World Wildlife Fund - Annual Report 2007 - (Page 10)

Africa, Land of the Soul By Russell E. Train Africa is a “land of the soul,” as my South African friend Ian Player calls it. It surely has the power to change one’s life, as I can personally attest. In the mid-1950s, I was a tax lawyer working for the Congress, soon to be a judge of the United States Tax Court. Then, in 1956 and 1958, my wife Aileen and I went on month-long safaris in East Africa. Those safaris were unforgettable experiences. The sheer beauty of the landscape was staggering. The variety of the native peoples from Kikuyu farmers to Masai warrior-herders was fascinating. And, of course, above all was the fantastic wildlife in all of its incredible variety and numbers. We have been back to Africa many times and the experience has never failed to enchant, but those first two safaris changed my life totally. Over the next several years I converted from a tax lawyer to a conservationist-environmentalist. History and fortuitous timing had a lot to do with that conversion. At the time of our first safaris, colonial rule was rapidly ending and governance, including the management of wildlife and national parks, was being turned over to Africans themselves. Among colonial wildlife officials, as well as our own professional guides in the field, we found skepticism that Africans would have any interest in conservation. Widespread poaching was the expectation. Indeed, few if any Africans had been trained to take on the job of professional wildlife and parks management. In 1961 a small group of friends with similar African experiences met in my tax court chambers and we launched the African Wildlife Leadership Foundation with me as chairman and CEO. At the outset, we decided that the single most urgent priority was to train Africans to take on the professional task of managing their own wildlife resources. A Glance at WWF in Africa By no means comprehensive, this timeline provides a glimpse of the breadth of WWF’s work in Africa over the past 45 years. Started lemur studies in Madagascar and world’s longest-running program to protect and monitor loggerhead and leatherback turtles in Mozambique and South Africa. Supported black rhino conservation in Kenya. Began financial support to Mweka College of African Wildlife Management in Tanzania. Supported establishment of Kenya’s Lake Nakuru National Park, Shimba Hills National Reserve, and the extension of Nairobi National Park. Funds raised through worldwide Tropical Rainforest Campaign went to strengthening protected areas in Central and West Africa. 1960s 1970s 10 worldwildlife.org http://worldwildlife.org

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of World Wildlife Fund - Annual Report 2007

WWF - Annual Report 2007 Contents The Landscapes of People's Lives The President’s Report Africa, Land of the Soul Building Prosperity from Africa’s Natural Wealth A Namibian Odyssey Natural Capital: Putting a Price on Nature Investing in Fish and Fishermen Wildlife in the Balance Africans on the Move WWF Results Across the Globe A Different Kind of Fieldwork A River Dammed Pooling Efforts in the World’s Aquarium More Than Just the Daily Catch All Along the Equator A Partnership for Freshwater Funding and Financial Overview Statement of Activities Ways to Give Staff National Council Board of Directors

World Wildlife Fund - Annual Report 2007

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