We are proud to announce that the winners of the three $500/250 grants are: Kent Search & Rescue (UK) Bandita Wild Horse Promise (USA) Bats & Trees Society of Cairns (AU) Kent Search & Rescue. Their impact and transparency ratings: With a guaranteed gold seal of transparency from GuideStar. The Elephant Sanctuary has earned a 97% for the Accountability & Finance beacon. 590 following. Driven by one familys love for wildlife, the Trust works closely with the Kenyan Wildlife Trust to safeguard natural habitats. Between them, WWF, WCS, IFAW and CI (World Wide Fund for Nature, Wildlife Conservation Society, International Fund for Animal Welfare and Conservation International) have an annual budget of over $1 billion, with over $100 million spent in Africa. Vanishing Point, the EIAs pull-no-punches report published in November 2014, details how Chinese-led criminal gangs conspire with corrupt Tanzanian officials to move huge amounts of ivory out of the country. If you would prefer to remain anonymous, please check the box Keep my donation anonymous in the Donation Options section. MEP operates in the unprotected areas of the Mara ecosystem and therefore collects constant data on areas that experience high human-elephant conflict. Unregulated trade of wild animals spreads diseases including SARS and AvianInfluenza, endangering human health. Mara Elephant Project is one of Asilia's Positive Impact partners in Kenya. However, you may have a particular charity you want to support. What do these affiliate links mean for us? Tanzania vehemently denies the allegations, but the Government is under the spotlight and struggling to avoid international censure. The Mara Elephant Project aims to get everyone involved in elephant conservation. Global NGOs dominate Africas conservation space with big budgets and high profile marketing campaigns. When you buy something through one of our affiliate links, we may earn a small commission - but at no additional costs to you. Such is the confusing world of wildlife conservation where initiatives to save iconic species compete in a game of recognition and power, often completely missing the conservation goal. These are real threats and an alarmed Western world is responding with shock, anger and unprecedented amounts of funding. If more rangers are deployed, are they being effective or actually contributing to the problem by colluding with poachers? With a dedicated team, MEP is achieving . Alarmed at the sharp spike in elephant deaths in 2010, the Mara Elephant Project (MEP) was founded to understand the issue and address the rampant illegal killing. Main Office 2nd Floor Office, 130A Western Road, Brighton, BN1 2LA. The goal of Elephant Partners is to develop and maintain a working model for citizens to monitor and protect elephants. poaching gang with 39 recent elephant kills was arrested, 65% of forest elephants have been lost to poaching since 2002, a pan-African survey of savannah elephants, broken up the worst of the poaching gangs operating in the Amboseli region, Photographer of the Year 2023 Weekly Selection: Week 3, Photographer of the Year 2023 Weekly Selection: Week 2. Dennis is the founder of Impactful Ninja and passionate about enabling you to make a positive impact on the world & society. You can also partake in any of the Sheldrick Wildlife Trusts upcoming events or increase you and your peers knowledge by engaging in their education programs. The GME, an extension of the vast Serengeti ecosystem, is Kenya's most important wildlife area and tourism asset. Through Conservation, Advocacy, Research, and Education, they offer insight into elephant protection and authority on research-based Elephant care. STE's mission is to secure a future for elephants and sustain the beauty and ecological integrity of the places they live, to promote man's . The Mara Elephant Project. There is no one closer to the coal-face than the anti-poaching ranger and no-one more subject to its dangers. Jake Wall, director of research and conservation for Mara Elephant Project and affiliate faculty at CSU, said that by using GPS tracking coupled with remote-sensing agricultural spatial information, scientists now have a method for characterizing crop-raiding behavior within a given elephant population. The Sheldrick Wildlife Trustprovided funding for the creation of the Mau Forest unit and MEP was able to expand into Loita by re-deploying rangers from the core rapid response units away from conflict hotspots during the low conflict seasons. Each year World Elephant Day features our Friends of World Elephant Day organizations, and the current work they are doing for the greater understanding and protection of elephants. What theyve achieved: Since its inception, they have provided approximately $6.7million to elephant research and conservation programs while supporting 150 elephants in these programs. In the 1970s, he conducted the first pan-African elephant survey and was the first to alert the world to the ivory poaching crisis that halved Africas elephant population in the 1980s. The International Elephant Foundation was inspired by the frustration of its founder Michael Fouraker, the Fort Worth Zoo director, in 1998 (and established in 1999). Director: Sarah Polley. They accomplish this mission by utilizing anti-poaching patrols and rapid response ranger units, collaring, monitoring and collecting data on elephants, and using innovative techniques and technologies to mitigate human-elephant conflict. Your contribution is tax-deductible to the fullest extent allowed by law. Less than five years under way, if these partnerships prove successful, the future of 12-13,000 forest elephants could be secured. 