What is a Rhino Stronghold?
A Rhino Stronghold is an area of wildlife habitat that provides a secure, sustainable and healthy eco-system which is rich in biodiversity and where populations of rhino can thrive in their natural habitat. To be successful, a Rhino Stronghold will also need to contribute to socioeconomic stability within local communities.
Maintaining viable rhino populations that have the freedom to roam in their natural habitat is a constant challenge. The strain on fragile ecosystems due to global climate change and the pressures on land and natural resources as the result of human activity and encroachment is seriously impacting rhino habitats.
Helping Rhinos recognises the need to protect and restore rhino habitats back to their natural state whilst simultaneously providing for local communities.
Our Rhino Stronghold initiative focuses on the critically endangered black rhino as a ‘figure head’ to restore degraded wild spaces and open up wildlife corridors to create habitat expansion that will have a positive impact on global climate change while improving the socioeconomic landscape within local communities. This approach will also benefit the white rhino, whose territories are often shared with the black rhino, as well as other native wildlife species as Rhino Strongholds will be designed with the needs of all the animal species that occupy the land in mind.
To achieve our goal of successful and sustainable Rhino Strongholds with thriving populations of rhino for generations to come, we will work alongside our carefully selected project partners in the field who not only demonstrate a commitment to rhino conservation; their protection and reproduction in their natural habitat, but who also recognise the importance of local community involvement – employment opportunities, business creation opportunities and education in local schools.
It’s true, a little can go a long way and money spent wisely can have a tremendous lasting impact. Together with our partners and the generous support of our donors, we can continue the critical care and protection the rhino needs to thrive.
Our three strategic focus areas for Rhino Strongholds:
Rhino Stronghold Locations:
LAIKIPIA RANGE EXPANSION
Laikipia – Kenya
Project Partner – Ol Pejeta Conservancy
Kenya conserves 75% of the Critically Endangered eastern black rhino . In the early 1970s the population stood at ca.20,000 animals but a rapid decline, driven by industrial scale poaching, saw this number reduce to <350 by the late ‘80s. Intervention by the Government of Kenya led to the development of the National Rhino Strategy to protect and grow the population of black rhinos to 2000 by year 2030. As a result of this and conservation efforts across the country, the population stood at 794 by the end of 2019 and poaching had reduced to less than 1% per annum.
Ol Pejeta Conservancy in Laikipia County is home to the largest population of eastern black rhino in Africa, and top ranking in terms of continental importance.
In 1993, Ol Pejeta was home to 20 black rhinos, but population growth has been successful, and now stands at 166 individuals. Ol Pejeta reached its black rhino carrying capacity of 120 animals in 2018. To maintain growth rates the IUCN recommend that populations are managed at densities below ecological carrying capacity.
Working in collaboration with surrounding conservancies and communities, the programme aims to connect more than 1 million hectares of protected land. This would provide habitat for as many as 1,000 rhinos; create a safe migratory corridor for >7,000 elephants; and provide protection to other endangered species. Implementation will take place in three phases – the first is to secure the neighbouring Mutara Conservation Area (MCA) and Eland Downs. The second will expand north and east, and the third expanding yet further eastward.
The outcome for Phase I of the programme is for secure habitat for black rhino to increase, by 15,000 hectares across MCA and Eland Downs. Securing, rehabilitating, and protecting these lands will provide additional land to support rhino population growth and enhanced biodiversity.
BUSHMAN’S RIVER CONSERVATION CORRIDOR
Eastern Cape – South Africa
Project Partner – ARCC & Kariega Foundation
Ecosystem connectivity corridors are either contiguous land / river / wetland areas of natural vegetation that link geographically separate conservation landscapes. These corridors allow wildlife to migrate along them between the landscapes without hindrance. They can include structures, such as overpasses or underpasses across man-made barriers such as roads or railways, that also allow wildlife to move freely between, and within, wild spaces.
The Eastern Cape in South Africa is an area of unique floral and faunal diversity. Eight Southern African biomes and two of the Global Biodiversity Hotspots come together to form an intricate ecological mosaic. The Eastern Cape is also the province with the poorest human population in South Africa.
This Rhino Stronghold will ensure the enactment of accepted environmental conservation principles and practises, notably ecosystem connectivity at a landscape scale; biodiversity conservation; climate change mitigation, and, thereby and in conjunction, contributes to the socio-economic development and economic empowerment of the peoples of South Africa.
The project will also include a black rhino range expansion programme, ensuring a genetically diverse population is present in the Eastern Cape when the corridors are ready for wildlife to be introduced.
GREATER ZULULAND RESERVE
Kwa-Zulu Natal – South Africa
Project Partner – Zululand Conservation Trust
In partnership with The Zululand Conservation Trust and Manyoni Private Game Reserve, Helping Rhinos have been working towards a vision to create a Mega Wildlife Park. Northern KwaZulu-Natal has a large number of protected areas and game reserves and therefore lots of potential for expansion through various wildlife corridors. Identifying corridors to link protected areas is the first step to ultimately create a mega park.
The northern KZN region is one of the most poverty stricken areas in the country and in desperate need for change. The mega park will not only boost conservation efforts in the region but also tourism and the local economy. Communities bordering the park will gain from increased employment and small business opportunities, which they desperately need. We also place great value on involving the community in conservation efforts, our hope is that with a larger area, and more focussed management we can utilise the collaborative opportunity to upskill and educate communities on the borders of this mega park with structured community outreach programmes.
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