SATIB award for Zim lion research

Andrew Loveridge from Oxford University’s Wildlife Conservation Research Unit has won the SATIB Trust Award in recognition of his work in lion biology and supporting conservation in Africa.
This award was created by Brian Courtenay, founder and chairman of SATIB Insurance Brokers and the Ivory Group, to mark the launch of the SATIB Trust. Courtenay is a trustee of the Endangered Wildlife Trust and of Elephants for Africa (a UK charity), and a renowned supporter of conservation work in southern Africa.
He chairs the charitable trust set up by SATIB shareholders to provide a conduit for support for conservation projects in Africa.
SATIB Insurance Brokers and the Ivory Group have for the past 21 years provided risk solutions for the hospitality, tourism, safari and wildlife industries in Southern Africa using long-term underwriting facilities with Lloyd’s of London. During this time they have financed many conservation projects in Africa and will now further these efforts through the SATIB Trust.
Its aims are to support, preserve and protect natural heritage and conservation initiatives.
The award to Loveridge is in recognition for the dedication of the Hwange Lion Research team working in Zimbabwe.
Loveridge is the Kaplan Research Fellow at Lady Margaret Hall, Oxford University, and a member of Wildlife Conservation Research Unit (WildCRU) within the Zoology Department at the university.
He has spent the past 15 years undertaking research on lions and other carnivores in southern Africa. Working with WildCRU’s director, Prof David Macdonald, Loveridge heads the Hwange Lion Project which researches the ecology, behaviour and conservation of the African lion.
The board of directors of the Ivory Group, which is headquartered in Durban, plans to present the award in May to coincide with Indaba, the annual travel and tourism trade show and convention. This year’s award takes the form of a Land Rover Defender.
Courtenay said: “I have for the past 15 years been travelling to Hwange so I know the harsh conditions under which these researchers work. It is for me a great honour to award this Land Rover Defender to Andy for his and the team’s ongoing enthusiasm and dedication.”
The LWB vehicle was specially built to facilitate many hours of observation of lions. It has drop sides, long-range fuel tanks, a GPS system and other features to make it ideal for its purpose.
Accepting the award, Dr Loveridge said: “It is immensely encouraging to have my own and my team’s research and conservation efforts recognised in this way. African lions and most other large carnivores, worldwide, face significant threats to their continued survival in the wild. One of the keys to halting the continued decline of these important species is through the kind of hands-on practical research and conservation undertaken by WildCRU and the Hwange Lion Conservation Project.”
WildCRU director Prof Macdonald commented “WildCRU’s lion work at Hwange is a model for how scientific discoveries can inform policy and change practice, leading to benefits for both wildlife and people. Our work at Hwange has influenced ideas about living alongside predators around the world.
“Andy Loveridge’s dedication to lion conservation has been immense, and WildCRU is proud of his achievements and this richly deserved prize”.