GAFI Makes a Difference

Evaluation

Achievement 2005

• GAFI obtained 19 wildlife documentaries and one commercial film from international broadcasters and award-winning independent producers
• All original master tapes were donated for free
• Films are in French, English and Bahasa
• A total of 242 copies of films have so far been distributed
• Legal contracts were negotiated to permit screening of GAFI films to millions of people via national television, local communities, wildlife centres, ranger colleges, wildlife management colleges, university students, ministers in government, decision-makers.
• Ministers in Congo and Cameroon have seen sections of the films. A newly created 5 minute film is being prepared for specific screening to the President of Indonesia
• Potentially 20 million people have seen the films so far (figures based on 2003 figures in Television Business International Yearbook)
• 15 NGOs are currently GAFI partners
• 12 countries have received GAFI films
• 863 people in Sumatra have completed monitoring questionnaires
• GAFI created a screening through a roadshow in Indonesia in conjunction with NGOs
• GAFI has created a monitoring system to enable the development of research into the effectiveness of screening conservation films
• A data projector was donated by GAFI to Limbe Wildlife Centre to enable staff to travel to remote regions and screen GAFI films
• GAFI has a given public talk at two major festivals
• GAFI has given a conservation based talk to European Space Agency
• GAFI has been acknowledged as a contribution to great apes conservation at the Kinshasa Inter Governmental Meeting in Kinshasa
• GAFI has been mentioned in the World Atlas of Great Apes and their Conservation

In 2005 The Sumatran Orangutan Society-Orangutan Information Centre (SOS-OIC) implemented an environmental awareness campaign road show using the conservation documentary “Losing Tomorrow” as part of its education division programme in North Sumatra, Indonesia. This was a major achievement for GAFI - click here to download the full report (PDF file 770kb)

Quotes regarding GAFI

Eric Blencowe, Head, Zoos and International Species Conservation, DEFRA, UK Government
"I was most impressed both by the concept behind this proposal, and with the way in which it was pursued to best conservation and business effect. Using top-quality wildlife films on great apes for circulation to those who most need to see them: local communities, land-owners; industry and governments of range states, together with obtaining the right to show these films free of further charge by their producers, was in effect a novel and ground-breaking initiative.

The UK Government, through the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, considered the request for funding last year from GAFI, and reviewed the objectives carefully. I consider that the outcomes of the first stage of this project have exceeded expectations, and the comprehensive report the project’s progress thus far bears witness to this. The next stages of the project, at this point in particular extending the circulation to actual and potential palm-oil communities in South-east Asia, promises to be potentially even more effective in educating millions of people in indigenous communities of the value of their biodiversity and the need for its conservation, while ensuring they have alternatives for livelihood security. . We would encourage other potential donors, including donor Governments and NGOs, to recognise the value of GAFI and provide further support, all of which would be used to extend more widely the scope of the project to people who would otherwise be much more difficult to engage on these issues."

Ian Redmond, chief consultant, Great Apes, United Nations Environmental Project
"I have personally delivered many of the tapes produced by GAFI to ape range states and the reports produced by GAFI cannot convey the level of excitement with which they are received. The donation of transmission rights are considered a momentous gift. Preliminary audience figures of 31.5 million in parts of Africa really show the power of the GAFI concept, but there is so much more to achieve and it is vital that this unique project is able to continue its success into Indonesia and Malaysia.

Those who are in a position to watch television are likely to include decision-makers, purchasers of illegal pet trade or may even be employees of illegal logging companies or oil palm workers who have so far not recognised the value of keeping orangutans alive. Hence, even in the sort-term GAFI has the potential to have a significant conservation impact. And as for the long-term; who knows if one of the kids watching these programmes will be inspired to become an Indonesian Jane Goodall or David Attenborough."

