Word from the CEO

Yolan Friedmann, CEO

The 2024 Summer Olympics kicked off last week with grand fanfare and excitement, with millions of fans globally clenching thumbs and gritting their teeth as they watch their favourite sportsmen and women and wait for records to tumble. With around 300 000 spectators expected to attend the games in person, Paris is buzzing with people from across the globe and from all walks of life. Against the backdrop of political upheaval, unrest, ongoing global conflict in almost all corners of the world, economic uncertainty and a range of other manmade threats to our own futures, it fills me with a sense of hope and excitement to see fans draped in their national flags filling stadiums, and walking the streets of Paris, as they laugh, cheer, applaud and fiercely promote their national pride but all in a safe, harmonious and respectful manner. It makes me wonder why the rest of our lives and the rest of the time people cannot be like this: human beings competing as we love to do, and defending our national positions and ideologies, but in a way that inspires new generations to be better and aim higher, instead of sacrificing their futures. Humans are capable of great achievements and the Olympics is the best celebration of what focus, commitment, hard work and sacrifice can do. In a world that increasingly looks like it will implode due to the devastation of human impact, our planet can also thrive and flourish if people just focused on the RIGHT stuff.

Amidst the celebration of our sporting heroes this week, came the celebration of another group of individuals who can be likened to being environmental Olympians: champions of the earth and guardians of the voiceless. World Ranger Day on the 31st of July is always an opportunity to pause and give thanks to the brave women and men who risk their lives and dedicate their hearts, minds and bodies every day, to protecting the natural world for all of us. With Africa losing more than 64 rangers in the line of duty in the past year and with their work increasingly requiring a range of skills that qualifies them for a pentathlon event of their own, our rangers deserve cheers and glory and podiums every day of their lives. Today’s rangers need to have environmental knowledge, technical skills, self-defense and paramilitary knowledge and still be educators, community developers, managers and defenders of the weak. The EWT salutes ALL rangers everywhere for protecting our earth.

Our world is full of heroes and focusing on them inspires us all to become better and to do better. I love the Olympics and global celebratory days for this reason, and knowing that the heroes of tomorrow are still in the making, gives me hope for a future where we will all indeed be better humans.

Yolan Friedmann,

CEO, Endangered Wildlife Trust