The Green Griffons, nine women from villages around Mkambati Nature Reserve, have formed the Eastern Cape’s first all-women anti-poaching ranger team.
The Green Griffons, nine women from villages around Mkambati Nature Reserve, are the Eastern Cape’s first all-women anti-poaching ranger team, modelled on the Greater Kruger’s Black Mambas. Abongile Sodlula, 26, who discovered nature conservation by chance, says the team is determined to spread the conservation message across the Wild Coast and beyond. Plans are under way to introduce white rhino to Mkambati, but only once poaching is eliminated and community support is secured, says mentor and professional conservationist Dr Div de Villiers.
They say it takes a village to raise a child.
On the Wild Coast in the Eastern Cape, however, it takes women villagers to change fellow villagers’ attitudes towards conserving the environment.
“We are determined to have the message of nature conservation spreads across our area and beyond,” Abongile Paula Sodlula, 26, told News24.
She is one of nine women from the villages surrounding the Mkambati Nature Reserve who have formed an anti-poaching ranger team to protect the beautiful and serene reserve after they were trained as rangers.
Known as the Green Griffons, the women, mostly single mothers, have stepped up to take up space in the male-dominated ranger field.
Even though she was born on the Wild Coast, Sodlula said she never really understood the concept of nature conservation, and discovered it by chance.
“While I was doing Grade 12, I came across documents about a bursary that wanted students who wanted to study nature conservation. I did not even know what nature conservation was, but I applied,” she said.
She studied at Mangosuthu University of Technology, where she later obtained a diploma in nature conservation.
Abongile Paula Sodlula forms part of a group of women who have been trained as rangers at the Mkambati Nature Reserve on the Wild Coast in the Eastern Cape.
Abongile Paula Sodlula/Supplied
“That’s when I started to understand the concept of nature conservation better,” Sodlula said.
“There are some people in the villages who still think that protecting the environment is preventing them from having access to natural resources, but that’s not the case. We protect the environment to make sure that it is not harmed or degraded but rather preserved and taken care of for generations to come.”
The women’s mentor and conservationist, Dr Div de Villiers, said the Green Griffons’ all-women ranger team was the brainchild of Colin Bell, the head of the GweGwe concession at the Mkambati Nature Reserve.
“The concept is based on the internationally acclaimed Black Mambas from Greater Kruger. This success story uses women to patrol the Big 5 reserve and use their unique female intuition and conflict resolving skills to combat poaching,” De Villiers told News24.
He said the Green Griffons were selected from the seven Mpondo communities that own the Mkambati Nature Reserve.
“I developed their course which was tailor made to suit the work that they’d need to do in and around Mkambati Nature Reserve,” said De Villiers.
“They don’t only patrol the reserve but are responsible for gathering field data on EarthRanger devices, monitoring wildlife and plants, spreading awareness about the importance of the environment to school children and local communities, and gathering information about potential unlawful activities.”
Nine women from the villages surrounding the Mkambati Nature Reserve in the Eastern Cape are now rangers after they underwent training.
De Villiers said the women were fit and trained in unarmed self-defence and “can hold their own if confronting people who are performing illegal activities on the reserve”.
“They are also backed up by the Eastern Cape Parks and Tourism Agency field rangers, who are armed. I imparted my skills and knowledge of more than 40 years in formal conversation and law enforcement, but I was supported by Craig Spencer, founder of the Black Mambas, and two sergeants from that unit.
“The Green Griffons and Black Mambas have formed a sisterhood as the team continues to develop and improve their skills,” said De Villiers.
Meanwhile, plans are in the pipeline for the introduction of white rhino to the reserve.
“Introducing white rhino to Mkambati is a vision, but there are many steps to follow before this can become a reality. The grasslands need improved management, and the wildlife numbers need to be increased substantially in correct ratios of grazers and browsers.
“Poaching must be eliminated completely, and communities must all support the initiative. Only then will rhino be released to make Mkambati another stronghold that protects this endangered species,” said De Villiers.