a cohort of Community Scouts plays an integral role in ecosystem recovery. Through long and short patrols on land and on the waters of Lake Tanganyika, rangers pick up any signs of illegal activity, actively apprehend suspects, confiscate poaching equipment and poached animals, and generally prevent poaching through their presence. 

Additionally, a specialized de-snaring team helps to remove new and old snares from the ecosystem that remain deadly to wildlife for many years after being originally set by poachers. Once set, snares are extremely indiscriminate and stay deadly for many other species for many years if not removed. Snaring is also recognized as one of the major causes for the previous extinction of the African lion from the ecosystem. Therefore, this restoration of ecosystem security will be the basis of reintroductions of highly threatened species such as African lions and black rhino, which are planned in the next couple of years.

How your donation will help:

Funding would be used to improve ranger welfare for a newly recruited cohort of Community Scouts as the Community Resource Boards that usually employ the scouts are currently unable to provide such support. Ranger welfare is of utmost importance in order to maintain a highly motivated ranger force that are the backbone of any successful protected area management and restoration programme.

The Nsumbu Tanganyika Conservation Project was able to raise the funding needed to pay the rangers' salaries and provide housing, however additional funding is urgently needed to raise the housing standards to an adequate level and provide general ranger welfare. 

Effects of the pandemic:

Community Scouts are employed through local Community Resource Boards, which are dependent on tourism income in order to pay salaries and provide adequate housing to their rangers. A new cohort of rangers was hired recently, but the end of international tourism due to COVID-19 has badly affected the CRBs ability to pay scouts and provide them with simple welfare support such as water provision to their houses. While the NTCP has been able to raise funding to cover the ranger salaries, they are still in urgent need of funding to support ranger welfare and housing standards for the newly recruited cohort of rangers.

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Tusk is registered with JustGiving in the UK (or GoFundMe.com in the USA). Our online fundraising sites allow you to create a sponsorship form with easy access for your supporters, knowing their money is going directly to Tusk. UK tax-paying donors can enhance their contribution by agreeing to Gift Aid their sponsorship (for every £10 you raise, Tusk will receive another £2.50 from the Government provided you are a UK taxpayer). US supporters wishing to make a tax deductible donation can do so via GoFundMe.com.