Ezemvelo KZN Wildlife protects and promotes nature conservation in KwaZulu-Natal and ensures biodiversity conservation, wise and sustainable use of natural resources, creation and management of partnerships between stakeholders and communities and the provision of affordable eco-tourism destinations within the province. Ezemvelo is responsible for the management of approximately 100 protected areas in the province.
Ezemvelo has recently broadened its areas of focus and begun to target the communities living and working adjacent to the protected areas, in terms of job creation and the sustainable harvesting of natural resources.
Ezemvelo KZN Wildlife identified that many of the nature conservation areas in the province were rural and remote areas where the adjacent communities were experiencing a decline in their socio-economic resources. Subsequently Ezemvelo decided to employ an initiative which promotes environmental awareness through sports programmes and developments. Funding is required in order to realise these goals, and this is where Thanda Private Game Reserve was able to get involved with a sponsorship agreement to assist with funding.
In addition to fiscal support, Thanda Private Game Reserve has pledged its full endorsement of the environmental awareness initiative by undertaking the following:
Star for Life, Thanda Group's HIV/AIDs campaign, has provided mobile clinics to test current staff, and offered the support of counselors.
Thanda hosts an annual Christmas party for orphaned children in the area every December.
Thanda is working closely with the Ndunas of its three tribal authorities to build a dam at each sector for the cattle, before the heavy rain season commences. One dam has already been completed.
Thanda's community liaison officer ensures that contractors are only sourced from Thanda's surrounds. Teams from local communities are recruited to assist with areas such as: savannah clearing, alien weed control and other jobs on the property.
Thanda's Employment Equity paperwork has been finalised, and Thanda works in close conjunction with the staff forum as part of its commitment to the equity policies.
The Environmental Awareness through Sports Programmes is a corporate social investment project which aims to enrich and empower currently disadvantaged soccer and netball clubs from the communities surrounding the Hluhluwe-Imfolozi Park.
The objectives of the initiative include:
To ensure that Ezemvelo KZN Wildlife creates and cultivates an environment of sports excitement and thrill amongst communities
To motivate communities to direct their energy and power into patriotic and constructive activities
To expose and showcase soccer and netball as careers and vehicles to success
To raise environmental awareness about current activities and to improve working relationships with the communities surrounding protected areas
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