As part of the Lewa-Borana Landscape, Borana Conservancy is home to a ‘Key 1’ black rhino population, one of three in East Africa, the security and monitoring of these rhino and other wildlife requires large numbers of highly trained and motivated personnel. We remain extremely thankful to the Borana security team which consists of 125 men and women, who work tirelessly day and night to protect the wildlife and habitat.
There is a high local employment rate across the Borana Conservancy anti-poaching team. This ensures that our neighbours are part of the Borana story and encourages a vested interest in the conservation and preservation of wildlife, along with the success of the mobile outreach conservation programmes.
In December 2018, Borana employed thirteen women from our local communities as part of the Conservancy’s security team. Their roles include patrolling fence lines, acting as gate keepers and monitoring radio communications, which are new skills to them.
These women are gaining first-hand experience working as part of a conservation team, hand in hand with nature. This initiative has created opportunities which could otherwise have been considered unobtainable for women living in small remote villages. The team continue to inspire local women and girls to take play an active role in conservation, and act as a guiding light for gender equality in a traditionally male orientated career.