Conservation Action Trust

Logistical Aerial Support for Conservation

Gilman International Conservation (GIC) is a founding member of the Conservation Action Trust (CAT), formed in 2005, whose mission is to provide air support services to conservation projects in Central and East Africa. Many species related conservation projects in these regions depend upon aerial support services to aid them in their work.  The cost of purchasing and maintaining a plane, or leasing a pilot and plane, is often prohibitive for these projects.  The aerial services required by projects often include equipment transport, field and site reconnaissance, wildlife population monitoring and surveys, and ecological research. Few, if any, commercial flying organizations have the necessary personnel, equipment, or experience with bush flying and conservation project related aerial support. 

GIC provided funds for CAT to purchase a fixed wing aircraft (Piper Super Cub, PA-18) that was specifically outfitted for conservation related activities by Patty Wagstaff, an aerobatic pilot who helps train pilots from the Kenya Wildlife Service.  This plane is available through CAT to qualified conservation projects, for the cost of operating and maintaining the aircraft.  The intent of the CAT program is to facilitate conservation research and activities in the region and promote information gathering for species based projects.   The CAT aircraft use and liaison with conservation projects is organized through the GIC offices in Nairobi.

CAT Trustees

Kes Smith, Fraser Smith, Alan Root, John Lukas

CAT Activities

• The CAT Super Cub is Kenyan registered and insured with Africa Insurance with current named pilots, Fraser Smith, Kes Smith, and Andrew Francombe.
• The provision of aerial support for the Selous Black Rhino Project currently employs the CAT plane, operated by Fraser Smith, the Project’s Technical Director.  The project surveys and monitors the population of eastern black rhino in the northern and southern sectors of the park, and is funded by GIC and the International Rhino Foundation.
• A short project utilized the plane in Naivasha, Kenya to assist Save the Elephants Trust in 2005.
• The plane has been used for aerial lion and wild dog radio tracking for Mpala Ranch carnivore studies lead by Rosie Woodruff, and flown by A. Francombe, on the Laikipia plain in northern Kenya.
• An aerial survey for northern white rhinos in the Garamba National Park in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, was conducted in 2006 and the CAT plane was hired by African Parks Foundation and flown by Andrew Francombe.