10 Nov Shifting Focus; Black Friday, EWT & Being Able To Give Back

Faithful to Nature Will Be Donating A Portion of Black Friday Sales to the Endangered Wildlife Foundation

Faithful to Nature is partnering with the Endangered Wildlife Trust (EWT) to give every shopper a way to give back to our entire ecosystem in a unique way. For every day of our Black Friday promotions, we will be donating a percentage of their profit to EWT. The focus this year will be on looking after the people who look after the wildlife, the people on the frontline of defense for our incredible wild creatures.  

Last year we partnered with EWT and focused our attention on the impact of illegal wildlife trading, how could we have known that it would be linked to the worldwide Covid-19 outbreak, and the repercussions on the health and economic wellbeing of the global population? 

How has Corona impacted EWT? As a result of the pandemic, the tourism industry has been significantly affected, with the worst yet to come as we head into our tourist season, with massive limitations on international movement in many European countries, as well as the rest of the world. Conservation needs tourism to keep their workforce employed, and the animals need the workforce to stay protected. As a society, we run the risk of losing control of our first line of defense in protecting vulnerable species – our people.

With communities recovering from the economic blow and even the psychological effects of the outbreak, our animals are more vulnerable than ever, lacking protection of regular, trained staff in busy tourist spots. The current state of the rhino population is the perfect example of the urgency required to protect vulnerable species – we are in fact nearing a tipping point, where more rhinos will be dying as a result of poaching than the number of rhinos being born. 

Wildlife & Tourism In Numbers

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POACHING

• 594 Rhinos poached in 2019
• 415 000 Elephants left in Africa
• 2,7 Million pangolins poached globally

TOURISM 

• Makes up 2,9% of GDP 
• 725 000 Jobs under threat
• R82,5 Billion in foreign spend 

UNEMPLOYMENT

• 7.1 Million unemployed in Q1
• 2.2 Million jobs lost in Q2
• 600 000 Tourism jobs impacted

That is why this year as Faithful to Nature continues to partner with EWT we want to pivot the conversation, to do what we can to help protect people and the environment: to stop illegal trading we need dedicated individuals working on the front lines. By helping those who have been impacted to get back on their feet, we can restore the sector of the tourism industry that is faithful to nature, through and through.

What will each donation help EWT achieve?

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From the smallest frog to the majestic rhino, anyone can help the EWT protect our natural world. Every donation – no matter how big or small – makes a tangible difference and enables the EWT to: 

• Empower communities to live and work in harmony with nature.
• Train thousands of law enforcement officials on wildlife trade issues.
• Feed over 10,000 learners from the school vegetable gardens that they support.
• Increase safe spaces for Cheetahs and Wild Dogs in South Africa and beyond.
• Raise awareness and create connections between young people and their natural environment through school programmes, developing the guardians of the future

…and so much more. You can find about more about EWT and the work they do by going directly to their website.