Prestigious award for vulture conservationist
THE Endangered Wildlife Trust’s (EWT) Vultures for Africa Programme manager André Botha has been recognised with a special Endangered Species Conservation Award at the prestigious Rhino Conservation Awards ceremony.
Held in Johannesburg recently, the Rhino Conservation Awards recognised significant role players in rhino conservation. The special award was included to honour a person, team or entity working full-time in the field to combat poaching of other endangered species.
Botha was nominated for his extensive work in vulture conservation, having championed this cause through his work with the EWT since 2004.
EWT says his passion has always been for vultures, and his work has resulted in bringing the importance of vulture conservation to the international stage. Botha’s achievements to fight the poisoning and persecution of Africa’s vultures have been considerable at a time when these birds are under heightened pressure across the continent.
Botha implemented the first wing-tagging programme focused on southern African vultures in 2006, initiated International Vulture Awareness Day in 2009, which is now a global event and celebrated in 17 countries, and co-chairing the International Union for Conservation of Nature Species Survival Commission’s Vulture Specialist Group.
Botha also developed the EWT’s Poisoning Intervention Training Programme, which has been presented to more than 1 400 law enforcement staff, rangers, veterinarians and community members in six countries in southern and east Africa.
He is the over-arching co-ordinator for the Vulture Multi-Species Action Plan for African-Eurasian Vulture, which was formally adopted by all 128 range countries in October 2017. Botha said he was honoured to receive the award. – Staff Writer