Protection

The ARCC will enhance the security of private and state wildlife reserves by assisting in the creation of a series of cooperating Intensive Protection Zones (IPZs), by investing in :

• additional, professionally trained manpower

• basic transport and field operations equipment, from vehicles to boots, backpacks and binoculars

• inter-platform communications between ground teams, IPZs and involved organisations

• surveillance aircraft for various air support and ecological management roles

• tracker dog units to follow up on breaches of reserve borders and incidents of poaching

• equine units to provide greater mobility on patrols and in working with dogs following up on incidents

• technology, such as satellite tracking collars, night vision cameras and binoculars, drones and directional monitors

• intelligence data collection, analysis and distribution on a multi-agency platform

Central to this objective is the need to provide a secure and effective communications and operations management centre that can service the information analysis and distribution requirements and manage, in real time, security operations on the ground. To that end, a command and control centre with appropriate information collation and analysis technology, as well as multi-platform communications, is proposed within the ARCC facility.

An Intensive Protection Zone (IPZ) is a wildlife area, or portion of a wildlife area, that has a high density of trained anti-poaching personnel and a range of support elements varying from aircraft and tracker dogs to technologies such as drones and night vision binoculars. The aim of ARCC is to assist the state and private reserves, within the Eastern Cape, holding rhino, to reach a level of protection adequate to be classified as IPZs. Once a reserve is an IPZ the density of rhino held on it can be raised to both better protect more of them, and to initiate an enhanced breeding programme of wild rhino.

Anti-Poaching Units (APU)

The optimum number of “boots on the ground” to adequately protect rhino in a game reserve is almost indeterminate. There will always be gaps and the advantage lies with the poacher to choose time and place. Nevertheless, Rangers are the frontline in a multi-faceted strategy. ARCC is suggesting that on smaller reserves a density of 1 Ranger : 1000 ha will provide adequate coverage.

To that end ARCC is initiating a programme to assist the East Cape Private Nature Reserve Association (Indalo) members to increase their anti-poaching unit capacities where required. The pilot project is to be launched with the Amakhala Game Reserve with funding from the Lion Roars Foundation (LRF) for an additional five Rangers - salaries; kit and equipment and instalments on a vehicle - for two years.

Dog Units:

Dogs trained for tracking and apprehension have proven to be particularly useful in assisting with anti-poaching efforts in the field. ARCC, working through the Chipembere Rhino Foundation (CRF) and supported financially by MediVet (UK), aims to ensure that all Reserves in the Eastern Cape IPZ cluster have a dog unit as part of their APUs. A further rapid deployment dog unit will be based at the ARCC and be capable of being transported by vehicle or aircraft. Chipembere Rhino Foundation manages the purchase and training of these specialised dogs and the training of their handlers, as per the legal requirements for accreditation with the SA Police Service, under South African law.

Several protected areas have already initiated Dog Units. Amongst these currently, Amakhala (AGR) and Shamwari Game Reserves have been provided with dogs by CRF. Stoprhinopoaching.com have provided dogs to provincial areas, and at least two other reserves have active Dog Units. With funding from MediVet (UK) and the Wilderness Foundation, ARCC is now supporting the acquisition of a further Dog Unit by CRF to serve wherever required in the Eastern Cape. Two dog units will be housed at the APU Base at ARCC.