Pedro has been working with FUNDAECO for a year, but has been working in the forest for 20
years. He used to work with Philip Tanimoto (The Rainforest Trust GIS Officer) as a guide and
helped Philip in the field. Before becoming a field guide Pedro worked as a farmer.
Walter, is one of the forest guards for Fundaeco. Walter was born and raised in a family of
loggers, and when he was only 15 years old, he himself was one of the best loggers in his
community. However, after being invited to visit a nearby protected forest and meeting tourists
who had come to see the forests, he became amazed by the richness of the protected forest
and realized that he had taken his own cloud forest for granted.
Ruben is originally from Antiguo Morelos, Tamaulipas. He is currently monitoring parrots in the project “Protection of parrots in danger of extinction in Mexico” at the Rancho Regalo de Dios.
Jacob Adong use to be a hunter and trapper. He started hunting at the age of 18, going to the bush with dogs, trapping, chasing and killing animals like cane rats, porcupines, and many others. In December 1993, he later started using guns to hunt larger animals like monkeys, duiker and bush pigs. Little did he know some of these animals have been declared as protected species until he came in contact with ERuDeF in 2004. After that encounter with ERuDeF, Jacob became a wildlife conservation advocate in his community, Bechati, and he is currently working as a field guide and a community ranger in the Tofala Hill Wildlife Sanctuary.
Tankoh Solomon Tayim was born in the Besali village adjacent to the Tofala Hill Wildlife Sanctuary. He dropped out from secondary school when his father died. As the first male child in his family, it was his responsibility to take care of and support his mother and siblings. It was from this situation that he got involved with the trapping and hunting of animals such as cane rats, porcupine, duikers and bush pig. He also engaged in the cultivation of cocoa and palm to generate income for his family. In 2010 he came in contact with ERuDeF during community sensitizations on the creation of the Tofala Hill Wildlife Sanctuary. He then became involved in the conservation project as a bio-monitor and he is currently working as a field guide and community ranger in the Tofala Hill Wildlife Sanctuary.
Segundo started his job with Fundación Jocotoco on November 21, 2001. When he started to work for Jocotoco, he built the first trails and collaborated in the creation of nest boxes and bird monitoring. The species he likes the most is the El Oro parakeet.
Jiba lives in kwaNdengezi, Durban, South Africa. He has a BSc degree in Geography and Environmental Management from the University of KwaZulu-Natal and a Diploma in Project management. Jiba is responsible for coordinating and carrying out much of the social engagement, sustainable development and environmental education necessary for Endangered Wildlife Trust’s work towards protecting the extensive Adam’s Mission wetlands south of Durban. He is a mentor to our Biodiversity Protection Officers who patrol the area and engage with local community members. He has a keen interest in the field of bioacoustics, which is a tool Endangered Wildlife Trust uses to monitor flagship endangered species. His career objective is to grow an outstanding career in the field of environmental management and community development and be able to offer practical solutions to environmental challenges that modern society is faced with, as well to improve the livelihoods of people in both rural and urban areas.
Shumani was born and raised in Venda, Limpopo province, South Africa, and has a National Diploma in Nature Conservation from the University of South Africa (UNISA). As a senior field ranger, Shumani is responsible for assisting with the day-to-day running of Medike Nature Reserve, including activities such as supervising Soutpansberg Protected Area (SPA) field rangers, identifying and mapping alien species sites to be cleared, regular monitoring of cleared sites, anti-poaching operations, eco-tourism ventures within neighbouring SPA communities, detecting and controlling illegal activities in the SPA (in conjunction with the manager), by patrolling, collecting strategic biodiversity and habitat data in the SPA, and assisting with LBSP, The Limpopo Province’s Biodiversity Stewardship Programme in the western Soutpansberg, in collaboration with the Limpopo Department of Economic Development, Environment and Tourism (LEDET).
Leon Bitterbos has two children, a boy and a girl, whom he works to support. Leon is a hard-working person and good with chainsaws, which he uses to clear alien invasives from the reserve.
Angelo Davids is a quiet young person who is interested in sports. He likes to work in nature and is interested in the environment and conservation. His goal is to build a future for himself working on the reserve.
