A WORD FROM THE CEO
Yolan Friedmann, EWT CEO
yolanf@ewt.org.za What a way to end an incredible year! A year filled with challenges and frustrations yes, but many highs and successes and at the EWT, we tend to focus on those. Uncovering the secrets of Riverine Rabbit breeding biology; saving Wild Dogs from snares; seeing reintroduced Cheetah breed and expand their ranges; conserving over 10,000 hectares of biodiversity land in Gauteng, a province in desperate need of conservation; expanding our conservation footprint in the Soutpansberg with an additional property purchase, and more… the list is long and we are proud of the great strides we have taken, using YOUR support, to conserve our natural world.
These, and many more conservation wins, are detailed in the EWT’s 2018/19 Integrated Report, which can be found here. The report is evidence of what can happen when the right people work with the right partners, and get the right support. We may not always win every time, but we can achieve great things with your support, and we will always keep trying!
It therefore stands to reason that a fitting end-of-year gift to our staff and our stakeholders was relocating to the new Conservation Campus, the EWT’s forever home! The timing was perhaps not ideal, given that a move of this scale was severely hampered by the persistent rain and loadshedding that seemed to have been perfectly timed with the transfer of boxes and furniture in large trucks and trailers! But team spirit prevailed and mud and address certainly can’t keep the EWT down! Trenches were dug, streams were cleared, drains were opened up, and gumboots were regularly emptied – most of all, the joy of owning our little piece of conservation heaven in the heart of Joburg, never faded and finally, the EWT is home…
We will formally launch the Gauteng Conservation Camps in the New Year and for now, we are unpacking and settling in, followed by taking a much-needed break over the festive season. We wish each and every person that contributes to conservation, and keeps the EWT at the forefront of saving species, habitats and people, a peaceful, happy and safe summer holiday. We look forward to hosting you at our new home and doing even more in 2020 to protect forever, together.