Online Reporter
Thupeyo Muleya, Beitbridge Bureau
The International Rhino Foundation (IRF) is working in partnership with the Wildlife Conservation Network (WCN) to launch a new wildlife leadership program focusing entirely on rhino conservation practitioners that will cover Indonesia, Kenya, Namibia and Zimbabwe among other countries.
The International Rhino Foundation (IRF) manages, facilitates and funds conservation initiatives for highly threatened rhino populations in Africa and Asia, while the Wildlife Conservation Network (WCN) is a Silicon Valley-born non-profit, deploying a venture capital-style funding model to change the way the world finds and supports wildlife conservation initiatives.
In a statement on Thursday, Ms Nina Fascione, the IRF executive director said the programme will begin this month.
She said this transformative program—Rising Wildlife Leaders: Careers—will equip local conservationists in the countries where rhinos live with the skills, mentorship and career support they need to make a lasting impact.
Ms Fascione said in the next three years, selected participants will receive individualized training, peer learning opportunities and professional guidance to bolster their leadership in rhino conservation.
“All five rhino species are at risk and need all the help they can get. This new program will strengthen the corps of conservationists working to protect these incredible animals. Together with the Wildlife Conservation Network, we’re making sure rhinos have a fighting chance,” she said.
According to the director of WCN’s Rhino Recovery Fund, Mr Markus Hofmeyr securing the future of rhinos and equipping conservationists is very critical.
He said at the moment there were now less than 28 000 rhinos across Africa and Asia which need protection.
Mr Hofmeyr said they are working hard to ensure that the conservation efforts receive the resources and support needed to secure the species’ survival.
“Securing their future means equipping conservationists with the experience and on-the-ground expertise needed to lead the way. Having an entirely rhino-focused Rising Wildlife Leaders: Careers cohort this year gives me tremendous hope,” he said.
“Through this collaboration with the International Rhino Foundation, we’re working to ensure that conservation efforts receive the resources and support needed to secure the species’ survival.”
The team of Rising Wildlife Leaders includes six conservationists from Indonesia, Kenya, Namibia and Zimbabwe with each working on the frontline to safeguard the Javan, black, white and Sumatran rhinos.
They include Dedi Riyanto, an area manager for Yayasan Badak Indonesia (YABI) at Ujung Kulon National Park where he works to protect Javan rhinos, Deoclearancia Lorna Dax from Namibia, a program and partnership development assistant for Save the Rhino Trust, working to conserve the desert-adapted black rhino.
Others are Diana Marewangepo, a Zimbabwean who protects both black and white rhinos through her position as senior terrestrial ecologist for the Harare region with the Zimbabwe Parks and Wildlife Management Authority and Donald Misheck, a Zimbabwean who is rhino coordinator for Gonarezhou Conservation Trust, helping to conserve black rhinos.
In addition, the team has Ilham Ananda from Indonesia who is the Sumatran rhino rescue manager with Leuser Conservation Forum Foundation and Mr Kenneth Ayiego from Kenya who is rhino program manager with World Wide Fund for Nature Kenya, where he works to conserve Kenya’s black rhino population.
It is understood that the Rising Wildlife Leaders: Careers program will reduce barriers to employment, foster career growth and ensure conservation leadership remains rooted locally in the regions where it is needed most.
By investing in the next generation of rhino conservation leaders, the program is also expected to sharpen local expertise, enhance decision-making and secure a sustainable future where rhinos thrive in the wild and holistic conservation approaches are taken.
There are only five rhinoceros’ species remaining in the wild today: Javan, Sumatran, greater one-horned, black and white rhinos.
Their numbers have dwindled significantly in the past few decades to just under 28,000. Some species, like the Sumatran and Javan rhinos, have only a few dozen remaining.
IRF and WCN are working to turn this around and give rhinos a future—investing in locally-based rhino conservationists is a key part of creating that future.
