Celebrate the rhino!

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Ian:
Ian Read is ongeveer zijn hele leven wildernis gids, hij weet wat wij van én in de natuur kunnen leren. “What there is to learn from nature is to get a deeper understanding of the oneness and interconnectedness of the whole and all life. By getting back to simplicity and silence, we become more aware and have the opportunity to look through a new window. Out there in nature, in that state of mind, the answers to all of my questions, my truths and understandings emerge.”  Ian is mede-oprichter van de stichting Kenchaan.  

Mark:
I grew up in Hilton, KwaZulu-Natal, and after schooling went on to study at the University of Natal, Pietermaritzburg – majoring in Agribusiness and Wildlife Science. Having grown up in South Africa and having visited numerous wildlife areas on the continent, I developed a passion for wilderness areas. This was further strengthened after university whilst working at some of Southern Africa’s prime wildlife tourism destinations. In Africa, many of the people living near wilderness areas are reliant on natural resources. There is also a strong connection between the health of the environment and these communities. By exposing the people to the work being done to protect these areas, I believe that we can generate support for their conservation. In addition, people living adjacent to wilderness areas need to be exposed to development opportunities and their capacity strengthened. Through my work with Wildlife ACT I am able to work at this interface – ensuring the protection of wilderness areas and the species living there, while at the same time ensuring that the adjacent communities are engaged with fully and feel part of conservation initiatives.

Tim:
Tim van Dam is a social tech entrepreneur and senior business developer coming from the international telecom market. Spending most of his time building wireless sensor networks in remote protected areas and assembling lion tracking collars. With the foundation of Smart Parks, he has dedicated all his attention to developing and deploying state-of-the-art Internet of Things technology to protect wildlife across the globe. With his team at Smart Parks he has introduced LoRaWAN® as the new standard for remote sensing networks in Africa and with the OpenCollar Initiative he has developed a portfolio of open-source advanced wildlife protection technology devices. Since the ElephantEdge Campaign, he is on a mission to implement the latest machine learning for edge devices. In 2018, he received the Tech for Global Good Laureate from the Silicon Valley Museum of Innovation.

Martine:
Als wildlife dierenarts vocht Martine jarenlang tegen de neushoornstroperij in Zuid-Afrika, waar ze een drukke dierenartsenpraktijk voor wilde dieren runde. Ze behandelde vele gewonde neushoorns, verwijderde valstrikken, en onthoornde en verplaatste honderden neushoorns naar veiligere gebieden. Ook deed ze de forensisch onderzoek van gestroopte neushoorns op zoek naar bewijsmateriaal, zodat de stropers berecht konden worden. Over haar ervaringen als wildlife dierenarts in Afrika, waar ze naast neushoorns ook werkte met gorilla’s, olifanten, leeuwen en buffels, schreef ze het boek “Over Leven in het Wild”. Dit boek wordt tegen een gereduceerd tarief aangeboden en de opbrengst komt ten goed aan de goede doelen van deze avond.

Andro:
Andro is de founder & CEO of the Wildlife Forensic Academy. The Academy is gevestigd nabij Kaapstad, het is een ervaringslaboratorium van 1000 m2 waar de keten van wildlife criminal justice wordt gesimuleerd. Hier leren wildlife rangers hoe om te gaan met de plaats delict en hoe het juridische traject na het doden van een dier eruit ziet. Andro komt vertellen over hoe the Wildlife Forensic Academy tot stand is gekomen en hoe het bijdraagt aan het vechten tegen wildlife crime. Andro is tweevoudig TEDX Binnenhof spreker. Zie dubbele pagina in het FD d.d. 23 januari 2023