High Risk, High Reward - 20 years of Conservation Success from the Grumeti Fund in Serengeti

Safari Conversations - the Singita podcast

In the Western corridor of the Serengeti lies a 350,000-acre game reserve that’s been protected by NGO, the Grumeti Fund, for the last 20 years in partnership with the Tanzanian government, creating opportunities for communities too. (It’s also Singita’s amazing conservation partner in Tanzania.)
The landscape was devoid of wildlife when they started to restore it in 2003, with a small team of ex-poachers. It took ten years for the wildlife to bounce back. Now with a team of 165, the challenges are real – climate change, integrity of the landscape, biodiversity loss – and they take the responsibility seriously.
In this episode, Matt Perry, one of the GMs of the Grumeti Fund, talks to our content creator, Ross Couper, about the various ways they conserve the area, anti-poaching efforts, community projects, and strengthening the ecosystem.
20 years ago, you couldn’t imagine a free-roaming population of black rhino within Grumeti. A few years ago, the team (in partnership with the Tanzanian Government) completed a historic black rhino reintroduction - plus a few births. This is a success story for a critically endangered species - the eastern black rhino. The Grumeti Fund can now prove that zoo stock can be used to produce wild Serengeti black rhino.
You’ll also hear about Eric the rhino, whose long and inspiring journey took him from San Diego Zoo to the grasslands of the Serengeti.
The Grumeti Fund embraces technologies like AI and constant research to enhance efficiencies. The canine anti-poaching unit is another success. The team is tackling aggressive alien invasive plants – a very real threat to wildlife and the agriculture of the neighbouring communities. Matt is looking forward to what the future holds in terms of technological innovation.
Matt and Ross discuss the future of conservation, the vision, the data, and the need to meet human-wildlife conflict and partnering with our communities. Matt believes there aren’t any key species missing from this iconic landscape, as they’ve reached ecological integrity in a short time.
Funds are derived from donations from Singita guests, NGOs, and philanthropists seeking to make a difference in Africa. The Grumeti Fund · Projects of the Grumeti Fund in Tanzania · The Grumeti Fund's Community Projects · Download the regional conservation brochure · Donate to the Grumeti Fund · Rhino relocation 2019 · First Eastern Black Rhino born in Western Serengeti, 2020 · Singita website