Ep 22: Jamie McCallum – Force for Nature and delivering the support our rangers deserve.

Ep 22: Jamie McCallum – Force for Nature and delivering the support our rangers deserve.

In this episode, I’m talking with Jamie McCallum. Jamie spent ten years in corporate sponsorship (working with Orange, Toyota, Omega, Usain Bolt and Ferrari) before getting a Ph.D. in Biological Sciences and doing research on the US/Mexico border. He then set up and ran the Technology Programme at the Zoological Society of London (ZSL) and since 2015 he has been the UK/EU Director for Peace Parks Foundation (PPF). Jamie is the Founder and CEO of Force for Nature, a forward-thinking social and environmental enterprise committed to preserving nature and the value it brings humanity, by supporting wildlife Rangers.

In this conversation, we talk about Jamie’s youth growing up in the UK with horses, his early professional career working with corporate sponsors for Formula 1 racing, and his eventual journey into conservation. We go into the importance of rangers, and the support they need. We dive into the creation of Force For Nature, the Ranger App, and the Pod app, which is used for amplifying campaigns to help bring awareness and funds to rangers. We also explore new models for NGOs to work with corporate sponsors. This conversation is full of great stories, a love for rangers, and innovative solutions to support their work.

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Websites: forcefornature.org
Instagram: @forcefornature
Facebook: @Forcefornatureorg

Ep 21: Grant Fowlds – Project Rhino, Saving the Last Rhinos, and Rewilding Africa.

Ep 21: Grant Fowlds – Project Rhino, Saving the Last Rhinos, and Rewilding Africa.

In this episode, I’m talking with Grant Fowlds. Grant is a conservationist, consultant, educator and author of two books. He grew up in the Eastern Cape of South Africa where his family and neighbors came together to form the now famous Amakhala Game Reserve. He’s the Director of the (KZN) Project Rhino Alliance NPC and the Ambassador & Manager for Rhino Art. He splits his time between range expansion projects, marketing, fundraising, youth education, and speaking about the work being done in the field. His two books, Saving the Last Rhinos and Rewildling Africa can be found on Amazon.

In this conversation, we talk about Grant’s early days of growing up on the family farm, his entrepreneurial beginnings in goat farming, and the development of the Amakhala Game Reserve. We talk about his involvement in Rhino Art with adventurer Kingsley Holgate, the work at Project Rhino and their efforts in range expansion, ranger support, youth education, and building a conservation economy. We go into the many stories related in his books, and dive into some of his rewilding projects with a focus on the development of the Loziba Wildlife Reserve. Grant’s books and life story is a masterclass in conservation. This episode is full of stories of passionate people coming together to make a difference.

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Websites: grantfowlds.com | projectrhinokzn.org | amakhala.co.za | loziba.com
Instagram: @grant.fowlds | @amakhala_game_reserve | @projectrhinokzn
Facebook: @grant.fowlds | @projectrhinokzn | @amakhalareserve
Twitter: @GrantFowlds1 | @ProjectRhinoKZN | @amakhala

Ep 20: Boris Vos – LEAD Ranger: developing the next generation of ranger trainers.

Ep 20: Boris Vos – LEAD Ranger: developing the next generation of ranger trainers.

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In this episode, I’m talking with Boris Vos. Boris was with the Ministry of Defence in The Netherlands from 1996 – 2014 before moving to project-based conservation training in Asia and Africa. He is the Co-Founder and Director of Operations at Ranger Campus and Lead Operations for the LEAD Ranger program — a collaborative initiative of the International Anti-Poaching Foundation , The Thin Green Line Foundation and Ranger Campus. In this capacity, Boris has trained rangers in Africa to be instructors and leaders in their own protected areas.

In this conversation, we talk about Boris’ decision to go into the military, his path to becoming a trainer, and many of the details of what makes a good trainer. We also dive into his first trip to Africa while protecting the coast from Somali pirates, and how seeing a poached elephant inspired him to change his career and go into conservation. We go in depth into the importance of rangers, how he and his wife Dominique started Ranger Campus, and the evolution and mission of LEAD Ranger. This was a fun chat full of stories, depth, and wisdom.

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Websites: leadranger.org | thingreenline.org.au | iapf.org | rangercampus.org
Instagram: @lead_ranger | @rangercampus | @thingreenlinefoundation | @int.anti.poaching.foundation
Facebook: @thethingreenlinefoundation | @iapf
Twitter: @RangerCampus | @ThinGreenLine_ | @IAPF

Ep 19: Peter Knights – WildAid and reducing the demand for illegal wildlife consumption. 

Ep 19: Peter Knights – WildAid and reducing the demand for illegal wildlife consumption. 

Subscribe, Rate, and Listen to The Rhino Man Podcast on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, SoundCloud, YouTube, and Amazon today!

In this episode, I’m talking with Peter Knights. After graduating from the London School of Economics, Peter first worked on wildlife trafficking as an investigator and campaigner for the Environmental Investigation Agency. He specialized in global on-site investigations and campaigning against the trade in wild birds for pets, as well as consumption of endangered species. In 1996, as a director of the Global Survival Network, he introduced conservation to the concept of demand reduction, that is now widely accepted as an important tool in solving trafficking problems. Peter is currently the Founder and President of WildAid. WildAid’s demand reduction program uses sophisticated advertising techniques, donated airtime, and celebrity spokespeople with the message “When the buying stops, the killing can too.”

In this conversation, we talk about Peter’s early days in conservation, how he came to see demand reduction as a powerful tool in stopping the illegal wildlife trade, the beginnings of WildAid, and Peter’s first campaign with his longtime ambassador, Jackie Chan. We dive into the WildAid’s campaigns to reduce the demand of ivory and rhino horn. We discuss WildAid’s successful partnership with the Chinese government. We talk about the over 100 ambassadors who have appeared in campaigns, including Yao Ming’s contribution to WildAid’s campaigns and documentaries. There are so many legend stories, and so much passion for conservation in this episode.

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Website: wildaid.org
Instagram: @wildaid @peter_knights
Facebook: @wildaid
Twitter: @wildaid