0:00:09.830,0:00:12.400
Looking at those shots[br]it's really hard to believe

0:00:12.400,0:00:15.640
that this currently thriving area in

0:00:15.640,0:00:18.900
South Africa was once [br]dedicated to cattle and

0:00:18.900,0:00:23.500
pineapple farms, with almost [br]no biodiversity and wildlife.

0:00:25.200,0:00:28.500
Phinda was established in collaboration [br]with the local Zulu tribal

0:00:28.500,0:00:31.600
community to rehabilitate the ecosystem,

0:00:31.600,0:00:34.600
allowing for the return[br]of the wildlife that

0:00:34.600,0:00:36.760
had once flourished in this area.

0:00:36.760,0:00:40.200
Phinda is local Zulu word for 'return'.

0:00:40.200,0:00:43.610
Animals were brought in from[br]other regions of southern Africa to

0:00:43.610,0:00:46.100
establish new populations[br]in the conservancy.

0:00:47.100,0:00:52.480
There is a lot of doom-and-gloom stories[br]about biodiversity.

0:00:52.480,0:00:55.511
However, this story is a hopeful one.

0:00:55.511,0:00:59.010
Phinda is a modern success[br]conservation story

0:00:59.010,0:01:02.300
so stick around around to learn[br]how they managed to do it.

0:01:03.700,0:01:08.099
I think the key to success for[br]Phinda is the fact that

0:01:08.099,0:01:14.715
they've used this ecotourism model[br]to benefit not only the reserve itself

0:01:14.715,0:01:17.800
but also the local communities[br]surrounding them.

0:01:20.500,0:01:24.626
A lot of work goes into[br]managing 30,000 hectares:

0:01:24.626,0:01:26.790
making sure that animals are healthy,

0:01:26.790,0:01:29.435
that they are reproducing,[br]but not inbreeding,

0:01:29.435,0:01:32.400
that herbivores do not[br]overgraze the land,

0:01:32.400,0:01:35.420
that territorial animals have[br]enough space and do not

0:01:35.420,0:01:38.260
compete between each other,[br]that invasive species

0:01:38.260,0:01:42.310
of plants are under control,[br]that the areas will be protected

0:01:42.310,0:01:45.593
by anti-poaching units,[br]and that is all while still

0:01:45.593,0:01:50.148
running lodges and operating tourism[br]and voluntourism in the area

0:01:50.148,0:01:53.300
that brings much needed funding[br]towards conservation.

0:01:54.400,0:01:57.300
With the data collected here[br]by our volunteers

0:01:57.300,0:02:00.100
that go out every day with one of our[br]Ecological Monitors

0:02:00.100,0:02:03.500
that data feeds live[br]into our data systems,

0:02:03.500,0:02:05.724
which we can then analyse.

0:02:05.724,0:02:08.200
This helps us to make[br]our management decisions.

0:02:09.800,0:02:12.700
Animal populations in Phinda are thriving

0:02:12.700,0:02:16.150
from an initial population[br]of just 30 white rhinos,

0:02:16.150,0:02:21.368
Phinda now has one of the largest[br]white rhino populations in Africa

0:02:21.368,0:02:24.948
and have been relocating[br]and repopulating rhinos

0:02:24.948,0:02:29.440
to other reserves and countries,[br]due to their success at protecting them.

0:02:31.300,0:02:35.920
This is also facilitated what we call[br]Rhinos Without Borders,

0:02:35.920,0:02:39.710
so where our white rhinos[br]have been translocated to Botswana

0:02:39.710,0:02:44.200
to start at the founding population there.[br]Phinda is the first private game reserve

0:02:44.200,0:02:48.470
ever to be a part of the[br]Black Rhino Range Expansion Project,

0:02:48.470,0:02:51.000
so this is a project together with WWF.

0:02:53.500,0:02:56.500
The cheetah population here[br]has grown so successfully

0:02:56.500,0:03:00.760
that some individuals were relocated to[br]other parts of southern Africa

0:03:00.760,0:03:03.400
to establish healthy[br]cheetah populations there.

0:03:04.500,0:03:07.690
Cheetah alone, Phinda and the MunYaWana

0:03:07.690,0:03:09.450
is currently seen as one of the

0:03:09.450,0:03:11.470
most important cheetah meta

0:03:11.470,0:03:13.660
populations throughout southern Africa.

