Annual Report 2008 - African Wildlife Foundation

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CONSERVATION ENTERPRISE Satao Elerai Lodge and Conservancy Heartland/locale: Kilimanjaro/Foot of Mt. Kilimanjaro in Kenya Many visitors to Satao Elerai Lodge come to see the beloved elephants of Amboseli National Park. Numbering 300-400 at a time inside the park, and 1,500 in the wider ecosystem, these free-ranging pachyderms have long fascinated wildlife viewers as well as scientists the world over. They have also shaped both the conservation landscape and the physical structure of Satao Elerai, AWF’s latest conservation enterprise. Anchored by a 5,000-acre private conservancy, the lodge sits on pristine lands in the shadow of Mt. Kilimanjaro, just ten kilometers southeast of Amboseli. As groups of the park’s world-famous elephants head toward the mountain’s mighty slopes and beyond, they routinely Each year the community earns up to $100,000 that is to be reinvested in game patrols and other upkeep. cross the conservancy’s lands, following a path carved out over centuries. On their way, they eat and eat, browsing endlessly on leaves and pushing over trees like the common elerai (the “yellow fever” acacia). Many such trees were later recovered to build much of the lodge. Indeed, the thatched roof is supported by elerai trunks. Even the lodge’s king-sized beds are made of local acacia wood. The story of the lodge began several years ago when eight Entonet/Elerai families with adjoining landholdings came together to manage their land communally. Maasai pastoralists struggling to adapt to increasingly arid conditions, these families asked AWF to help them create a program that would give their land and wildlife lasting economic value. AWF was honored. After securing financing for a formal conservancy from the 18
AWF is creating a future in which wildlife conservation is a path to prosperity. U.S. Agency for International Development and private donors, we brokered an agreement with Southern Cross Safaris, a top-notch operator, to build and manage the luxury lodge. Now, both people and wildlife are winning. Each year the community earns about $75,000 a year in bed night fees, steady rental income from the lodge operator, and conservation fees of up to $100,000 a year, to be reinvested in game patrols and other upkeep. And Amboseli’s elephants are able to continue their journey, paving the way for species like the lion, leopard, gazelle, zebra, giraffe, eland, warthog, baboon and numerous other iconic wildlife. 19
Page 1 and 2: Annual Report 2008
Page 3 and 4: The numbers quantify our achievemen
Page 5 and 6: Letter from the Chairman and Vice C
Page 7 and 8: CONGO HEARTLAND Democratic Republic
Page 9 and 10: AWF is creating a future in which A
Page 11 and 12: A New Lease on Land Heartland/local
Page 13 and 14: The planning process kicked off in
Page 15 and 16: AWF is using applied conservation s
Page 17 and 18: Keeping Tabs on Tanzania’s Elepha
Page 22 and 23: CONSERVATION ENTERPRISE The Culture
Page 24: CONSERVATION ENTERPRISE Coffee for
Page 27 and 28: AWF is creating a future in which e
Page 29 and 30: 2008 Charlotte Fellows Since its be
Page 31 and 32: more restricted areas to ensure tha
Page 33 and 34: PIMA SCORE CARD STATEMENT OF ACTIVI
Page 35 and 36: THE KELLER CHALLENGE It is safe to
Page 37 and 38: critical conservation efforts throu
Page 39 and 40: AWF’S FINANCIAL STRENGTHS ith a y
Page 41 and 42: STATEMENT OF FINANCIAL POSITION As
Page 43 and 44: Mr. and Mrs. G. Steven Thoma Mr. an
Page 45 and 46: John P. van Dongen Mr. and Mrs. Dav
Page 47 and 48: Sam and Sylvia Messin Robert J. Mil
Page 49 and 50: PHOTO CREDITS; Front Cover: Leopard
Page 51 and 52: The African Wildlife Foundation, to

Annual Report 2008 - African Wildlife Foundation

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