NO BEATING ABOUT THE BUSH - FINALIST
NAMIBIA

Namibian farmers, once the main threat to the Cheetah population, are now becoming their main protectors

"We've taken a problem and turned it around into a multitude of solutions" Laurie Marker, Cheetah Conservation Fund

Namibia is one of the last refuges of the remaining world Cheetah population. A quarter of all the remaining cats are found in Nambia. It is estimated their numbers globally have declined by over 90% in the last 100 years. A local thorn bush species is invading the savannah in the country, causing over US$90 million each year in lost revenue to Namibian farmers, whilst also destroying the native habitat of the fastest of the cats. Now the Cheetah Conservation Fund has pioneered a scheme to clear the thorn bush and turn it into cheap fuel briquettes. The project is creating jobs at the same time as helping to restore the hunting ground of the endangered cheetah.