Welcome back to the first of our Newsletters for 2003, and welcome aboard to all our new members.
We wish we could promise all our volunteer pilots that there would be a mission for them to fly this year but it doesn’t work that way. Some of you will have to be patient with us and wait. Oddly enough, it is not a lack of pilots that is our problem; it is the fact that not enough people realize that they can send in a flight request – see our web site forms – when they have a genuine environmental or conservation problem that could benefit from an aerial perspective. These requests are then carefully vetted to make sure that they conform to all our criteria before they are accepted as missions and the word put out that we need volunteers.
We are in the process of sending out letters offering our services to certain Govt. Departments, Provinces, Municipalities, Parks, Reserves and NGOs so we do envisage more flying. But it is really by word of mouth that the real objectives of The Bateleurs can be achieved. So please help us spread our message and encourage people to call us for help.
Fly Safely
Nora |
| | Admiralty Reserve Report Back - Cathy Kay (WESSA) |
 Micro Light pilot Steve McCurrach flew Cathy Kay, WESSA’s National Director Conservation, and 50/50 over the Admiralty Reserve to document the encroachment into the Reserve by private property owners. This mission had some very tangible results and we are very proud to have been instrumental in them. We apologise for the quality of the pictures but they certainly show what they are meant to. Here, as promised last year, is Kathy’s report to The Bateleurs:
Click here for more... |
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| | Thank you from Antoine Bossel - ADAP Lubombo Fly over | ADAP is really grateful for The Bateleur's contribution. The observations mentioned above would have not been possible without the work of the Bateleurs. After watching the film of the fly, ADAP and community members felt that their work were useful and should carry one with more intensive investment. This feeling is very important as the Mozambican context is sometimes hard and disappointing. This film will also certainly have a good effect on ADAP's donators.
- Antoine Bossel
Click here for more... |
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| | READ ABOUT THE BATELEURS IN THE AFRICAN PILOT |
Mark Bows - one of our Maputo Elephant Reserve Microlight pilots wrote a wonderful article for the African Pilot magazine - A purpose to fly The Bateleurs. See the latest edition - See their website for more details - www.africanpilot.co.za |
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| TRANSFRONTIER PARK REPORT BACK- JOE HOLMES
 On 27 May 1990, Dr Anton Rupert, the President of WWF- World Wide Fund for Nature (South Africa) met with Mozambique's President Joaquim Chissano to discuss the possibility of a permanent link being established between some of the protected areas in southern Mozambique and their adjacent counterparts in South Africa, Swaziland and Zimbabwe.
If successfully implemented, it would create the worlds greatest animal kingdom. The World Conservation Union (IUCN) had also long been promoting the establishment of Transfrontier Conservation Areas (TFCAs) or "peace parks" because of the many benefits associated with them. TFCAs are defined as relatively large protected areas, which straddle international frontiers between two or more countries and cover large-scale natural systems encompassing one or more protected areas.
Very often both human and animal populations traditionally migrated across or straddled the political boundaries concerned and their reality had to be addressed.
CLICK HERE | BRITS REPORT BACK - Andrie Loubser
 The Bateleurs have flown two missions with Andrie Loubser and the Brits Brokenveld Conservation Forum. The 2001 mission was flown by James Hersov and the 2002 mission by Ivan Tockar. Observing and photographing the same area after a year's interval allows for very little dispute of the evidence. Andrie wrote: "By using the pictures taken in 2001 and taking photos again in 2002 we were able to see the vast increase of environmental destruction of a sensitive bio diverse area." - See the full report...
CLICK HERE | 4 DAY COASTAL CIRCUMNAVIAGTION OF SA
James Hersov, Bateleur Director and pilot, together with SAA pilot Mark Moses just last week completed a most amazing flight in James' C210 ZS-LKY - a 4-day /3 night coastal circumnavigation of South Africa. Although not a Bateleur mission per se, James looked at the land from a Bateleurs' perspective and sent us this report, which we greatly appreciate and wish to share with you...
CLICK HERE | |
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