Conservationist and MD of Mkambati Matters and Africa’s Finest, Colin Bell, says that while tour operators criticised a conservation contribution or levy introduced within the Sabi Sands Reserve, the initiative has seen poaching incidents within the reserve plummet.
Towards the end of last year the Sabi Sands Reserve announced, at short notice, a conservation contribution/levy of R100 per person per night to help fund its anti-poaching, security and conservation requirements to overcome the rhino-poaching scourge.
The move was slated by many tour operators as the levy was viewed to be difficult to implement and hard to pass on to the consumer, among other concerns.
“While there are always two sides to these debates, especially when it comes to money/levies, sometimes desperate times do require desperate measures,” said Bell.
He added that such a levy was exactly that – a desperate measure to help fund initiatives to gain the upper hand over the poachers and thus help to protect the rhinos.
“The good news is that Sabi Sands is now miles ahead of many reserves as rhino poaching there has plummeted as a result of a whole range of important initiatives – including the acquisition of its own helicopter; beefing up security at the entrance gates and along the boundaries, as well as intensive, expert patrolling and monitoring aided by sniffer dogs and feet on the ground,” he said.
He added that all of these initiatives cost a lot of money.
“That conservation contribution is helping to pay for measures that are winning that battle. One of the reserves within the Sabi Sands I was at recently had just reached an important milestone of 200 poaching-free days.”
“Sometimes we in the tourism industry need to look beyond the immediate inconvenience to become part of the solutions.
“We are indeed fortunate that we do have organisations that are being proactive and, in so doing, helping to conserve our wildlife for future generations,” Bell concluded.
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