100% of all donations reach the field. Some conservationists question whether the census is the best application of $8 million of donor funding and say the data must have management applicability. Moreover, they have established short, accessible courses for children from pre-kindergarten to 6th grade on the importance of elephants and their conservation through their distance learning program. As a result, most of the illegal killing of elephants, and hence the work MEP does, is concentrated in an unprotected area of 11,500 km2outside these areas. Lets look at what you can do to ensure your contribution has the most significant impact. However, it emerged that of the $80 million in pledged funds, $78 million comprised the already-funded budgets of over a dozen conservation organisations working in Africa. This adds The Elephant Sanctuary to . app@africageographic.com You can be of vital assistance by donating to either our core funds or to any of our projects. Ways to contribute: You can save an elephant today by donating to the charity, by getting involved by spreading the word, or even by applying for one of their internship opportunities. What they do: Save The Elephants works in research and monitoring through their GPS tracking system, elephant protection by funding partners, and grassroots organizations committed to anti-poaching through their Elephant Crisis Fund. What do these affiliate links mean for you? . An elephant family in Chobe's Okavango Delta. Working to end the terrible cruelty and brutal conditions suffered by this wondrous and ancient species.. Operating in a country with massive corruption, WCS has had its work cut out, compounded by the fact that 35,000 people live in the reserve, and Tanzanian poachers cross the border into Niassa, often reportedly aided by officials. You may have noticed by the way Impactful Ninja is operated that money is not the driving factor behind it. Learn more With hands-on management of the project, Richard was a driving force behind the future of elephants in the Mara. MEP was developed to fill a gap in protecting elephants outside of conservancies and protected areas in the Mara ecosystem. What they do: From providing a home that offers rest, refuge, and a herd for previously captive elephants, the Elephant Sanctuary also provides individualized care to each elephant. Based in Fort Bragg, CA. He started his professional career as a Sustainability Consultant and has worked on several social projects around the world. The best charities for protecting elephants include Elephant Voices, Save the Elephants, the David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust, and the International Elephant Foundation. However, it's a project in that I invest a lot of time and also quite some money. With hundreds of NGOs proclaiming to protect elephants, how do philanthropists decide who to support? Not Just A Cup, But A Just Cup. Their impact and transparency ratings: According to Save The Elephants, 90% of all their funding is directed towards projects in the field. Protecting elephants and their habitats across the Greater Mara Ecosystem. In 2016 human-wildlife conflict began to emerge as the number one threat to both wildlife and communities in the Mara. Here are a few ways you can help your chosen charity: Whichever charity you end up choosing and contributing to, we are sure that our intelligent friends will immensely appreciate your support. African elephants have plenty of suitable habitats, but the actual range they use is only about 17% of what it could be, say researchers in a recent study published in Current Biology. It is a pioneer in wildlife rehabilitation and environmental conservation in East Africa. Wild Aid Established in 2011, Mara Elephant Project (MEP) envisions the existence of a stable elephant population co-existing peacefully with people across the Greater Mara Ecosystem (GME). Ways to contribute: Support this organizations efforts by making a direct donation or go the extra mile and organize a fundraiser. This includes all operating costs for running this site and the content creation itself. Join us to combat the rise in conflict, habitat destruction and continue on our previous success. We analysed GPS data of 66 free-ranging elephants in the Serengeti-Mara ecosystem to quantify their use of agriculture. In a bid to establish Hwange as a wildlife haven, founding warden Ted Davidson drilled dozens of boreholes and established 60 pans. WCS protects about 3,000 elephants at Noubale-Ndoki and Conkouti-Douli national parks. But thanks to WCSs presence, Niassas beleaguered elephants at least stand a chance. During this time Marc started sustainable woodlot cycles and tracked the bongo antelope in Kenyas Aberdare National Park under the guidance of Richard