TOUCH DOWN // WINTER 2018
Left : With one of the anti-poaching teams Michelle and Grant have worked with . Hwange National Park , Zimbabwe .
roads and travel times . It also helps us find the nearest and cheapest campsites .
We decided to travel and learn more about the different conservation issues across Africa and to also assist wherever we could
experience as field guides , the years we spent working in the bush . We ’ ve built knowledge and skills that can help upskill the local scouts or teams of conservation personnel . In certain areas , though , there is quite a lot of political red tape that makes helping out quite difficult . In some cases it ’ s not that easy to offer help .
What do you see as the main conservation needs , based on your current travels around Africa ? MC : Number one is education . There ’ s a need to work with the youth especially , to help them realise the value of wildlife and the importance of preserving it – so that it ’ s not just seen as negative interactions with elephants raiding crops or predators taking livestock , or [ the local community ] taking resources out of the parks because it ’ s their only food source .
We ’ ve also seen a need to support the scout teams ( anti-poaching units ) with the resources they need to be on the ground .
Not just uniforms , but vehicles to be able to deploy them , salaries and food .
And the third need is access . Although there are teams on the ground who want to help , they find it very difficult to get into some of the areas . For example , the Kafue National Park in Zambia : the area is about 60,000 square kilometres , but most of it is completely inaccessible except via helicopter . Having better access to these remote areas will help conserve and protect them .
What planning and preparation did you do before setting off ? GP : First we had to pack up all our belongings and pop them into storage . Then came the massive job of preparing our Landrover Defender for life on the road – rugged tyres and off-road suspension , solar power , a tent that sits on top of the car and various storage solutions . We then had to try to plan our route , while at the same time keeping it very flexible . To do that , we ’ ve got some amazing map-GPS software from Tracks4Africa . It offers us the choice of different roads , as well as telling us the condition of the road and how long the travel time will be . It ’ s more accurate than Google Maps , which doesn ’ t seem to understand the conditions of African
What have you learned about other parts of Africa ? What ’ s surprised you the most ? MC : That it ’ s really big . Each country on its own is just massive – yet , even in the most remote areas where we never would have expected anyone to live , we ’ ve seen little communities all over the place . The roads aren ’ t nearly as bad as we thought they would be and people in general have been really friendly . Things have not been scary , the way people sometimes make it out to be . Crossing borders or being in certain areas that are perceived as dangerous has not been that way at all . It ’ s been a welcome surprise and so enjoyable .
Many groups champion sustainable tourism and development amongst local communities as a way to relieve tension between humans and wildlife and create ways for these communities to make a living ( other than poaching or resource exploitation ). Can you tell us what you ’ ve seen from your experience ? MC : We agree 100 %, but there ’ s not yet the opportunity for sustainable tourism everywhere – either because it ’ s completely inaccessible or because the wildlife isn ’ t consistent enough to attract tourism in the first place . In that case , alternatives would need to be explored .
What is your ultimate goal with your journey ? GP : To learn , and try to cross-pollinate best practice between some of the best conservation projects across Africa .
Want to follow Wild Wonderful World ’ s journey or contribute to their conservation mission ? Visit their website or follow them on Facebook or Instagram : www . wildwonderfulworld . com GoFundMe : https :// www . gofundme . com / wildwonderfulworldappeal
60 // MAKE MEMORIES FOR LIFE