Human-wildlife conflict is one of the keystones of our small-scale impact. At our location, conflicts may arise between humans and penguins, caracals, or baboons. Therefore, we have established several protocols to ease the interactions between human population and wildlife.
For instance, local and small-scale farmers want to protect their properties against baboons that may swipe agricultural production. Thanks to our local connections, we have developed a program with lion dung. The felines’ faeces have been recognized as a deterrent for several species. Therefore, we are distributing the ordure to local agricultors and empowered them to scare off predators or animal intruders. The main beneficiaries have been local wine and vegetable farms.
In addition, we have kept a colony of endangered penguins safe. The settlement is located in Betty’s Bay and was under pressure due to predators. Lion faeces have secured the area and enabled a growth of the colony.
We also encourage local farmers to engage in our Educational visits. During our tours, one of our main stops is the caracal enclosure where we educate people, especially farmers, how to responsibly manage their livestock. This knowledge ensures that caracals are not killed in the process. Our team also provides a long-term follow-up to farmers interested in our support.
Despite our best efforts, one of the main challenges of our environment is siccity. In fact, dryness affects the country as a whole but our region has suffered several droughts that have had a huge impact on our activities. The scarcity of water impacts the quality of life of our animals but mostly enhances the risk of fire outbreaks. We have therefore implemented several processes to reduce our consumption of water and to reuse it.