Leakey. On November 16th of that year, Mara arrived at the Buenos Aires Zoo as a judicial deposit. Contact Information. On January 18, KWS and TANAPA seized two pieces of elephant tusks and arrested one suspect based on MEP intel. Mara Elephant Project (MEP) was established in 2011 with the mission of protecting elephants to conserve the greater Mara ecosystem. "The Elephant Sanctuary's exceptional 4-star rating sets it apart from its peers and demonstrates its trustworthiness to the public," according to Michael Thatcher, President & CEO of Charity Navigator. Dr Iain Douglas-Hamilton was one of the first to use radio tracking on collared elephants. The answer is not easy, and the givers themselves are often motivated by personal goals, simply wishing to feel virtuous with an easy click and credit-card swipe entry on a website. Conservationists use GIS to study the movements and needs of the Mara elephant population. The Maasai Mara ecosystem, an extension of the vast Serengeti ecosystem, is Kenya's most important wildlife area and tourism asset. MEP feels its vitally important to recognize the central part the rangers play in their conservation operations and the need to ensure funding for ranger welfare is essential to recognizetheir dedicated efforts. This is a settlement area that is growing and is situated right next to Mara North Conservancy. When you buy something through one of our affiliate links, we may earn a small commission - but at no additional costs to you. First, and most importantly, we still only recommend products that we believe add value for you. But that's still a long time to go. When we find products that we believe add value to you and the seller has an affiliate program, we sign up for it. Email sales@naturalworldsafaris.com. Stay impactful. "This in turn should help improve elephant crop-raiding mitigation strategies by wildlife . At Mara Elephant Project, we've come to rely on the EarthRanger web app as part of our daily operations. Whether you want to save elephant habitats, end poaching and the demand for ivory, or even secure a baby elephants future by adopting them, there is a charity for you. Please click on this logo for more information. Affiliate Disclosure The concept is to connect individual people - guides, scouts, researchers, visitors and people of the . Eventually, my dream is to one day turn this passion project into my full-time job and provide even more helpful information. In 2013, an ivory poaching kingpin was jailed for five years, a sentence previously unheard of in Congo. According to their 2019 annual report, 71.2% of their expenditure went towards their conservation programs expenses and purchases plus conservation land and easements. NGO websites encourage this approach: for a few dollars, you can supposedly sponsor an orphaned elephant or equip a park ranger. JANE EDGE is a former environmental journalist who cut her teeth reporting on the elephant and rhino poaching crisis in the 1980s. Featured NGOs: Elephants that are safe in the Mara have been in the formally protected Maasai Mara National Reserve and the informallyprotected conservancies. Their impact and transparency ratings: The charity has a platinum seal of transparency from GuideStar. Please add video on the following link: https://maraelephantproject.org/results/. MEP is ready for the next 10 years. 501(c)3. The other arm of the project, the Quick Response Unit, is ran by the Mara Conservancy and Seiya and is on the front line of the anti-poaching war in the Mara. Environmental Investigation Agency The project was founded by Save the Elephants with Richard Roberts and Susan Fehsenfeld in 2011. Already far too many forests are silent. Learn more about our privacy practices. Says Lee White, head of Gabons national park agency, Agence Nationale des Parcs Nationaux: Were fighting for the survival of the forest elephant. You can also join their #SaveElephants program and share their published materials concerning grassroots initiatives and partnerships. In 2011 Richard and Liz founded the Mara Elephant Project, which is instrumental in human-wildlife conflict mitigation and anti-poaching through the collaring, monitoring and tracking of elephants. What they do: The Nature Conservancy collaborates with grassroots initiatives and government wildlife services to implement initiatives that secure healthy, safe habitats for African Elephants. One of the key needs for MEP is a comprehensive community survey of areas that consistently experience high levels of human-elephant conflict. When it was first proclaimed a National Park in 1928, fewer than 1,000 elephants remained. Save the Elephants. NGOs like African Parks, which take on the management of protected areas in partnership with governments, are increasingly attracting donor funds because they are accountable for their actions. Says Dr John Hanks, former CEO of WWF SA and Peace Parks Foundation: Campaigns to eliminate consumptive use of wildlife are well-meaning, but they ignore the realities of poverty in Africa, human-wildlife conflict and the underfunding of protected areas. Given the late hour, any hope of operating on her that evening was not possible, so the Mara Conservancy management arranged to have