Tel. +44 (0)1273 600030 (UK)
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The project coordinator, Anthony Peniston, is an inspiration to any budding conservationist. After selling his house in England he worked in Dubai for two years to save up enough money to come to South Africa and pay for a huge electric fence to be put up covering an area of 8,500 hectares. The reason? To put a stop to the 100+ cheetah which are shot each year in Alldays, an area dominated by farming and hunting. The fence prevents the cheetah from hunting on the surrounding game farms where the farm owners would shoot them on sight, but the reserve is big enough for the cheetah to live and hunt naturally. With Anthony managing the land for the farm owner and looking after his stock, he is able to collect the data he needs to demonstrate that the predators have a positive impact on the land and are of vital importance to the ecosystem. By doing this with the help and financial support from volunteers, the vision is that more farmers will take this approach, keeping leopards and cheetahs on their land in a separate area where they can make revenue from ecotoursim where tourists can visit and learn about these amazing creatures.
This project is completely dependent on funds from volunteers - without your efforts the project would not be able to run financially. You will also lend practical support to the project, helping with reserve patrols and observational studies.
Zingela Predator Conservation Project gives a unique view of the reality behind conserving predators, while working alongside local communities. The project and its dedicated coordinators allow you to be involved in a research team vital to securing a future for these stunning animals. The research you carry out will be used to show the real impact predators have on the land, and how they can in fact be a positive addition to any reserve.
The camp site is made up of a number of large tents, each with a bed and bedside table. All water is extracted from a borehole thus reducing water usage and there is no electricity, lighting is in the form of paraffin lamps which creates a warm ambient atmosphere. Meals are often cooked over an African braii (bbq) and eaten under the stars. The project helps to educate the local community of farmers about habitat management and the importance of predators within an ecosystem. Volunteers are encouraged to buy local produce supporting local trade.
As a keen conservationist, we are sure you are aware that air travel releases gases that contribute to global warming, such as carbon dioxide. In fact, your flight will be the largest environmental impact of your placement. In line with our Responsible Travel Policy, we've teamed up with an organisation called Climate Care, to offset any damage your placement causes the environment. Climate Care funds sustainable energy and forest restoration projects that reduce carbon dioxide on your behalf, by the same amount as your share of the plane emits. We contribute over £22 per volunteer to Climate Care, which balances the carbon emissions from the flight, through Climate Care's energy saving projects, with no extra cost to you!
Our passion for the wildlife and communities of southern Africa drives us to support conservation and community intiatives that cannot be supported in terms of volunteering. A portion of the funds raised by your placement goes directly towards sponsoring communities and local conservation organisations in southern Africa.
Here are some of the groups we support:
Harmony Flats Nature Reserve:
We sponsor the Harmony Flats Working Group who volunteer in Harmony Flats Nature Reserve, managed by the Biodiversity Branch within the City of Cape Town. We recently provided uniforms for the working group, who care for the reserve and protect and conserve its heritage.
Callies Football Team, Botswana:
Sponsoring Callies football team in Mathathane, Botswana. Hoping to install a sense of pride in the local community near Tuli Conservation Project we sponsored the team strip after several years of them having made a name for their team. Volunteers have at times enjoyed having a match against them!
Lumikisa School, South Africa:
We provided the funds for a local school in the Acorn-Hoek community of South Africa to install a jungle gym playground and ensure it met safety requirements. Lumikisa School was struggling with suitable outdoor space for the children, the school now has a vegetable garden and fun playground. Schools are often a refuge for many children with difficult home lives and we are proud to have been involved with Lumikisa.
Supported Conservation Projects, South Africa:
Supporting our projects when the numbers of volunteers they receive cannot fund them, is paramount to ACE to ensure the projects we support and the families and individuals that rely on them can continue.
Office procedures:
- Our UK office recycles paper, ink cartridges, cardboard and glass. We carry out energy-saving practices such as turning off electrical equipment when not in use. All our staff are committed to protecting our environment and carry these practices through to their home life
- Where possible we use suppliers and printers who also have a strong environmental policy
- Projects recycle, save energy and minimize water usage wherever possible
- All our promotional material and other documentation and stationery is printed on recycled paper, or on paper from a certified sustainable source
We invite every traveller who books a holiday via us to send in a review. Because we don't run the holidays they're completely independent and unedited... remember to read between the lines though, as two people on the same holiday can have different views!
