African Conservation Awards Finalists Announced

These wildlife heroes will be celebrated at an award ceremony at the African Ranger Congress.

This year, the announcement of the winners of the prestigious African Conservation Awards will coincide with the African Ranger Congress, hosted by the Game Rangers Association of Africa in Kasane, Botswana on the 17^th September.

Each organisation and individual that has been shortlisted has shown remarkable determination to succeed when the odds have often been stacked against them. Conservation areas have been under significant pressure during the last year as funding has been constrained due to the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on Africa’s economies. Despite this, remarkable people continue to do remarkable things for wildlife and the communities who benefit from it.

“It has been inspiring to see the diversity of the nominations from so many different countries honouring rangers working for wildlife in forests, savannahs, deserts, and oceans. Well done to each of the finalists, we value you and the effort it takes to continue your conservation work. Your work benefits our wildlife and the people of Africa. We once again pay special tribute to our colleague Anton Mzimba, who tragically was assassinated a month ago. His posthumous nomination is a sad reminder of the risks many rangers face.” Andrew Campbell, Chief Executive Officer of the Game Rangers’ Association of Africa.

Almost 80 nominations were received for the African Conservation Awards this year and the judges are excited to release the names of the finalists for each category ahead of the award ceremony. The shortlists below represent over eight different countries and showcase some of the work being done across the continent. The finalists for each category are:

Field Ranger:

• KILOLO MAKWAYA Eric, Salonga National Park, Democratic Republic of Congo
• KITITCHA Jacques, Pendjari National Park, Benin
• NDOUROU Boris Harding, Manovo-Gounda St. Floris National Park, Central African Republic

Game Ranger:

• Anton Mzimba posthumous, Head of Ranger Services, Timbavati Private Nature Reserve, South Africa
• Colin Rowles, Warden, Klaserie Private Nature Reserve, South Africa
• Leonardo Gungalo, Field Ranger Support Manager, Oceans Without Borders, Mozambique

Conservation Team:

• Nigeria National Park Service Management Team, Nigeria
• Mount Kenya Trust, Kenya
• Simba Community Wildlife Scouts, Maasai Wilderness Conservation Trust, Kenya

Conservation Supporter:

• BirdLife South Africa Landscape Conservation Programme, South Africa
• Britius Munombwe, Community Outreach Manager, Game Rangers International, Zambia
• Kenya Wildlife Conservancies Association, Kenya

Special commendations by the judging panel for their excellent work were given to Field Ranger TANKOUANOU André, Pendjari National Park, Benin; Game Ranger Martin Nawaseb, Save the Rhino Trust, Namibia; and Conservation Supporter Roget Fox, SANParks, South Africa.

These awards are hosted annually by the Game Rangers’ Association of Africa (GRAA) and are made possible with the generous support of sponsors CNEI. His Serene Highness Prince Albert II of Monaco, who is committed to the protection of endangered species through the support of his Foundation, is the Patron of the African Conservation Awards.

The winners of each category will be announced at a function during the African Ranger Congress where they will be celebrated by their ranger colleagues.

Photos: Peter Chadwick and Thomas Nicolon as part of the Game Rangers Association of Africa Ranger Legacy Project to raise the profile of Africa’s rangers and showcase their critical and diverse role in conservation supported by the Wildlife Ranger Challenge and the Scheinberg Relief Fund.