Craig Spencer

I was appointed as the Head Warden of Balule Nature Reserve, and served as Head Warden of the Association of Private Nature Reserves until August 2018.

During the past three and a half years, I have focused most of my efforts on strengthening partnerships with the adjacent tribal communities and seeking new technologies and partnerships to solve the illegal wildlife trade.

I am the founder of the The Black Mamba initiative, which employs 36 young women from the local tribal communities and was recognized as the “Best Rhino Conservation Practitioner” in Johannesburg in 2015 (Game Rangers Association of Southern Africa), as well as the UNEP “Champions of the Earth” in 2015.

Tother with the Black Mambas, we have since been invited to present our conservation model in various countries and in various media, including The Hague (European Union) in 2015, Cop 17 (Various audiences) 2016, INTERPOL Wildlife Crime Committee in 2016+2018, Rhino Lab in Johannesburg in 2016, Conservation Lab in 2016 and 2017, New York City at the United Nations Environmental Program in 2015, New York City Explorers Club and Empowers Africa in 2017 and London International Rhino Day in 2016, and recently at the UNDP “Lions Share” conference in France and a congressional committee hearing in Washington DC USA.

December 2018