“Four years ago, Anton and I showed scenes from RHINO MAN at this very same venue. While he is not here today to see the finished product, his passion for conservation and community engagement continues through the legacy, partnerships, and relationships he inspired. United for Wildlife’s commitment to shining a light on rangers and long term solutions to tackling the illegal wildlife trade is something he would be immensely proud of.”

– Matt Lindenberg, GCC Executive Director

The GCC team was incredibly honored to have partnered with the Greater Kruger Environmental Protection Foundation as we hosted the United for Wildlife conference “Combating the Illegal Wildlife Trade in Southern Africa.” Our very own Matt Lindenberg, John Jurko, and Mboni Mzamani were asked to speak and share their conservation stories during the event held in Hoedspruit at the Timbavati Private Nature Reserve on March 13 and 14. We were able to showcase the Rangers’ work through multiple sessions, including a demonstration with the K9s that protect Timbavati, a ranger-led bush walk, and a helicopter demonstration. We ended the first day with a traditional drum performance at sunset performed by students from a local school.

It was a great privilege to stand before such an esteemed audience over the course of the event, including representatives from finance, transport, nonprofit and government sectors, and to create new partnerships within our home base of South Africa. We are hopeful that through our small part in the occasion, we are able spark a deeper conversation on the value of working together to support wildlife rangers and, in turn, protect wildlife.

Mindy Robinson, GCC’s Director of Development, visited our GCC headquarters in South Africa in the second week of March. During her trip, she was able to meet the SA team and join in on the activities with the Future Rangers Program at Mahlekisana Primary School.

During the school visit, Mindy had the opportunity to interact with Nombulelo Ntengeko, the grade 5 class representative, to exchange thoughts and experiences from their different worlds, which touched her heart. Being a huge hugger, Mindy and Nombulelo exchanged a few embraces while talking about elephants (Nombulelo’s favorite) and giraffes (Mindy’s favorite).

Later in the day, she met the whole class for an outside activity on identifying habitats of different animals in the school yard where the children were experiencing their environment from a conservation perspective. GCC facilitators Lefa and Promise did an amazing job leading the class.

It is always such a treat to have our global team down on the ground. Truly, it was an amazing and awe-inspiring day!

In late February, the GCC team onboarded new learners from the Dayimani High School into the Future Rangers Program. We were honored to have Mr. Ernest Hlathi, GCC Board Advisor and Dayimani High School Principal, present for this special induction day!

The parents of the learners selected for the program were also in attendance and gave consent for their kids to participate in the program. They were very excited for the opportunities that lie ahead for their children by joining the program.

We are grateful to the South African team for their tireless work in expanding the reach of the Future Rangers Program and raising the next generation of wildlife protectors!

All “Voices of Nature” episodes are special. However, a conversation with a friend of the organization is always a thrill for our team!

In episode 26, we speak with Brett Horley, founding partner of BHS Safari Company. Brett is a native and current resident of South Africa. He has nearly 20 years of experience in the bush and has guided tours across much of the continent.

Brett’s belief in education as part of a sustainable solution for the protection of wildlife led him to become involved in the training of guides in South Africa, Botswana, and Tanzania. He ran a highly successful education program in several rural South African high schools, teaching skills and promoting tourism as a career path for many young students – a number of whom now work in prestigious luxury lodges in the Greater Kruger National Park region.

In this conversation, we discuss one topic that we haven’t yet covered on ‘Voices of Nature” – the intersection of tourism and conservation – and another topic that is aligned with the mission of GCC – educating young people about careers that protect and promote nature.

Make sure to give this special episode a listen:

GCC Website
Spotify
Apple Podcast

This month we celebrated World Wildlife Day! At GCC, we took this occasion to reflect on what this day means to us, and it came down to our partnerships that help us advance our work, protect the beautiful world around us, and educate the next generation of leaders we are working to lift up. With this year’s World Wildlife Day theme of “Partnerships for Wildlife Conservation,” we, of course, thought of you and our partners across the globe. With that in mind, we’d like to reintroduce and invite you to become part of our monthly donor program, The Corps. Members of The Corps will receive special exclusive updates from our team as well as invitations to special events. We feel that, as we reflect on World Wildlife Day and on our incredible community, now is the perfect time to highlight this special program as we all work together towards a better world for conservation.

On March 3, Matt Lindenberg penned a heartfelt letter for the occasion. His words resonate with how we feel about our partners and supporters. Read Matt’s letter here.

From the bottom of our hearts, thank you for being part of our journey and for walking alongside us through thick and thin. We truly cannot do the work we do without your support and we do not take it for granted.

Not a member of The Corps yet? You too can be part of the change. Here is how you can get involved: https://globalconservationcorps.org/donate/