Do conservation efforts work?

Wildlife conservation is similar to social development in that they are both huge tasks that take not only time but also money to solve. The scale of the problems and the time and money needed make it seem like a never ending situation.

But wildlife conservation has made progress over the years. In 2015 efforts to stop rhino poaching went high tech and the results were impressive "in 2016, we'd cut poaching by 96 percent and reduced illegal entry into the reserve by 67 percent […] between January 2017 and August 2019, we lost no rhinos."

Not all success stories need high tech, often expensive solutions, education is also key in saving wildlife. Humpback whales have made an incredible bounce back in number due to protective measures but in place in the 1960’s to the 1980’s. From roughly 420 whales in the 50’s, their numbers have risen to about 25 000 - close to pre-whaling numbers.

Conservation volunteering not only allows you to work directly with wildlife but also to work in preserving wildlife numbers. Our Community & Wilderness Outreach project in Botswana and our Conservation and Community project in South Africa work within the local community to promote sustainable, ethical wildlife conservation through practical work and education.

If you would like to contribute to wildlife conservation with any of our projects, please contact us.

Yours,
The Good Hope Volunteer Team

To be part of our amazing volunteer community, please contact us.