Protecting the world’s wildest places

Our Mission

Each year NUII is committed to supporting biodiversity projects in wild places where we can make a real difference to the lives of people, wildlife and the environment. We do this because wild places are a huge source of inspiration for us and it’s important to us that we give back in some way. We have chosen wildark.org as our partner to help us on our journey.

The Nuii PEACE Project in Namibia

There are only 150-200 desert dwelling elephants left in Namibia, making them critically endangered. Both the elephants and the local community are in need of water to survive, this can result in human-elephant conflict.

What we are doing

Our NUII P.E.A.C.E project (People & Elephants Amicably Co-Existing) will enable communities to learn about how to stay safe around elephants by building an elephant conservation education centre run by Elephant Human Relations Aid. Here schools, communities, elephant guards and field guides can learn all about elephant behaviour and how to protect themselves and their livelihoods during an encounter.

We are also installing 40 x Solar Water Pumps to increase FREE access to water for both the community and the elephants. Watch the films below to find out exactly how we will be making a difference.

The mission so far

  • THE EDUCATION CENTRE IS COMPLETE!

    Take a look at the great work EHRA are already doing here. A massive thank you to Wild Ark and EHRA for all their support on this important project.

  • Desert elephants of Namibia are critically endangered

    Desert-elephants have learnt to survive in one of the world’s most arid environments. The Northern Erongo and Southern Kunene regions of Namibia receive just 50-150mm of rainfall annually. These elephants are known to travel great distances in search of water. Unfortunately, they can smell water on communal land and will enter villages in search of water. This can endanger lives and leave communities without water for years. In retaliation, people call on the government to shoot the elephants. Our partners WildArk and EHRA, believe there is another way. Watch to find out more.

  • A community learning to live together with the elephants

    In order to help mitigate human-elephant conflict in the region, the NUII Peace Project is building an Elephant-Focussed Conservation Education Centre where communities can come to learn about how to stay safe during elephant encounters. Here, people will learn the skills they need to protect themselves and their livelihoods during elephant encounters, empowering communities to live peacefully with desert-elephants. Watch the film to find out more.

  • 40 x solar powered water pumps to allow water for all

    Education and water assistance go hand in hand which is why we are installing 40 solar powered, water pumps within local villages so that communities have free access to water, without having to purchase fuel to operate diesel pumps. This means that when elephants drink water from a waterpoint within a village, it doesn’t come at a cost to the community. Watch the film to find out more.

  • Reducing the fear of elephants through education

    The #NUIIPEACEPROJECT is in full swing and the education centre build is underway in Namibia!

    Find out about the important workshops that will happen here, and listen to the @ehranamibia team on why this place is so crucial to their work in human-elephant conflict mitigation. #NUIIPEACEPROJECT @wild.ark.

NUII is a proud supporter of the WILDARK 100 which is a scientifically proven list of 100 threatened species, and 50 global priority ecosystems, that will help prioritise global conservation efforts. By adequately protecting, restoring or managing these 100 species in 50 ecoregions, the flow on effect is the protection of the biodiversity that exists around them. In other words, if we look after them, they will look after the rest.