Save the Rhino Trust Namibia

What Save the Rhino Trust Namibia does

Save the Rhino Trust Namibia (SRT) is a nonprofit conservation organization founded in 1982 and headquartered in Swakopmund, Namibia, mandated by the Namibian Ministry of Environment, Forestry and Tourism to monitor and conduct research on desert-adapted black rhinos in the Kunene and northern Erongo regions. SRT operates across approximately 25,000 km² of communal land spanning 13 conservancies, deploying 43 staff and 60 community rhino rangers for foot-based anti-poaching patrols in a non-fenced, non-national-park environment. The organization maintains the longest-running photographic and life-history database on black rhinos globally and has produced approximately 20 peer-reviewed scientific publications since 1982.

SRT's core offering is participatory rhino monitoring and security, complemented by a community ranger incentive programme that creates local economic benefits through eco-tourism on conservancy lands. In 2023, SRT launched the Rhino Guardianship Certificate, a blockchain-verified performance-based financing product co-developed with Cape Town-based tech firm Wadappt, which links donor funding directly to verified ranger field days, rhino sightings, and foot kilometers.

SRT's revenue model is donation- and grant-based, drawing on individual donors, charitable foundations (TUSK Conservation, Save the Rhino International, David Shepherd Wildlife Foundation), institutional grants (USAID Combatting Wildlife Crime Program, The Nature Conservancy), and corporate partners (B2Gold, Diamonds International, Ultimate Safaris). Distribution occurs through traditional grant channels, a JustGiving donation platform, and the new blockchain-verified certificate programme sold globally via Wadappt. Eco-tourism revenue-sharing with conservancies provides a complementary livelihood-linked income stream for local communities.

Name

Save the Rhino Trust Namibia

Legal name

Save the Rhino Trust Namibia

Website

https://savetherhinotrust.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1982

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Save the Rhino Trust Namibia is a nonprofit, government-mandated conservation organization founded in 1982 that protects the world's last free-roaming desert-adapted black rhinos across 25,000 km² in northwestern Namibia through community-based monitoring, anti-poaching patrols, and blockchain-verified performance-based donor certificates.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Wildlife Conservation Services

NAICS

Environment, Conservation and Wildlife Organizations (813312)

akta.pro primary industry

Wildlife Conservation & Species Protection (BPAGAGAB)

akta.pro secondary industry

Animal Cruelty Prevention, Investigation & Humane Law Enforcement (BPAGAIAG)

Keywords

• Wildlife conservation services
• Rhino population monitoring
• Anti-poaching patrol services
• Community-based conservation
• Performance-based conservation financing

Headquarters

HQ city

Swakopmund

HQ country

Namibia

HQ region

Africa

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Charitable Donations & Grants: SRT receives funding from individual donors, charitable foundations, and institutional donors including TUSK Conservation, Save the Rhino International, USAID, The Nature Conservancy, and David Shepherd Wildlife Foundation.
2. Rhino Guardianship Certificates: Performance-based certificates purchased by donors that are directly linked to verified ranger field data. This innovative financing solution connects funders directly to grassroots conservation efforts.
3. Corporate Partnerships: Corporate partners including B2Gold (Gold Bar Initiative), Diamonds International, Ultimate Safaris provide funding and support for conservation operations.
4. Eco-tourism Revenue Sharing: Benefits through sustainable eco-tourism on community land, providing livelihood opportunities and incentives for local people to improve conservation measures.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

Save the Rhino Trust Namibia monitors and protects the world's last free-roaming population of desert-adapted black rhinos across 25,000 km² of communal lands in northwestern Namibia through community-based ranger patrols and field tracking. The organization sells performance-based Rhino Guardianship Certificates, using blockchain-type technology to verify ranger field data and link conservation outcomes directly to donor funding, and produces peer-reviewed scientific research on rhino ecology spanning four decades.

Product overview

Save the Rhino Trust Namibia operates a unified conservation platform centered on black rhino protection in northwestern Namibia. The core offering consists of participatory rhino monitoring and anti-poaching patrols conducted by local community trackers and rangers across communal lands. A flagship innovation is the Rhino Guardianship Certificate, a performance-based financing product using blockchain-verified data to link conservation outcomes directly to funding. Supporting offerings include peer-reviewed scientific research spanning four decades, community ranger incentive programs, and educational resources on black rhino conservation.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Black Rhino Conservation Monitoring Continuous monitoring and protection of critically endangered desert-adapted black rhinos on communal lands in northern Namibia through foot patrols by local community trackers and rangers, supported by the longest-running photographic and life-history database of black rhinos since 1982.
• Rhino Guardianship Certificate A performance-based certificate using blockchain-type technology that links donor funds directly to verified ranger field data. Certificates guarantee that field days, rhino sightings, and foot kilometers actually occurred, shifting conservation funding toward direct reimbursement for verified conservation performance.

