HOW DOES OUR MODEL WORK?
DEFEND IN ACTION
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GOVERNMENT PARTNERS
Defend partners with governments to resuscitate their most-threatened national parks and the wildlife within. By combining the best of traditional park management techniques with modern systems and technology, we are revolutionising the way protected areas are managed.
We work in partnership, with Defend staff and local wildlife authority staff operating as a single unit under a single chain of command. We offer our conservation partners a scalable, efficient, high-impact solution that multiplies impact and significantly reduces costs.
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Protected areas desperately need an anti-poaching response equal to the threat. That's why the deployment and maintenance of a highly-effective law enforcement operation is critical.
With our focus on anti-corruption and field performance, Defend dramatically increases patrol coverage, leading to poacher & trafficker arrests, snare recoveries, and - most importantly - a boost in wildlife numbers. We rapidly transform lawless environments into the well-managed protected areas required to keep threatened wildlife safe.
EFFECTIVE LAW ENFORCEMENT
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Our 9-month rescue operation at Liwonde National Park, Malawi:
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10,000 traps & snares collected
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60+ poacher & corruption arrests
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30+ convictions
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INNOVATIVE SYSTEMS
While our Rangers are busy in the field, Defend's tech team has been busy developing our cutting-edge electronic park management systems, EPARCS.
Park management staff are issued with ruggedised iPads which simplify all major tasks, including: patrol & division management, duty assignments, vehicle management, rations and stock control, finances, incident and disciplinary reports, and more. The data is shared in real-time with our government partners, allowing total operational transparency.
LEARN MORE ABOUT EPARCS
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The heavily-poached parks we rescue often lack even the most basic facilities. Without a usable road network, working vehicles, power and water, or even a functional radio system, it's impossible to put Rangers on patrol or for law enforcement to function.
Park staff also require liveable housing, functioning offices, and recreation facilities to provide them with both positive work and home environments, to encourage high performance in one of the hardest and most dangerous jobs in the world.
INFRASTUCTURE
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In 2016, Zimbabwe's Chizarira National Park was labelled one of Africa's most-poached parks.
We are now 7 years into our ongoing rescue mission, and the elephant population is rebounding.
For wildlife conservation to work, local communities must benefit. Employment, trade, and education boost wellbeing and significantly reduce the incentive to poach and trade in wildlife.
More than 90% Defend's staff are local people, with priority always given to those living in a protected area’s surrounding communities. We also acquire our food and supplies from local farmers and retailers through our pioneering Community Rations Supply (CRS) scheme.
COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT
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BECOME A DEFEND SUPPORTER
Backing Defend means your donation goes DIRECT to our
Ranger teams on frontline in Africa's most-poached national parks