Richard Brock: World Atlas of Great Apes and their Conservation
“One way forward is to take film production into communities, making relevant films for local audiences that would help them to explore and value their own wildlife, and make a tangible impact on attitudes on the ground. Important progress was made in early 2005 when the first batch of 11 award-winning programmes on the great apes, donated to Great Apes Film Initiative by BBC Worldwide and Granada International, were taken to Congo Brazzaville for local showings there and in Cameroon”.

Broadcaster: Brian Leith , ex-Head of Granada Wild
“Granada Wild and Granada International are thrilled to be part of this bold initiative. If our programmes about the great apes can be shown in the countries where they were filmed - and if this builds support for conservation locally, where it matters most - then our filmmaking will have been especially worthwhile. It’s good for films to entertain and inform - but even better if they can actively help to protect precious places and species.”

Neil Nightingale, Head of Natural History BBC:
"Wildlife television programmes have the power to inspire people about wonders of the natural world and their value to humanity. They have had a major impact worldwide in raising awareness of the issues that face nature. However, local communities in developing nations, who often live alongside some of the most endangered habitats and species, do not have easy access to such programmes about the wildlife that surrounds them. GAFI is addressing this issue with effective and trusted distribution of wildlife programmes to such communities through local NGOs, broadcasters and other organisations. I am confident this will create broader awareness of the nature of the great apes, their value and the need for their conservation in the countries they live in. The BBC Natural History Unit and BBC Worldwide are delighted to be a part of this important initiative and look forward to working with GAFI in the future to achieve an even broader distribution of these programmes to local communities in the great ape range states.”

Congo Government Focal Point, GRASP Dr Ankara
“Je peux que vous remercier de votre don de films faite à la television nationale du congo et je vous dit que ses films sont beaucoup suivis par les auditeurs congolais et ses films ont été projecter lors du sommet des chefs d'Etats . Je peux que vous remercier encore et nous attendons d'autres films de ce genres sur les grands singes .Je vous souhaite bonne santé et bon travail”

Some of GAFI’s projects

Limbe Wildlife Centre, Cameroon

GAFI supplies films for the education and outreach programme. In 2005 GAFI also supplied a data projector to enable the education programme to be taken out to the villages and shown in situ.

LWC is still running an active education program; we have just completed our first trimester (Oct - Dec) of our new academic year. During this trimester we have held weekly Nature's Club meetings at the LWC. These clubs have 50 registered students who attend weekly lectures, video presentations and field trips. We have also run an active schools outreach program this trimester, visiting 4 schools every fortnight. The schools are in the Mount Cameroon ecosystem and are too far from the LWC for the students to visit here, so we visit them.
Our team organises the fortnightly club, registers pupils, delivers lectures, discussion groups, video presentations, and at the end of term we paid for all the students to visit the LWC. Next term we shall be selecting 4 more schools, and the Natures Club will continue.
In April we hope to have a community outreach programme whereby our team goes on the road for 3 weeks and visits different villages around the Mount Cameroon district each day, speaking to bush meat hunters, forming hunters' associations, delivering our conservation message etc.
In August we held and will hold again our 3 x 3day annual Holiday Workshops for primary, secondary and tertiary students at the LWC.

Jane Goodall Institute - Ngamba Island - Uganda

We have field education centres in the forests where there are chimps. We bring school groups during the week and on weekends we have community groups coming to visit. We would use them for this. We are also trying to find funding to visit schools on a regular basis in the west to schools that cannot reach the centres, so we would use them for this.
School classrooms are usually 50-100 kids per classroom..about the same in the field centres with the communities and less when we bring the classes. Films are shown both at the field centres and in classrooms.

JGI Tchimpounga - Congo Brazzaville

We intend to show the video to a very wide audience:
• In first place, to all project staff to keep work within context.
• Secondly, to the kids participating in PLANET, notably the future Roots and Shoots members. We also intend to show the video within the activities of our bushmeat project touching kids, parents and bushmeat sellers.
• Thirdly we intend to show the video in Tchimpounga village schools, in the framework of the bushmeat project in Tchimpounga touching 300 people and any time we want them to watch a film.
• Fourthly, we have some cooperating agreements with local TV stations. If we lend them the tape they will broadcast it for us primetime, several times.
• Fifthly, if we find the films educational enough, the right content and length, we will include them as part of the informal education materials that compose our package used before kids go to Tchimpounga for an excursion.
• Finally the videos will be available permanently in our office for visitors and it will be playing quite often in the waiting room where we have a TV. The French cultural centre has also agreed to show for free the film and to do an open door day.