Quantifiable outcome

• 80% reduction in poaching rates over the past five years, with over two years of no rhino poaching in operational areas
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers2 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• TUSK ConservationcoreGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 January 2008TUSK has been a proud supporter of SRT since 2008, supporting patrol rangers, salaries, equipment and operating costs. TUSK Conservation Awards helped recognize SRT CEO with the Prince William Lifetime Achievement Award in 2021.
• David Shepherd Wildlife FoundationcoreGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 January 1994DSWF has enjoyed a fantastic partnership with SRT since 1994. SRT's ground-breaking work protecting critically endangered black rhinos has been instrumental in bringing the population back from the brink of extinction.
• Save the Rhino InternationalcoreGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 January 1990Save the Rhino International has proudly supported SRT since their formation in the early 1990s. Throughout challenges including the poaching crisis and extreme droughts, SRT has remained committed to its core mission of protecting free-roaming black rhinos.
• The Nature Conservancy (TNC)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAs a supporter for over a decade, TNC has witnessed SRT's incredible impact in empowering local communities, supporting community conservancies, and protecting the largest and thriving population of free-roaming black rhinos in Africa.
• B2GoldminorGTM or Marketing PartnerB2Gold's Gold Bar Initiative supports SRT's conservation efforts. B2Gold is a mining company with responsible mining practices including a rhino conservation programme.
• WadapptcoreTechnology or IntegrationWorking with Wadappt, a Cape Town-based tech firm, SRT developed the innovative Rhino Guardianship Certificate - a first-of-its-kind performance-based certificate using blockchain-type technology to verify conservation data.
• Ministry of Environment, Forestry and Tourism (MEFT)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSRT is mandated by the Namibian Government to monitor and conduct research on Black Rhinos in northwestern Namibia. Works in close collaboration with MEFT on population assessments and conservation strategies.
• Namibian Conservancy CommunitiescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSRT works with 13 conservancies spanning 25,000 km², employing 60 community rhino rangers. Local communities benefit from eco-tourism and conservation incentives, creating ownership and pride in protecting rhinos.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Ol Pejeta Conservancy: Kenya-based conservancy home to the largest black rhino sanctuary in East Africa. Comparable in combining community ranger programs, rhino monitoring, and eco-tourism revenue to fund protection of a critically endangered rhino population.
• Save the Rhino International: UK-based sister organization that has been a core GTM/marketing partner of SRT since the early 1990s, funding rhino conservation globally. Directly comparable mission, donor base, and species focus, making it the closest peer in the rhino conservation ecosystem.
• International Rhino Foundation: US-based nonprofit dedicated to rhino conservation across all five species globally. Operates field programs similar to SRT in Africa and Asia with comparable community-based anti-poaching and monitoring models, making it a strong direct peer.

Broad incumbents

• Peace Parks Foundation: Southern African transfrontier conservation organization working on cross-border wildlife corridors. Comparable as a regional rhino and wildlife protection actor that integrates community livelihoods, though it operates at a larger geographic scale than SRT.
• Wildlife Conservation Society: US-headquartered global conservation organization with field programs in rhino range states including anti-poaching and wildlife monitoring work. Comparable as a professional peer in applied rhino conservation science and ranger program design.
• African Wildlife Foundation: Pan-African conservation organization running landscape-level wildlife programs including anti-poaching and community conservation across multiple range states. Broader scope than SRT but overlaps on community-based rhino and wildlife protection models.
• WWF Namibia / World Wildlife Fund: Global conservation giant with active rhino and community-based natural resource management programs across Namibia and southern Africa. Overlaps with SRT on anti-poaching, ranger support, and rhino range protection but operates a much broader portfolio.

Others

• Tusk Conservation: UK-based conservation nonprofit that has been a core long-term donor and GTM partner to SRT since 2008, and operates the Prince William Conservation Awards. Functionally a peer organization in raising and channeling funds to African conservation programs.
• TRAFFIC (WWF/IUCN wildlife trade program): Global wildlife trade monitoring network addressing illegal trade in rhinos and rhino horn. Indirectly comparable as part of the ecosystem that enables SRT's anti-poaching work to translate into longer-term species recovery.

Regional players

• SANParks (South African National Parks): Government agency managing South Africa's national parks with major black and white rhino populations and strong anti-poaching programs. Comparable in rhino protection mandate but operates in a different national jurisdiction with formal park boundaries rather than communal lands.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/SaveTheRhinoTrust
• Instagraminstagram.com/savetherhinonamibia
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/save-the-rhino-trust-namibia

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Save the Rhino Trust Namibia