CONSERVATION THROUGH UTILISATION

AGRED represents the indigenous gamebirds, the bird-shooting fraternity, wildlife conservation interests, and the land.

The AGRED Mission: “AGRED’s guiding principle is to perpetuate the natural African heritage through sustainable utilisation of gamebirds in a manner that benefits rural communities and the sport of shooting, while meeting the highest standards of conservation management.”

AGRED is privately funded, and is southern Africa’s premier gamebird and gamebird habitat management organisation.

AGRED proposes and funds scientific research, upon which it bases all of its policies and advisory services.

Although southern African orientated, AGRED’s objectives and policies are universally relevant and it is envisaged that partnerships will be entered into across the whole of Africa.

AGRED's objectives

AGRED’s key long-term objective is to restore and maintain the habitat and biodiversity of agricultural land in South Africa, optimally populated with its full complement of flora and fauna.

AGRED concentrates it's efforts on gamebirds because:

* Gamebirds offer the ability to generate environmental, social and financial benefits on a mutual basis to benefactors and beneficiaries.

* If gamebirds are flourishing, it is a sign of a healthy environment. Gamebirds occupy a position in ecological systems that ensure the wellbeing of a wide spectrum of floral and faunal species when they themselves prosper.

* Africa has an abundance and variety of wild gamebird species that far exceeds any other area of the planet thus attracting international interest that is both scientific and recreational.

* African gamebird habitat is largely in good condition, making scientific research and the application of management programmes worthwhile.

Policies

AGRED's policies are essentially determined by its Mission. In pursuit of this objective, certain guidelines or policies are employed to determine how we spend our time and utilise our financial and human resources. In summary these are:

* To avoid duplication of effort or expenditure by utilising existing research and working with other organisations.

* To concentrate on scientific research that will produce practical management programmes that are capable of being implemented.

* To improve environmental quality in Africa on farming land through the application of management techniques based on sound scientific research. 

* Research will be undertaken in order to create or extend habitat suitable for indigenous game birds and other wildlife.

* AGRED builds research into land management practices for indigenous African Wildlife that are symbiotic with conventional agricultural land use This is in line with Nelson Mandela's Rural Development Programme which is aimed at stimulating rural economy.
 
* AGRED strives to make gamebird and wildlife production economically effective. The concept and practice of utilizing indigenous fauna and flora as a sustainable economic resource provides additional income supplementary to that obtained from conventional forms of agricultural land use. This is in line with the policies adopted by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO).
 
* AGRED is able to provide relevant information and management options to the landowner/lessee on how to farm with fauna and flora and how to make these productive, profitable and sustainable. By giving farmers and rural communities compelling incentives to look after the natural habitat and wildlife on their land, their commitment to conservation is increased.
 
* AGRED aims to create value on farms by assisting farmers to introduce ecotourism to their land. Farmers in turn have shown that they constantly expand this system by encouraging their neighbours to participate.