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Sponsor an Ad for the KHOLA CampaignThe KHOLA Campaign is an advertising opportunity for people, businesses and organisations who share our belief that wildlife reserves should be bona fide, whereby a safe haven is provided for wild animals and they are not used as a resource "for their protection".
What is the Sustainable Use Policy?The Sustainable Use Policy indicates that (certain) animals can be hunted for trophies and/or for the bush meat trade, and has been implemented by Namibia, Botswana and South Africa. Many wildlife reserves are actually operating as wildlife farms where (endangered) wild animals are being bred, specifically for these purposes. Although it's not spoken about openly, many reserves allow hunting to help cover their costs. Because hunters pay far more during their "safari" than eco-tourists do, Sustainable Use has become big business. The more endangered an animal is, the more lucrative it is for hunting. Ironically, this means that there has been an increase in some of those species. The attitude has thus become one of, "without hunting, these animals would be extinct" - read the "Hunting has a Conservation Role" article by the BBC. "They have issued permits to sport hunters to kill a limited number of elephants that are pre-selected according to factors like age and sex. They cannot shoot breeding animals, for example," Mr Lapointe (former head of CITES) One argument for the Sustainable Use Policy is that it is similar to the natural law of Survival of the Fittest, where the old and sick die first, thereby protecting the gene pool. In reality however, hunters aren't interested in a sick old lion. They are looking for the healthiest, strongest trophy they can shoot. And their dollars speak louder than any theoretical idea. Another argument for the Sustainable Use Policy is that the funds received should also benefit local communities. Another nice idea, in theory. But it has been shown that little of these funds gets redistributed, as land owners (and for some, their international investors) either pocket the profits or buy more land to expand their business (so-called "conservation"). What is the Bush Meat Trade?Guests at Leopard Walk Lodge will not find any wild animals on the menu. This is not the case with other reserves and restaurants around the country. They will happily serve up a Kudu steak, or a Warthog chop. Even crocodiles, hippos and (endangered) antilopes end up on the plate. Reserves who supply this trade usually breed their wild animals for this purpose. Even the pinnacle of "conservation", the Kruger National Park, offers bush meat on their menu, killing and utilising the very animals that they're meant to be protecting in the reserve. Because the bush meat trade pays top dollar for wild meat and because this is a generally accepted business, some rural people will happily set snares and traps to catch the animals, even if it means illegally poaching from private reserves. Sustenance hunting is one thing, but supplying the meat trade is quite another. Unlike what would happen to poachers under tribal law if they snared cattle or domestic animals, poachers face little recrimination from the law, often being "let out of jail" with little consequence. This places enormous pressure on reserves to protect their animals, by means of Wildlife Protection Units. These (armed) teams patrol the areas, looking for and removing snares. Some larger, neighbouring reserves pay up to R1,000,000.00 per annum to protect their wildlife. Apart from the (very tempting) cash source for bush meat, local communities have very little benefit from the plundering of their natural resources (both wildlife and indigenous bush/plants). When the land is no longer able to sustain the people, they are forced to move to urban areas to earn a living, mostly ending up in slums. Changing the perceived value within the local communities (and other reserves) of wildlife as a source of income from meat, to a valued source of income through eco-tourism is one of our biggest goals. Conservation and Wildlife Protection
What is the KHOLA Campaign?"KHOLA" is the Zulu verb for "Believe". We believe that we can make a difference. Not just for the wild animals in/around Suni-Ridge, but also to the lives of the rural communities, who can learn appreciation of their natural habitat, and want to take ownership in protecting it, and who can (and should) benefit from Eco-Cultural tourism. The Khola Campaign is an ad sponsoring campaign geared towards like-minded people, businesses, corporations and organisations. If you agree that wildlife should be protected in their natural habitat, and not used as a resource, then please advertise with us? The funds raised by this campaign covers the costs of our wildlife protection unit. We are offering a limited advertising opportunity:
An adorable photo of Khola (600x500 pixels) that taken on the day he was born, is shown on our HOME page. Khola's photo has been divided into a grid of 10 columns and 13 rows, so there are 130 ad blocks of 50x50 pixels each. Each ad sponsor provides their own graphic / logo (no animation) which appears on top of the photo of Khola, and includes a (follow-through) link to their website. A copy of this photo will be sent to each Ad Sponsor. Active advertisers are permitted to add our "Khola Ad Sponsor" logo on their website. Links are incredibly important for any website to get visitors to your website, and these ads give you the association of being caring and eco-minded. We cordiallly invite like-minded people, businesses, corporations and organisations to sponsor an ad for R3,000.00 per annum (R 250.00 per month).* * As at 3 May 2008, the exchange rate for R3,000.00 is approximately €270.00 / $416.00 / £211.00 (source: xe.com). Your bank can confirm the current exchange rate. How do you sponsor an ad for KHOLA?These ads are subject to availability and approval by Suni-Ridge. Suni-Ridge reserves the sole right to decide whether or not a website/business is suitable for advertising via this website on the KHOLA campaign. (Potential) Sponsors will be notified of our decision as soon as possible. Please contact us by e-mail to place your ad. Payments can be made by direct deposit (international bank transfer) or by credit card using Paypal. See our How to Donate page for further details. To our Ad Sponsors:
Ad Sponsorship RenewalsAd Sponsors can decide if they'd like to automatically renew their sponsorship each year, of if they'd prefer to sponsor a once-off ad. In that case, the Ad Sponsor would get first choice of renewing his/her ad. Should he or she decide not to renew the ad, that ad block becomes available to other eco-friendly persons, businesses, organisations and the "Khola Ad Sponsor" logo must be removed from their website. Our aim is to make the KHOLA Campaign mutually beneficial, whereby Suni-Ridge is able to continue and expand our environmental work, and our sponsors can enjoy fulfilling their social responsibility, increase their brand awareness and make a positive difference to the lives of people, animals and the environment in Maputaland in KwaZulu Natal (South Africa).
Often those who would like to make a difference in the environment are not located in an area where they can be physically involved with a conservation project. By supporting Suni-Ridge, you are part of our successful conservation outreach. You can enjoy your participation, knowing that your sponsorship is truly worthwhile. Alone we are a drop, together we are an ocean! |
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