0:03:16.500,0:03:19.040
Phinda has been chosen as a release site

0:03:19.040,0:03:20.804
for pangolins that have been

0:03:20.804,0:03:22.690
confiscated from poachers and

0:03:22.690,0:03:25.470
saved from the illegal wildlife trade.

0:03:25.470,0:03:27.230
The pangolin is arguably

0:03:27.230,0:03:28.850
the most trafficked animal

0:03:28.850,0:03:31.690
on earth leading to their disappearance in

0:03:31.690,0:03:32.840
the world.

0:03:33.600,0:03:36.300
So pangolins were reintroduced here in

0:03:36.300,0:03:39.180
June 2019, before that pangolins have

0:03:39.180,0:03:42.260
been completely extinct from the reserve.

0:03:42.260,0:03:44.610
Over time, these animals have now

0:03:44.610,0:03:46.970
established home ranges, territories,

0:03:46.970,0:03:49.620
and thankfully have even had pups.

0:03:49.620,0:03:52.320
It is also an educational ground -

0:03:52.320,0:03:54.600
numerous researches occur here

0:03:54.600,0:03:55.810
every year.

0:03:55.815,0:03:56.815
{unintelligible}

0:03:56.820,0:03:59.620
A lot of data has been collected and

0:03:59.620,0:04:00.630
that has resulted

0:04:00.630,0:04:03.600
in numerous PhDs, Master's projects, also

0:04:03.600,0:04:05.600
suitable protocols being

0:04:05.600,0:04:06.700
out there on what's

0:04:06.700,0:04:09.900
the right way for soft-releasing lions

0:04:09.900,0:04:11.260
into new areas.

0:04:11.460,0:04:14.083
I have been here a few weeks volunteering

0:04:14.083,0:04:15.850
with African Conservation Experience,

0:04:15.850,0:04:17.980
participating on all the daily tasks

0:04:17.980,0:04:19.820
needed for animal management

0:04:19.820,0:04:21.710
and conservation like:

0:04:21.710,0:04:24.880
monitoring, data collection, updating ID

0:04:24.880,0:04:27.800
profiles of animals, tracking using

0:04:27.800,0:04:30.010
some of the most modern technologies,

0:04:30.010,0:04:31.920
trying to understand.

0:04:32.145,0:04:33.455
So what is the reason

0:04:33.455,0:04:37.241
of this overwhelming conservation success?

0:04:37.241,0:04:39.374
Is it the modern technology and their

0:04:39.374,0:04:40.494
ability to use

0:04:40.494,0:04:42.700
camera traps, telemetry, satellites,

0:04:42.700,0:04:45.800
drones, acoustic sensors, a variety of

0:04:45.800,0:04:47.900
apps for data collection and analysis?

0:04:49.000,0:04:50.967
This project is neat because our cameras

0:04:50.967,0:04:52.020
are actually tools

0:04:52.020,0:04:54.160
and what we're doing is collecting data

0:04:54.160,0:04:55.970
that's going to help us identify these

0:04:55.970,0:04:58.200
individuals in the wild at a later date.

0:04:59.080,0:05:01.270
Is it their ability to utilize

0:05:01.270,0:05:02.840
conservation tourism and

0:05:02.840,0:05:05.930
volunteerism to fund these projects?

0:05:05.930,0:05:08.500
Around the world, many protected areas are

0:05:08.500,0:05:11.200
underfunded. Allowing visitors to

0:05:11.200,0:05:13.311
observe exciting and important

0:05:13.311,0:05:15.899
conservation tasks provides additional

0:05:15.899,0:05:17.900
source of funding for necessary

0:05:17.900,0:05:19.110
management activities,

0:05:19.110,0:05:21.392
such as ecosystem monitoring,

0:05:21.392,0:05:23.600
anti-poaching patrols, invasive species

0:05:23.600,0:05:25.710
eradication, and environmental

0:05:25.710,0:05:27.701
educational programs.

0:05:29.900,0:05:32.700
Tourism potentially has a big role to play

0:05:32.700,0:05:34.100
in education

0:05:34.100,0:05:36.830
when it comes to conservation.

0:05:36.830,0:05:38.600
One of the best things is there's

0:05:38.600,0:05:39.943
so many people that care

0:05:39.943,0:05:41.970
and that's just really lovely to see.

