In line with its total commitment to the protection of the forest and wildlife in the South Cardamom National park, Bensley Collection Shinta Mani Wild and the Shinta Mani Foundation work tirelessly to fund the team of 8 Wildlife Alliance Rangers and the ranger station at the luxury tented camp, supporting their important mission to protect the 865 acres of national park forest from illegal logging and wildlife poaching.
Wildlife Alliance was founded in 1996 by Suwanna Gauntlett who has dedicated her life to wildlife protection around the world. The partnership between Shinta Mani Wild and Wildlife Alliance is paramount to the camp’s ethos
Some of Cambodia’s, and the world’s most endangered species still call the Cardamom mountains home, including 54 animals on the International Union for Conservation of Nature’s (IUCN) Red List. As the forest cover disappears, so does the wildlife. It will take major conservancy of the tropical forest for these fabulous residents to thrive again, but that is the goal of Shinta Mani Wild and Wildlife Alliance.
A statistics board at the camp shows the number of various items confiscated and animals saved and is updated daily. As of December2020 it includes 3757 snares removed, 10 fires put out, 208 chainsaws, 1,767 pieces of illegal timber and 11 guns confiscated, 423 illegal fences dismantled, 82 turtles and 10 civet cats rescued as well as several other species.
Conservation Calendar
Three important events on the conservation calendar coming up are:
United National General Assembly World Wildlife Day – 3 March
The theme for the United Nations General Assembly World Wildlife Day this year is “Forests and Livelihoods : Sustaining People and Planet” which seeks to shed light on the links between the state of planet’s forests and woodlands and the preservation of the millions of livelihoods that depend directly on them, with particular attention to the traditional knowledge of the communities who have managed forest ecosystems and its wildlife for centuries.
Earth Day – 22 April
The theme for this year’s Earth Day is “Restore Our Earth”. Scientists, non-governmental organizations, business and governments worldwide, are now looking at natural system processes and emerging green technologies to restore the world’s ecosystems and forests, conserve and rebuild soils, improve farming practices, restore wildlife populations and rid the world’s oceans of plastics. www.earthday.org
World Ranger Day – 31 July
While World Ranger Day commemorates the important work these incredible people do, often in remote and challenging locations and pays tribute to those who have lost their lives or been injured in the line of duty. It also celebrates and raises awareness of the essential work they do around the world to protect the planet’s natural treasure and cultural heritage.
Raffle
Last year BENSLEY launched a collection of unique, custom made, bejewelled AND upcycled denim jackets. These are made to order and sell for USD500 the entirety of which BENSLEY donates to Wildlife Alliance. In 2021 BENSLEY has added a second line to their upcycled, sustainable range,
with vintage safari/ scout shirts, reminiscent of those worn by the Wildlife Alliance rangers in the Cardamom forest. These safari shirts are block printed by hand with unique prints, all inspired by a series of watercolor paintings of the Cardamom forest’s rare and endangered species.
The upcycling process for a single shirt saves 2700 litres of water – which is what it takes to grow, manufacture, transport and wash the cotton for just one shirt. That is enough drinking water one person over 900 days! As a passionate environmentalist, Bill would rather use his creativity on unique vintage and upcycled fashion pieces, rather than contributing to the waste created by the fast fashion industry: 85% of all textiles end up in landfills every year, with the equivalent of one garbage truck full of clothes burned or dumped in a landfill every second. Each shirt will sell for USD100, all of which will be donated to Wildlife Alliance.
As a bonus, buyers will also receive 5 raffle tickets for each jacket purchased and 1 raffle ticket for each shirt, to enter into the BENSLEY Collection – World Wildlife Day raffle. There will be only 500 tickets sold, giving a 1 in 500 chance of winning the amazing Grand Prize of a 6-night stay at Bensley Collection hotels in Cambodia for two people– 3 nights in the award-winning all-inclusive Shinta Mani Wild in a Waterfall Tent and 3 nights at Shinta Mani Siem Reap in an exquisite Pool Villa, including breakfast, domestic flights, airport transfers and VIP immigration service.
A second prize will be drawn for 3 nights at Bensley Collection Siem Reap for two people, inclusive of breakfast, airport transfers and VIP immigration service. Prizes are valid for 3 years, to April 22, 2024, subject to availability and excluding the Festive Season and Chinese New Year.
To purchase jackets or shirts, please go to https://www.gofundme.com/f/shinta-mani-foundation
for payment, following which you will receive your virtual raffle ticket(s) and be contacted for details of size/design of jacket or shirt. On receipt of your donation, you will receive a virtual raffle ticket as confirmation of your entry in the draw.
Bill Bensley will do a live draw on IG https://www.instagram.com/billbensley at 8.00pm Thailand time on Earth Day, Thursday 22nd April 2021. Winners will be notified in writing.
Other Unique Fundraising Projects
Two additional projects to raise money for Shinta Mani and Wildlife Alliance are as follows:
Bill’s collaboration with Australian fine jeweller and gemologist Kate McCoy who designed 7 exquisite collections of heirloom jewellery inspired by nature at Shinta Mani Wild. Kate can do live trunk shows by video and securely ships the pieces all over the world.
www.naturestreasury.com.au
Bill’s new and incredible art, bursting with beautiful bold colours, delights forms and often a touch of humour with his trademark story telling. You can view and purchase this directly on https://www.bensley.com/shop/
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