Ken Maggs, retired head ranger of the Kruger National Park and founder of SANParks Environmental Crime Investigations
''No single tactic is likely to work on its own… We need a combination of force multipliers to have exponential growth in our successes.''
South Africa is the third most biologically diverse country in the world. Combating any threat to its biodiversity and ecosystem requires a coordinated and harmonised approach at regional, national and global levels.
Environmental Crime Investigations (ECI) is a department of SANParks that has been in existence for almost thirty years. Headquartered in Skukuza, the unit is responsible for wildlife protection and anti-poaching efforts across the country. It collaborates with other law enforcement agencies including the South African Police Service, to gather information and conduct specialised investigations in support of anti-poaching operations and other environmental crimes.
The Foundation for a Sustainable Future and ECI have a mutual responsibility to facilitate conservation, rehabilitation and protection of the natural environment – benefitting species like the rhino, as well as the people that protect them.
The Foundation supports ECI through contributions from corporate and individual donors. It also creates awareness of the invaluable role that they play in lessening the plight of rhinos and other vulnerable species.