iapf

Our guest today is Damien Mander, an anti-poaching activist and founder of the International Anti-Poaching Foundation (IAPF), a direct action law enforcement organization bringing military solutions to conservation.  As a former Australian Royal Navy Clearance Diver and Special Operations military sniper, Damien advocated the use of military equipment and tactics for the purpose of protecting animals from poaching.

After learning about poaching in Southern Africa and the criminal networks that used military equipment to poach for profit, Damien was convinced that his specialized military skills, personal finances, and experience could contribute significantly to wildlife protection and conservation.  Using his life savings, Damien founded the IAPF in 2009 and founded the Akashinga or “The Brave Ones,” an all female anti-poaching unit.

We speak with Damien about his work at IAPF and how the Akashinga program offers an alternative approach to the militarized paradigm of “fortress conservation” which defends colonial boundaries between nature and humans.  Damien believes that empowering women can be the single biggest force for positive change in the world today.

During our conversation, Damien and I referenced the following resources:

• Kruger National Park, home to one-third of the world's rhinos
• The US Army Rangers training female Rangers
• The concept of the "white savior" and Damien's views on it as it pertains to his work
• The concept of ecofeminism and the book, Ecofeminism:  Feminist Intersections with Other Animals and the Earth
• The need for us to support a plant-based movement as part of our conservation efforts
• Exploring the concept by Audre Lorde, Can the Master's Tools Destroy the Master's House?
• A National Geographic story in June 2019 featuring the IAPF and the Akashinga

After the conversation, Damien shared with me his interest in learning more about feminism, ecofeminism, and how he downloaded the book, "Ecofeminism: Feminist Intersections with Other Animals and the Earth in response to my inquiry.  Damien admitted he didn't know the definition of feminism and considered himself a feminist ally after we shared the definition.

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Today’s program with Damien Mander, IAPF began on the day after Mugabe resigned and amidst jubilation in the streets of Harare as Zimbabwe swore in a new interim President. This shift is one of the most hopeful messages the world and conservation can look to that systemic change is possible. We picked up the conversation one week later to further discuss the evolution of conservation in a country that historically has depended upon income generated by the hunting concessions- land that is not within the national parks. As sport hunting declines dramatically, income streams dry up and the land and the people become ever more vulnerable. Alternative sources of income must be created or these areas will be lost, along with their rich biodiversity. With a willing government and expertise of IAPF, enter Akashinga: locally based, all female teams, provided the skills, training and employment to fill this gap in management, presence and patrols through these lands.

In a world at war with wildlife, to conserve and protect rhino in critical habitat on the frontlines, the cost of peace often comes at the end of a barrel. Protecting rhino and poaching them is one of the most dangerous jobs on earth- lives literally hang in the balance. Between specially trained teams of rangers who have chosen at all costs to protect rhino, and those who would kill them because of the value we humans have proscribed to a few pounds of keratin. It all comes crashing together at ground zero: critical rhino habitat right up against impoverished communities, where international criminal cartels pull the puppet strings of desperate people. My guest Damien Mander of the International Antipoaching Foundation tells us like it is: the real costs both the financial and emotional toll of protecting one of our planets most enduring species. The IAPF has one mission: Rhino will not go extinct on their watch. iapf.org