Editor’s Note: Call to Earth is a CNN-edited series that, together with solutions, addresses the environmental challenges facing our planet. Rolex’s Permanent Planet Initiative is partnering with CNN to promote awareness and education on key sustainability issues and encourage positive action. Wildlife photographer and conservationist Chris Farrows is a call to the guest editors of Earth.
Almost 25 years ago, the area was a hot spot for predators when Chris Fallows took a famous photo of a great white shark violating the surface in Fale Bay off Cape Town.
Between 2000 and 2015, the research study identified approximately 1.64 shark sightings per hour in the area. About 15 years later, sightings began to decline, and by the second half of 2018, Great White had completely disappeared from the fake bay.
Some researchers accuse the shark of decaying predatory killer whales, suggesting that they simply fled, while others, including Fairoux, point to human behavior, such as overfishing and the use of shark nets.
Whatever the reason, for fallow, the loss was personal.
“(My wife and I) wouldn’t have fought so hard to save those animals,” said Fairou, whose wife, Monique, travels the world filming wildlife. “We will truly shed blood, sweat, tears, chase poachers on boats, sign petitions on a large number of people, force the government to take into account the massive pressure (sharks) that are under them.”
Beyond the lens with photographer Chris Farrows
“You can’t own the ocean, but you can own the land.”
When they were unable to save the great white people, they decided to focus their attention on the conservation of the dry land. “You can’t own the ocean, but you can own the land,” Fallows said. “We can control what happens on the land and make sure it has the highest ecological and biological interest in these environments.”
Using a portion of the proceeds from his art photograph sales, he purchased about 25 hectares (61 acres) of land at the Western Bank of the Breed River in Cape Infanta on the southern coast of South Africa.
A team of experts was hired to clear alien tree seeds that took over the land, including acacia, introduced from Australia to South Africa in the 19th and 20th centuries.
“We couldn’t believe anything would grow where the aliens were, but slowly the pioneer species began to appear,” Fallows said. “These then fixed the nitrogen into the soil and other indigenous species began to appear.”
Today, he says the property is unrecognizable. Where acacia stood is thriving wildlife, such as thriving natural fimbo, or native Shurabrand vegetation, and incredible wildlife, such as antelopes such as vegetation-eating bushbucks, Eland, Duika, and Cape Greasebok.
“I have baboons, caracals, honey badgers and even the occasional leopard as predators,” he said. “We have a variety of reptiles and incredible birds, including the Eagle Owl, Jackal Buzzard, Kestrel, Harrier, Falcon.
“Simply put, our wealth lives on what we should be here.”
Inspired by the transformation, nearby landowners quickly began doing the same, expanding their preserved land to approximately 1,500 hectares (3,706 acres).
Fallows are currently in the process of purchasing 10,000 hectares (24,710 acres) of property in Namibia, and are once again funded through photo sales.
Once the area is rehabilitated, they hope to work with neighbors and local organizations to cover perhaps nearly 2 million hectares (about 5 million acres) when it becomes one of Africa’s largest privately owned wildlife sanctuaries.
“The vision is to create these huge, unbroken corridors that allow for the natural movement of animals,” Fallows said.
The plan is to ultimately merge with four other conservation environments, including the Fish River Canyon in southern Namibia. There, an initiative has already taken shape to create the world’s largest black rhinoceros sanctuary.
Fallows recognize that it is a big job, but said it will become a “dream.”
“If we can work together in our lives to get it right… we can bring back the charismatic wildlife that was in the area… like cheetahs, black rhinoceros, we can increase the numbers of brown hyenas,” he added.
However, the ultimate goal of Fallows is to see lions and desert elephants again in the area.
“The feeling of being able to help these animals and restore the environment is valuable,” he said. “You can get in touch with nature, you can see the rebound and all the rewards that come with it.
