WILD TOMORROW FUND
Saving Wildlife And Wild Places
Wild Tomorrow Fund is dedicated to the protection of threatened and endangered species and the habitats they depend on for survival.
Working on the ground in southern Africa, the Fund protects and expands wildlife habitats to support the resources of existing reserves, and keep their animals safe and thriving.
Wild Tomorrow works to ensure that the world that comes after us is a world in which a wild tomorrow is possible.
Project Details & Background
Saving the South Bank’s entire 3,521 acres is critical to preserving the region’s biodiversity. The near-term vision is to join the South Bank with the 80,000 acre Mun-Ya-Wana Conservancy, home to elephants, critically endangered black rhinoceros, white rhinoceros, and other endangered and threatened species.
Importantly, the project also preserves the ability to connect the Mun-Ya-Wana Conservancy with the expansive 886,000 acre iSimangaliso Wetland Park, a UNESCO World Heritage Site and Ramsar wetland site. Note that all of the areas discussed here are located in what is known as the Maputaland-Pondoland-Albany Hotspot, one of only 36 such “biodiversity hotspots” in the world. According to Conservation International, to qualify as a biodiversity hotspot, a region must have a high percentage of plant life found nowhere else on the planet and, at the same time, its continued existence must be threatened. Hotspots cover only 2.4% of the earth’s land surface, but are arguably the most important 2.4% to protect.
The map on the left shows the parcels (in light green overlay) that comprise the South Bank. To date, they have acquired control of two parcels – Ukuwela and Mfuleni, which together total 2,406 acres. Wild Tomorrow Fund has currently reached an agreement to join their conservancy with the neighboring property outlined in green, which covers an additional 334 acres.
Wild Tomorrow Fund’s Scope
Wild Tomorrow Fund is often told how their presence is being felt by rangers, ecologists and reserve managers in Africa.
Here are just a few highlights since formation in March, 2015:
- Protected over 2,400 acres of land on the South Bank of the Msinene river in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa.
- Outfitted every field ranger with new uniforms at Tembe, Ndumo, Phongolo, Sileza, Phongolapoort, Hlatikulu Forest, and Ukuwela reserves.
- Donated supplies to 20 government and private reserves which amongst many things included telemetry equipment, binoculars, computers, tire compressors, lamps, pangas, bikes, boots, belts, rifle scopes, and cammo gear.
- Paid for multiple rhino dehornings, elephant, wild dog, and hyenas collarings.
Wildlife Warriors
John Steward
Executive Director
After spending 20 years as a Creative Director at some of the world’s top advertising agencies, John left the corporate world in 2015 to dedicate his life to conservation.
It was on a South African volunteer vacation back in 2012 that John came face-to-face with the state of our planet’s wildlife. He saw the daily struggles reserve managers and ecologists faced to keep the animals safe on shoestring budgets. He saw anti-poaching rangers with tattered uniforms, poached rhino skulls with machete scars, and snared animals that had to wait weeks for veterinary assistance. He also learned about the ever-dwindling numbers of animals due to habitat loss.
Unable to shy away from these issues, John decided to leave his corporate life in March 2015 to form Wild Tomorrow Fund with the intent of providing compassionate people around the world a way to make positive, long lasting change.
Wendy Hapgood
Director
During her 10 years based in Japan, Singapore and New York as a Director of Currency Sales for Barclays and Citibank, Wendy spent much of her free time volunteering for wildlife organizations in Asia and America.
Wendy believes that biodiversity loss and climate change are two of the most critical issues facing our planet today. In 2015 she left the finance world to complete her Masters Degree in Sustainability Management at Columbia University’s Earth Institute where she studied climate change science and policy, researched the intersection of poverty and rhino poaching, and studied new methods for financing the green economy. Wendy now uses both her business knowledge and her environmental education to help protect our planet’s biodiversity.
FAQs
Am I donating to Wild Tomorrow Fund or to the Terra Conservation Initiative?
Your donation will go to Terra Conservation Initiative to support the Wild Tomoroow Fund and other TCI conservation organizations.