WWF Rangers
removing a pangolin trap in Vietnam
Rangers in South East Asia
Rangers in conservation are some of the world’s greatest group of unsung heroes. With organisations like the Thin Green Line, more awareness is being raised, not only the type of work these amazing individuals are doing, but also the high level of risk to their personal safety which is involved in protecting and conserving the environment.
I have had the privilege of working on and documenting some of the various training initiatives WWF provide for the rangers in Vietnam, in order to better equip them to perform their roles in the field. I have also had the privilege of documenting an elite training course (provided by the Freeland Foundation in Thailand), which trains rangers how to track and detain poachers under a specialised "Hassadin" training programme.
WWF "The story of JUN" - a baby elephant rescued from a snare in Vietnam
Human animal conflict resolution
As populations increase, more and more natural resources and animal habitats are being used for farming and human habitation in particular. This conflict occurs all over the world and organisations like WWF are continually working with local communities, providing training and awareness programs and well as constantly developing alternative livelihood initiatives. Alternative livelihoods are important because they provide an alternative and profitable shift from destructive practices to constructive sustainable practices.
I had the privilege of photographing a little elephant, Jun, who was rescued from a snare that a local community had put out to in an attempt to prevent wildlife from destroying their crops and farms. His foot was severed, his trunk has a hole in it where he tried desperately to free himself, and he was in an incredibly bad state.
Jun is one of only 60 wild elephants living in Vietnam. Traditionally, elephants were hunted in the wild, captured and used for logging, farming and now tourism. Jun is currently being cared for at the Elephant Conservation Centre (ECC) in Dak Lak national park. The interaction with Jun and his personal trainer with regard to how these alternative livelihood training programs are changing attitudes and lives, was not only emotional but eye opening. His trainer spoke to us about traditional “elephant training” and how he was working with Jun to show other trainers that aggression, abuse and violence were not needed. That positive re-enforcement not only worked but made the elephant much happier. It is unlikely that Jun will be able to released back into the wild due to the severity of his injuries, however, they have another baby elephant in the camp who was rescued from a well, who they are rehabilitating with the intention to release him back into the wild. He will be the first wild elephant to be reintroduced into the wild in Vietnam.
For more on this story please see WWF website: The Story of Jun. For more images and details about my personal experience on this assignment, please see my personal assignments "[un]SEEN" page.
Sustainable Aquaculture
ASC (Aqua Stewardship Council) are working in collaboration with WWF and a number of fisheries around the world to create a more sustainable, fair-trade model for aquaculture. The health of an ecosystem is often overlooked when creating the large fish ponds needed to breed fish and shrimp - in Vietnam for example, where large quantities of fish are harvested for international export. Unfortunately, the process of aquaculture (from land usage, chemicals in the water, recycling of waste, etc) rarely take into account the care of wildlife present in and/or on the farm lands (such as endangered reptiles or bird species).
Sustainable aquaculture therefore, not only ensures that the food you are consuming is safe (the correct chemicals have been used to breed, feed and clean the meat/ flesh you eat) but also ensures that there is a degree of care taken to ensure that the ecosystem stays in a healthy balance.
For more information about sustainable aqua culture please see this publication from ASC or visit the WWF website.
