Saving Africa's Giraffe – A Conservation Success Story
Giraffe Conservation Foundation
Date: |
7 November |
Time: |
18:00 |
Venue: |
New Learning Centre, Anatomy Building, Falmouth Road, Observatory |
Booking: |
via Webtickets |
For further information, please email ems@uct.ac.za, or phone 021 650 2634 (office).
Saving Africa's Giraffe – A Conservation Success Story
When visiting Africa giraffe are just everywhere, right?
In reality, the tallest and one of the most loved animals in the world are undergoing a silent extinction before our eyes. Giraffe are Africa's forgotten giants, but not all is lost…
Already extinct in at least seven African countries, giraffe numbers have declined significantly throughout their range in the last century. They have lost almost 90% of their habitat in the last 300 years. To curb these trends, the Giraffe Conservation Foundation (GCF) is standing tall for these iconic animals and our combined efforts with governments, NGOs, conservationists, zoos, and other stakeholders are bearing fruit and inspiring successful conservation actions throughout the African continent. Giraffe can only be saved through strong partnerships and collaborative actions. So far, GCF supports giraffe conservation efforts in over 100 million acres of giraffe habitat throughout Africa and we have supported the re-introduction of giraffe and augmented populations in over 10 million acres of quality habitat. By providing a science-based approach to our work, GCF has been integral in deciphering the current giraffe taxonomy, implementing the largest GPS satellite tracking programme throughout the continent, enhancing community conservation, environmental education and much more.
With all this in mind, Julian Fennessy (Director Conservation, GCF) will highlight the plight of giraffe, while focusing on the conservation successes of GCF, an organisation at the forefront of giraffe conservation and management in Africa. As a relatively small organisation, GCF has a big impact and our approach can be seen as a new conservation model.
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Bio: Julian is the Co-Founder, President and Director of Conservation of the Giraffe Conservation Foundation (GCF). Based in Namibia, GCF is the only organisation in the world that concentrates solely on the conservation and management of giraffe in the wild throughout Africa. Julian has more than 25 years of experience in conservation and sustainable development in Africa and Australia. His expertise includes wildlife management, environmental consulting, community conservation and land management. |
Julian is widely published with over 50 popular and scientific publications, and shares his knowledge and experience regularly with audiences around the world, including in the multi-award winning BBC/PBS documentary about his and GCF's work that was narrated by Sir David Attenborough: Giraffes: Africa's Gentle Giants.