their Rangers monitor the herd . They work to protect elephants in the Greater Mara ecosystem, which are under threat from human-wildlife conflict, poaching and diminishing space to roam. They have also produced one of the most recognized documents on elephant management, The 2004 Elephant Husbandry Guide.. And that we love to link back to where we found all the information for each of our posts. Registered Office Granta Lodge, 71 Graham Road, Worcs, WR14 2JS. This baby female elephant of approximately one year old was first spotted with a wire snare tight around her trunk on the evening of the 10th February 2017 at Ngirare in the Mara Triangle, in amongst a large herd of wild elephants. As previous manager of Nedbanks green affinity programme in partnership with WWF SA, and previous marketing and philanthropy director for African Parks, Author Jane Edge is well informed but she does not work for or receive fees from these or any organisation that could benefit from the publication of this article. Such is the paradox facing elephant conservation in Africa numbers plummeting in most regions while Chobe in Botswana and Hwange in Zimbabwe seem to have too many. But Brandt says that Big Life is doing far more than anti-poaching, with human-wildlife conflict a major area of focus. This list represents charities that we evaluated as part of our recommendation process. Lego 70815 - Der TOP-Favorit unserer Produkttester. Why do we add these product links? During his first visit to India, Duncan McNair was stunned and appalled by the mistreatment and violence inflicted on elephants within the tourism industry especially the way of making baby elephants more compliant by capturing and torturing them in small inhumanely cages. Impactful Ninja participates in affiliate & advertising programs designed to provide a means to this site to ensure continuous content creation for you. Together with Odzalas population, this comprises about 15% of forest elephants remaining. Elephants in the Maasai Mara traverse a wide . Against almost insurmountable odds, PALF is succeeding. Tanzania and Mozambique are the current elephant killing fields, and central Africas forests are an unseen frontline where the future of the forest elephant is at stake. and MEP better understand elephant movements in Shimba Hills and the Mwaluganje, a critical dispersal area for elephants. And when you buy something through a link that is not an affiliate link, we wont receive any commission but well still be happy to have helped you. Run time: 1h 44m. Protects elephants in the greater Mara ecosystem as a keystone species for conservation. What theyve achieved: The David Sheldrick Trust has successfully raised over 200 elephant orphans, and through their mobile veterinary units, they have attended to the medical needs of 2,885 elephant cases. African Parks has been lauded for its poacher-to-protector amnesty programme, which allows poachers to surrender their weapons and apply for work in the park; to date 45 have been trained and deployed in the field as eco-guards or wildlife monitors. What does this mean for me personally? Their headquarters are in the Mara North Conservancy, and their work includes elephant collaring, monitoring and . These two areas are vastly under regulated and illegal logging, poaching and human-elephant conflict were all extremely high. The aim of Impactful Ninja is to provide you with actionable insights to help make a positive impact on the world & society. Many . In no time, Big Life had broken up the worst of the poaching gangs operating in the Amboseli region. And that we love to link back to where we found all the information for each of our posts. Elephant "Gina" was re-collared in January so that . That simple act averted the crisis. What is heartening though is the increasing demand for results, with foundations and government agencies insisting on detailed objectives, strategies and outcomes before parting with funds. The record price of ivory has attracted organised crime, rebel militias and even terrorist groups, fuelling a surge of poaching across the continent. Ways to contribute: You can support by donating to the organization or purchasing an item on their wishlist that will help in their new elephant refuge. Ways to contribute: One of the best ways to help the Nature Conservancy is by making a donation. We use cookies to offer you a better browsing experience and to analyze site traffic. The Republic of Congo had the foresight to engage in PPPs for three of its national parks Odzala-Kokoua in partnership with African Parks, and Nouabale-Ndoki and Conkouti-Douli in partnership with Wildlife Conservation Society. In September 2014, there was a breakthrough when a major poaching gang with 39 recent elephant kills was arrested. Under the banner of his NGO, Save the Elephants, he has spent 30 years lobbying for elephants on global platforms, including addressing the US Senates Foreign Relations Committee on Ivory and Security in 2012 and attending White House meetings that fed into Obamas 2013 Executive Order on Combatting Wildlife Trafficking. Based on MEP intel, a sentence previously unheard of in Congo successful, Trust. 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