All together in a single year these are the viewing figures:
Workers. 70 people
Villages: 200 people
R&S: 100 kids
Bushmeat: 30 bushmeat sellers
PLANET Schools in Pointe Noire: 7.000 kids
Local TV: 100,000-200,000 viewers
National TV: 1 million viewers

JGI Tanzania -Gombe

1. We would show the films to:-
a) Adults from the villages supported by TACARE project, being 26 villages in the area around Gombe (namely the Greater Gombe Ecosystem). These are chiefly farmers, fishermen, and the women of the family who as we know have a lot of dependence on the natural environment by cultivation, wood-cutting, and collecting water.
b) Schoolchildren from the Roots and Shoots groups in the Kigoma area.
c) Refugee schoolchildren from the Roots and Shoots groups in Lugufu Refugee Camp,
d) Possibly professional colleagues, or groups visiting JGI, from abroad.

2. Audiences:
a) We'd expect 15-30 people at each showing, in some cases up to 100.
b) Initially they would all be shown to groups visiting our Education Centre in Kigoma,
but within the year we would also hope to be able to reach out for showings in the villages.

The Gorilla Organization (formally known as Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund Europe)

In September The Gorilla Organization received copies of 7 BBC programmes in English in DVD format for use in Uganda as part of the Great Apes Film Initiative. On 15th September, I introduced the idea of the GAFI to a group of influential people at a small reception in Kampala, where we showed edited highlights from the programmes, using a large screen digital projector. I also used the occasion to train The Gorilla Organization's Kampala staff, Operations Manager Joyce Kigozi and Logistician Patrice Basha, how to set-up up the equipment and present the programmes. The films were extremely well received by the guests and many suggestions were made as to where to go next. One request, from the head of the Uganda Wildlife Authority, Moses Mapessa, was to ask if Cousins, in particular, could be shown on public broadcast television in Uganda. We have since heard from the broadcaster that they would be very happy to screen the programmes on PBS and give added value by promoting them through discussion slots, talk shows and news items.

In October Joyce and Patrice showed the programmes to the head of Wildlife Clubs of Uganda (WCU), one of east Africa's oldest conservation organisations, with branches in most of the schools in Uganda. WCU is a partner with the The Gorilla Organization in other projects so the common ground was there from the start. Together they agreed to use WCU to make inroads into the schools.
In November a planned event for 200 children at the Speke Resort, on Lake Victoria, had to be postponed for a few more weeks, but a second event, for 80 schoolchildren from five schools, held at the Uganda Wildlife Education Centre in Entebbe was a roaring success. UWEC is one of the region's busiest attractions for families and schools. WCU is very keen to do more, as is UWEC.

At the same time, the Association of Uganda Tour Operators (AUTO) has asked for a special screening for its members in January, and our own Resource Centre Managers in Rwanda and DRC are asking when they can use the programmes too.

Although the initiative is still in its early days in Uganda, my feeling in general is that the GAFI could be very big here, both in Uganda and in the region.

Kibale Community Fuel Wood Project, Uganda

The centerpiece of the Kibale Community Fuel Wood Project's education outreach will be a travelling movie show. As an international environmental treasure, Uganda's national parks have been featured in numerous films. These educational films documenting will be shown through a simple projection device. This will allow large audiences to view films that have made their country famous. People whose only encounters with wildlife have been crop raiding will be afforded a new way to view nature. General East African nature films have been acquired, as well as two films focusing on apes, but we would really like to highlight apes more, as they are such key members of the Kibale ecosystem, and because their charisma (visible through film) could make a big difference in the way they are viewed by locals living around the park.