Gemfields conservation!
With National Geographic a partnership of
vital
Supporting African communities and
conservation
Gemfields, the world’s leading supplier of
responsibly sourced coloured gemstones, is partnering with National Geographic
to lift the veil on vital projects supported by Gemfields in Africa,
benefitting both communities and conservation.
Gemfields’ gemstone mining operations in both
Zambia and Mozambique provide a significant benefit to these African countries,
not only through a substantial source of taxation to the national economy, but
in additional projects chosen for the difference they make in protecting
Africa’s rich biodiversity and promoting sustainable livelihoods for local communities.
Gemfields operates the Kagem emerald mine in
Lufwanyama in partnership with the Zambian government, which owns 25 percent.
The two short films created through the
collaboration, follow National Geographic photographer and filmmaker Shannon Wild
as she explores the communities and environments benefitting from projects
supported by Gemfields. Shannon is at
the heart of each film and viewers are given once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to
see the landscape, animals and people she encounters through her eyes.
Film 1: Conservation, Zambia:
The first film - based in Zambia’s Kafue
National Park, highlights the Zambian Carnivore Programme (ZCP), which both
studies large carnivores and addresses threats to them and their ecosystem, to
assist their onward survival.
The Greater Kafue Ecosystem is the largest
protected area in Zambia and the second largest National Park in Africa. Kafue
is home to large numbers of lion, cheetah and wild dogs and studies of their
population, interaction with human population and the ecosystem are key parts
of ZCP’s work.
“The Zambian Carnivore Programme monitors
Kafue’s large carnivores using advanced satellite tracking collars” explains
Shannon.
“ZCP contributes life-saving research about
these animals,” says Shannon. “By fitting just one lioness with a collar, the
team can extrapolate information on the whole pride. It’s opened up a whole new
window on their world.”
Gemfields has been crucial to this work
through contributions funding the purchase and deployment of satellite tracking
collars. The satellite collars are far more efficient than the old VHF collars
they replaced and ZCP aims to visit every collared animal once a week.
Film 2: Communities, Mozambique:
The second film explores Mozambican community
projects which are in the immediate vicinity of Gemfields’ ruby mine in
Montepuez. The film takes an inside look
into three of Gemfields’ projects including: a primary school, mobile health
clinic and a farming association.
On her visit, Shannon confides, “It’s been a
real eye-opener for me to see how Gemfields is trying to give back to the local
community: it’s making a world of difference.”
Before Gemfields introduced formalised mining
operations, the remote Montepuez community had little or no access to healthcare.
Now, two mobile health clinics in Mozambique serve six remote villages of
around 10,000 people.
Gemfields has also created nine farming
associations (two of which are run by women) in Mozambique, providing training
in agricultural techniques such as crop rotation, pest control and conservation
farming as well as teaching the community how to manage these projects
autonomously. The projects are designed to enable individuals to foster a
sustainable livelihood. At the heart of the community is education. Gemfields
has established four schools in Mozambique with a combined capacity of 2,000
students.
The two short films add texture to the
characters portrayed in Gemfields’ latest advertising campaign – the rhino
symbolising conservation projects and the feather sculpture, health painting
and paper sculpture all representing the different types of community projects.
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