Great Plains Conservation Foundation

Project rewildin zimbabwe, great plains is securing the sapi reserve, an expansive and fragile landscape that forms the heart of a unesco world heritage site and the middle-zambezi biosphere reserve. The goal of the sapi restoration initiative is to restore this depleted landscape through a combination of strategic protections, a comprehensive conservation plan, species reintroduction, and conservation tourism.in late 2016 great plains conservation was awarded the 290,000-acre sapi reserve to conserve and manage. Working with teams of world-renowned experts, the great plains strategy for the sapi restoration initiative includes developing basic infrastructure, roads and communications systems, a strategic wildlife management plan, wildlife monitoring teams, support for zimparks, species reintroduction, on-going flora and fauna surveys, and photographic tourism; all with a single goal in mind: to restore and protect this essential ecosystem. In 2022 the foundation launched project rewild which is a dedicated funding initiative to cover the cost of restoring sapi including the translocation of animals. We are actively seeking support for everything from the cost to translocate animals, to bolstering zimparks presence in sapi, to hiring and training our own wildlife and natural resourcemonitoring teams (including female ranger units) to be based in sapi. Project rewild has been expanded to cover the translocation of wildlife to areas other than sapi and in 2024 the foundation relocated giraffe and zebra to an area adjacent to the hwanga national park.

Rhino monitoring (previously rhinos without borders)in partnership with the south african and botswana governments, rhinos without borders project, over the last seven years, established a substantial new wild population of rhinos in botswana. The success of this project is evident in the number of rhinos successfully relocated and the significant number of calves that have been born in the wild. This new population of wild rhinos is giving hope for this iconic species across africa. The focus is onthe security of these animals.with the program transitioning its focus to protection and we have increased the security and monitoring component of the operation, via a team of dedicated rangers. As we have evolved we have looked at the biodiversity of the monitoring team and now employ female rangers in this program. In order to reflect the transition in focus we have rebranded rhinos without borders to rhino monitoring.as we move into the future, our rhino work will continue to focus on the safety of wild rhinos - both in botswana and in other countries - in collaboration with the local and national conservation community and on combatting the growing threats of wildlife crime. Donor funding that is specifically designated for rhino monotoring is ringfenced as unutilsed funds with donor restrictions.

Project rangerproject ranger began as an emergency intervention in response to the covid-19 pandemic. In 2020 as traveland tourism ' were brought to a standstill, wilderness areas and lodges were left empty and national parksand protected areas faced a severe drop in tourism revenue. Rangers were left uncertain about their nextpaycheck and without the tools and resources they needed to protect wildlife. This "perfect storm" ofconditions left many endangered animals highly vulnerable to wildlife crime.project ranger aims to support those on the front lines of conservation. Because poaching and traffickingcontinues to threaten wildlife across africa and many rangers continue to be woefully under-resourced.project ranger continues, post-pandemic, to address short-term emergency needs and adopt a longer term focus. In that spirit, project ranger's work and grant-making emphasizes ensuring rangers have the resourcesthey need to do their best work in conservation and trafficking hotspots.big catscommunities and big cats living together is key to conservation. The foundation funds multiple projectsaimed at preserving land for big cats and reducing human-wildlife conflict. Working with local communitiesand wildlife experts, these programs support strategies for humans and wildlife to coexist.the great plains big cats initiative (bci) supports projects aimed at preventing and reversing the decline ofbig cats. Past grantees of bci have included initiatives like the maasai olympics and communal cattle herdingworkshops which tackle human- lion conflict and build bridges between communities and wildlife. Projectscan be in any big cat population range land inside protected areas or outside. The objective is clear - reversethe downward trend of big cats.empower communitiescommunity development is a cornerstone of sustainable progress across africa, offering long-term benefitsnot only to individuals but to entire regions. In rural areas, especially those near vital ecosystems, communityledinitiatives foster stewardship of natural resources, improve livelihoods and strengthen social cohesion.great plains is supporting skills development training and entrepreneurial support to improve resilience toenvironmental and economic challenges.