The Ratel Trust

The Niassa Carnivore Project is administered by our conservation trust, The Ratel Trust. The Ratel Trust (TRT) is a registered Conservation Trust established in 2004 in Cape Town, South Africa, functioning as a not-for-profit in terms of its constitution. The Trust was established to ensure that donor funds were managed professionally and to facilitate the growth of our projects and employment of staff. Our logo is the honey badger, as we (Keith and Colleen) spent 12 years involved in the research and conservation of honey badgers and honey badgers taught us the value of locally derived solutions based on sound science.

At present, annual financial statements and tax returns are prepared by LPH Chartered Accountants in Cape Town. The Trust is governed by its trust deed and is managed by three Trustees (C. Begg, K. Begg and S. Clark). The main purposes of The Ratel Trust are to promote and further the interests of African wildlife and nature conservation, and to contribute towards the on-going education, skills development and training of beneficiaries.

The Ratel Trust prides itself on transparency, excellent financial reporting and distribution of funds to field programs. We have developed a reputation for our field-based approach underpinned by good science and strong collaboration with local communities and local conservation agencies. We achieve our objectives under difficult logistical conditions.

In 2011,The Ratel Trust successfully tendered for a concession in Niassa Reserve, L5-South which will be the base of NCP and the Environmental Field Centre, managed in partnership with the Mbamba community. In due course we hope to establish a joint venture partnership with an ecotourism operator to ensure ongoing financial returns to the Mbamba community for conservation effort. If you are interested in partnering with us, please contact us at ratel@iafrica.com