Creating serendipity – Exploring the future of conservation in a rapidly changing world

Creating serendipity – Exploring the future of conservation in a rapidly changing world

The EWT is celebrating its 50th anniversary as one of South Africa’s leading conservation NGOs and as part of the celebration, we are hosting a day of inspirational and forward-thinking discussions to spark creative ideas about the future of conservation in Africa. We have a line-up of thought-provoking presenters and panelists from a multitude of traditionally non-conservation sectors, to stimulate debate and leverage creative thinking within the conservation realm. We aim to open the minds and challenge the mindsets of conservationists attending the event and to unlock partnership opportunities to catapult us into the next era of conservation practice.

Conservationists recognise the influence of all sectors as drivers impacting the natural world. As such, we will be exploring the knowledge and experience of experts across various sectors including economics, agriculture, mining, sustainability, information technology, artificial intelligence, and innovation through the eyes of specialists and futurists. Through this assembled expertise and via facilitated discussions, we will distil a new way of thinking about the future for the strategic conservation of our wildlife and wild places over the next few decades, in a rapidly changing world.

Join us for an exploration of the possibilities, opportunities & synergies in the next era of conservation practice.

#THENEXT50

RSVP: by 20 October 2023 Click here

08:30-16:00 formal proceedings, 16:00-19:00 cocktail event

Join us afterward for some fantastic live music, great Painted Wolf wines, and beautiful art by Alice van Jaarsveld.

EWT_CREATING SERENDIPITY_AICE VAN JAARSVELD

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The great minds that will spark our creative thinking

Thomas Fowler is the Chief Technology Officer at CloudSmiths and was the founder and CEO of DotModus.

Valli Moosa is the former minister of the Department of Environment and Tourism, and the former president of the IUCN. He was also the non-executive chairman of Eskom, Sun International, and Anglo America Platinum and more recently the Deputy Chairperson of the PCC.

Brian Mantlana joined the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) in 2017, where he now leads the Holistic Climate Change Impact area. Prior to this, he worked at SANBI and the Department of Environmental Affairs.

Toby Shapshak is editor-in-chief of Stuff and publisher of Scrolla.Africa, a Forbes senior contributor and a columnist for the  Financial Mail and Daily Maverick.

Bronwyn Williams is a futurist, economist, strategist, and business trend analyst. She is also an avid reader and a published writer.

Isaah Mhlanga is the chief economist and head of research at Rand Merchant Bank.

Martin Potgieter is a Director, Natural Capitalist, Investor, and Environmentalist at Rand Merchant Bank

Lesego Rammusi has worked as the sustainability manager at Esiswe Mining Company, as the Environmental and Social Specialist at the Land and Agricultural Development Bank of South Africa, and is currently the head of environmental and Social Sustainability at ABSA.

Sameera Munshi is the Operations Manager at the global Anglo-American Foundation, which is on a mission to empower youth through catalysing green value chains and building resilience and agency.

Andrew Ardington is the founder of the Regenerative Agriculture Association of South Africa, also known as RegenAg SA.

Graeme Codrington is a futurist, global speaker and unlearner and is an expert on the future of work and the disruptive forces that are shaping it.

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Event Programme

  SPEAKERS AFFILIATIONS
 

Introduction by Yolan

09:00-09:30 Thomas Fowler AI futurist
09:30-10:00 Vallie Moosa Deputy Chairperson of the Presidential Climate Commision (PCC)
10:00-10:30 Brian Mantlana Holistic Climate Change Impact area lead at the CSIR
10:30-11:00 Toby Shapshak Innovation in Africa
11:00-11:30

tea and snacks

11:30-12:00 Bronwyn Williams Futurist, Economist, Trends
12:00-12:30 Isaah Mhlanga RMB economist
12:30-13:00 Martin Potgieter RMB – Natural Capital and sustainable finance
13:00-13:30 Lesego Rammusi Head of Environmental and Social Sustainability at ABSA
13:30-14:00

tea and snacks

14:00-14:30 Sameera Munshi Anglo – Operations Manager
14:30-15:00 Andrew Ardington Regenerative Agriculture Association of Southern Africa
15:00-15:30 Graeme Codrington Futurist, Unlearner, Disruption
15:30-16:00 Panel discussion: The Next 50 – where to from here in the conservation context?

Closing and thank you – Yolan and Ian

Training tackles wildlife poisoning

Training tackles wildlife poisoning

TRAINING TACKLES WILDLIFE POISONING

André Botha, Manager, EWT Vultures for Africa Programme

AndreB@ewt.org.za The EWT’s Vultures for Africa Programme (VFA) has been involved in a number of Wildlife Poisoning Response Workshops at various locations in southern and east Africa during the period December 2019-February 2020. More than 100 trainees from a range of conservation organisations in Botswana, Zambia, Uganda and Tanzania participated in five workshops lead by the VFA Programme Manager André Botha. During this training, learners are provided with a comprehensive background on the drivers, motives and methods people use to poison wildlife, then we focus on enabling them to confidently assess situations on the ground to positively determine whether a poisoning incident is taking place, how to appropriately and rapidly respond to it by means of effective scene management, investigation and decontamination. We lastly work with them to draft Wildlife Poisoning Response Plans for the areas that they operate in and provide support in terms of sourcing equipment to safely conduct the management and investigation of scenes. Feedback from training recipients was very positive and we have received invitations to return for further training in Uganda and Tanzania later in the year. Another exciting development for the programme is an invitation from Cambodia to conduct similar training during two workshops in that country during March 2020. Further training interventions are also planned for the Greater Limpopo Transfrontier Conservation Area, supported by the British government’s Illegal Wildlife Trade Challenge Fund, and the Khutse Game Reserve in Botswana, in March and April respectively. The EWT has also received a firm commitment from the Junta Andalusia in Spain to assist with the development of training capacity to train poison detection dogs at various sites in Africa in the coming months. There currently are no such dogs deployed anywhere in Africa, and this ability will significantly strengthen the preventative and responsive ability of conservationists on the ground to reduce the prevalence and impact of wildlife poisoning on vultures and other species.

The work of VFA is supported by U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service