Ian Little

The biologist and senior manager at the Endangered Wildlife Trust (EWT) recently received a Whitley Award in London for his work in grassland conservation in KZN. Known as the “Green Oscars”, winners receive funding of more than half a million rand.

- Suzaan Hauman

Where was your love of nature born?

There’s no particular moment that I can recount. I grew up in the Drakensberg at Cathedral Peak, where my father was a forester. We later moved to Idaho in the US for three years, and returned to live on a farm in the Eastern Cape. I have loved animals and wild places for as long as I can remember.

What exactly do you do?

The EWT works to conserve species and areas that are threatened by irresponsible actions and development, usually driven by greed or ignorance. In order to make people aware of the work that we do, we emphasize that people will suffer without the natural resources that we are trying to protect.

Unfortunately, my current post sees me in the office most of the time. I oversee all of the EWT’s habitat programmes and a typical day revolves around things like fundraising and strategic planning.