0:05:41.970,0:05:43.551
Just spreading the word of, like,

0:05:43.551,0:05:45.580
the sort of work that's done here, trying

0:05:45.580,0:05:47.550
to get more funding and letting people

0:05:47.550,0:05:49.661
know how important this is to preserve,

0:05:49.860,0:05:50.980
is really important.

0:05:53.500,0:05:55.550
When people connect with nature

0:05:55.550,0:05:56.550
during their travels,

0:05:56.550,0:05:59.200
when they see first-hand how hard it is to

0:05:59.200,0:06:01.820
protect our nature and what goes into it,

0:06:01.820,0:06:03.920
it can lead them into being

0:06:03.920,0:06:04.920
more appreciative

0:06:04.920,0:06:07.600
and become more invested in protecting it.

0:06:08.300,0:06:10.020
I think the fact we don't know what

0:06:10.020,0:06:11.550
we're gonna see or discover

0:06:11.550,0:06:13.040
each day... it's very exciting.

0:06:13.040,0:06:14.951
Like every day I've done so far has been

0:06:14.951,0:06:15.990
really different.

0:06:15.990,0:06:17.860
And I've had a really unique experience

0:06:17.860,0:06:19.840
seeing loads of animals that are

0:06:19.840,0:06:20.860
endangered.

0:06:20.860,0:06:22.460
So I'd say I'm pretty lucky.

0:06:24.150,0:06:26.710
Of course, it is all of the above and more

0:06:26.710,0:06:28.750
This project truly exists

0:06:28.750,0:06:30.740
due to the exceptional management and

0:06:30.740,0:06:32.590
the work of numerous passionate people

0:06:32.590,0:06:33.610
that spend

0:06:33.610,0:06:35.400
hours and days in the bush,

0:06:35.400,0:06:36.440
making sure that the

0:06:36.440,0:06:39.330
area is thriving while educating tourists

0:06:39.330,0:06:41.820
and visitors, and conducting research

0:06:41.820,0:06:44.030
that helps other organizations

0:06:44.030,0:06:45.500
and reserves to obtain

0:06:45.500,0:06:47.080
this success as well.

0:06:50.900,0:06:53.400
We mainly focus on movement data and being

0:06:53.400,0:06:54.890
able to correlate all of that

0:06:54.890,0:06:56.160
and expand it over a few

0:06:56.160,0:06:57.590
years, and see the movement of

0:06:57.590,0:06:59.428
different species, how they react to

0:06:59.428,0:07:01.480
different weather conditions and habitats

0:07:01.480,0:07:03.100
and different influences like that

0:07:03.100,0:07:04.400
Seeing their movement data,

0:07:04.400,0:07:05.550
how long it's taken them

0:07:05.550,0:07:06.890
to settle in this reserve,

0:07:06.890,0:07:08.880
will be useful for other reserves

0:07:08.880,0:07:10.333
who want to do the same thing.

0:07:10.800,0:07:12.350
Your time and your effort

0:07:12.720,0:07:14.200
really help with things like,

0:07:14.200,0:07:15.400
hands-on things, if we

0:07:15.400,0:07:17.070
need help lifting something

0:07:17.070,0:07:18.760
or moving things,

0:07:18.760,0:07:21.100
photos for ID kits, like lots of

0:07:21.100,0:07:23.230
different small contributions

0:07:23.230,0:07:25.680
that add up to larger contributions.

0:07:26.700,0:07:29.400
I hope that this success story got you

0:07:29.400,0:07:32.500
inspired and serves as a hopeful reminder.

0:07:32.500,0:07:34.290
When people start seeing

0:07:34.290,0:07:36.870
the benefit of having tourism in the area,

0:07:37.420,0:07:38.930
they are more inclined

0:07:38.930,0:07:40.470
to wanting to keep the area wild

0:07:40.470,0:07:41.490
and they also

0:07:41.490,0:07:44.170
support these new ventures that are

0:07:44.170,0:07:45.400
being undertaken.

0:07:47.900,0:07:50.500
We want to use tourism to expand,

0:07:50.500,0:07:53.400
you know, conservation areas and, not just

0:07:53.400,0:07:55.123
expand but to ensure that it

0:07:55.123,0:07:56.353
sustains itself.