BY WANDILE TSHUMA 

Nominations have opened for the 14th edition of the Tusk Conservation Awards, offering global recognition and £225,000 (about UGX 1.1 billion) in grant funding to Africa’s leading conservationists.

The awards, held in partnership with Ninety One, celebrate African-led solutions protecting wildlife, landscapes and livelihoods. Three winners will be selected from hundreds of nominations across the continent and honoured at a ceremony expected to be held in London later this year.

This year’s prize money will be distributed across three categories: £100,000 (UGX 480 million) for the Prince William Award, £75,000 (UGX 360 million) for the Tusk Award, and £50,000 (UGX 240 million) for the Tusk Wildlife Ranger Award.

Speaking at last year’s awards, Tusk’s Royal Patron, Prince William, said communities and local conservation leaders often provide the most practical solutions to sustaining biodiversity and natural landscapes.

“It is so often communities and local conservation leaders who provide the practical solutions to how we can best sustain our precious natural landscapes and vital biodiversity,” he said. “Identifying and supporting locally-led conservation has always been at the heart of Tusk’s ethos.”

Since their launch in 2013, the awards have recognised 61 winners and finalists from 23 African countries. Past recipients have used grant funding to expand ranger patrols, secure wildlife corridors, equip community conservancies and create sustainable livelihoods linked to conservation.

Examples of supported initiatives include protecting gorillas in eastern Congo, conserving turtles in Sierra Leone, restoring forests in Madagascar and dismantling poaching syndicates in Zimbabwe. Organisers say the funding is designed to be catalytic, enabling winners to scale their impact and attract long-term investment.

Nick Bubb, Chief Executive Officer of TUSK, said the awards highlight the courage and commitment of individuals working in challenging and often dangerous conditions.

“We encourage anyone who knows an individual or ranger team who has made a significant impact on wildlife conservation to nominate them for this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to have their achievements recognised on a global stage,” Bubb said.

In a significant development this year, the Tusk Wildlife Ranger Award has been expanded to recognise ranger teams alongside individual rangers, reflecting what organisers describe as the collaborative nature of modern conservation efforts.

The expanded category aligns with Tusk’s broader ranger programmes, including the Wildlife Ranger Challenge and the Ranger Welfare and Standards Initiative, which supports more than 6,200 rangers with training, equipment and insurance.

Nominations are open to conservation leaders across Africa and do not require nominees to be existing Tusk partners. However, individuals cannot nominate themselves and must be put forward confidentially by someone familiar with their work.

Nominations will close on the 26th of April and must be submitted online.

BY NOKUTHABA DLAMINI 

Painted Dog Conservation (PDC) has raised serious concerns over a road rehabilitation detour near Hwange National Park, warning that the route now passing through a sensitive wildlife area poses an immediate threat to painted dogs and other species.

In a statement shared on its official Facebook page, PDC said while it supports Zimbabwe’s ongoing road rehabilitation programme, the decision to divert heavy commercial traffic through an ecologically critical landscape is placing wildlife and people at risk.

The organisation said it had, together with other conservation groups and tourism operators, raised concerns with the relevant authorities, the responsible ministry and the contractor from the early stages of the project, warning of potential ecological damage. However, those concerns were not acted upon, and the detour is now in active use.

According to PDC, the increased traffic volume and speeding trucks along the route leading to Hwange National Park have created a “grave and immediate danger” to painted dogs, one of Africa’s most endangered carnivores, as well as to other wildlife and road users.

“With the detour now in place, the reality on the ground is worrying,” the organisation said.

PDC revealed that its teams, alongside other conservation stakeholders, are taking emergency measures to reduce wildlife fatalities during the period. These include actively guiding painted dogs away from the road and, in some cases, chasing them to safety when trucks approach. Staff have also been stationed along the road holding “Slow Down” placards to alert motorists.

“These are not ideal or sustainable solutions, but they are necessary right now to save lives,” the organisation said.

Painted Dog Conservation has called on authorities to urgently install additional wildlife warning signage and more speed humps to calm traffic through the sensitive area. The organisation also appealed directly to motorists to exercise caution.

“We respectfully urge all road users to slow down, stay alert, and remember that this is a shared landscape. Development and conservation must go hand in hand, especially in areas of such high ecological importance,” PDC said.

The organisation stressed that wildlife cannot speak for itself and vowed to continue intervening until safer, long-term solutions are implemented.

PDC has also urged the public to share the message widely in a bid to help protect Hwange’s wildlife.