African Wildlife & Environment Issue 82

CONSERVATION

Thalubengwa James Nandu, Field Officer for Salambala Conservancy, Zambezi Region James started his conservation career as a community game guard in 2008. Active, fit and always at the forefront of Salambala conservation work, he was soon promoted to Senior Ranger. He has put his leadership and communication skills to good use in his current role as Field Officer, in which he is responsible for all game guards. James is a long term member of the CECT/Salambala/Bamunu Transboundary forum responsible for wildlife crime awareness in Namibia and Botswana and was recently elected as its vice chairperson. He is a member of Bukalo Traditional Authority, always bringing his commitment and dedication to conservation into this forum. Rodney Tjavara, Human-Lion Conflict Rapid Response Ranger in Puros Conservanc

in lion identification and ecology, safely approaching lions in the field, monitoring the Early Warning systems, collaring and translocations. Now stationed near-permanently at Leyland’s Drift in the Hoarusib River, he takes primary responsibility for limiting conflict between Puros farmers and the newly identified coastal-roaming lions. Knowledgeable, trusted and dedicated, Rodney works erratic hours, day and night, often alone, in remote areas. Mathinus Sanib, Rhino Ranger for Torra Conservancy, Kunene region Since joining the conservancy rhino ranger program in 2017, Marthinus has led or finished in the top three for nearly all performance areas, including number of field days, km walked and verified rhino sightings. In 2020 he broke records with his 432 verified (date and time stamped photographs) sightings of rhino, producing some top rhino images. About a third of his time is spent on rhino tourism and he has thus contributed to substantial income for Torra, enabling this conservancy to employ 15 rangers, which is no doubt a key factor in Torra’s zero poaching status. A soft-spoken and humble man, Marthinus is a role model among conservancy rhino rangers and within his community. The annual GOSCARs have been made possible by generous contributions from Namibians and international friends and colleagues to an Owen Smith memorial fund. Donations in the weeks after Garth’s death ranged from N$20 from a Himba man in Opuwo to N$1million from a family who were both donors and friends of Garth and Margie. 2023 NOMINATIONS: Please submit your nominations to the Namibian Chamber of Environment. Note that nominees must work for a Namibian community-based organisation: a communal conservancy, a community forest, resident’s trust or community fish reserve. NGO, private sector and government workers are not eligible but in good positions to nominate community staff with whom they engage. Nominations should be sent to the NCE before the end of 2022: Email: admin@n-c-e.org Postal: PO Box 40723,Ausspannplatz, Windhoek Physical: 20 Nachtigal Street (off Trift Street), Ausspannplatz area,Windhoek Tel: (061) 240 140 Cell & SMS: 081 162 5807

Rodney Tjavara

Among the original Lion Rangers activated in 2014 due to drought-related predator problems, Rodney began as lion researcher Dr Flip Stander’s ‘boots on the ground’. He later put his valuable field experience to use, assisting IRDNC in training lion rangers across Puros, Sesfontein, Anabeb and Torra conservancies

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