## The Pangolin Project CIO Trustees’ Annual Report – March 2023 April 2024
## **Summary**
The Pangolin Project CIO was established as a UK charity in 2020 to support the work of The Pangolin Project in Kenya. The Pangolin Project Kenya (TPP) is a company limited by guarantee which is dedicated to the conservation of Pangolin in Kenya and the habitat on which they depend. Pangolin are a critically endangered species. They are famously the most trafficked wild mammal in the world. They are traded illicitly for their scales and their meat, the main destination for such trade being China where the scales are used in traditional medicine.
There are eight species of Pangolin in the world. They are found across Southeast Asia and Africa. They eat only ants and termites and rely on a wide range of ant and termite species to meet their needs. Ants and termites are essential to ecosystem health as they recycle plant matter and biomass creating healthy soils that are essential for tree growth and forest health. Pangolin are considered as an indicator species – their presence is a measure of the health of an ecosystem.
Initially TPP Kenya was involved in work with Temminck’s ground Pangolin. Little was known about the size of the pangolin population in Kenya or its activities. Between 2020 and 2022 programmes were set up in the Masai Mara National Reserve with three key objectives:
- i) Research and Monitoring of Ground Pangolin populations
- ii) Awareness, education and training of communities and partners iii) Rapid response to and rehabilitation of injured and trafficked pangolin.
TPP Kenya achieved considerable success with each of these three objectives. Using camera traps and tracking devices the monitoring teams were able to assess the likely number of ground pangolin in a particular area. Extensive work within local communities raised awareness of the presence of, and threats to the pangolin population.
In 2023 the focus of TPP Kenya altered. The company had become aware of the presence of Giant Ground Pangolin in the Nyakweri forest, located in Transmara District of Narok county. This is the only known population of Giant Pangolin in Kenya, and the initial estimates that only 50 – 80 individuals remained. Based on the number of actual sightings and behavioural knowledge this subsequently had to be reassessed to 20 – 34 individuals,
The Giant Ground Pangolin is the largest of all Pangolin species and can be over 2 metres in length and 40kg in weight. They pose no threat to people or their livelihoods. It quickly became apparent that the greatest threat to these animals – as to all wildlife in the Nyekweri ecosystem – is deforestation and habitat loss. Since 2010 an estimated 80% of the forest has been lost. Nyakweri is the most biodiverse area of the Greater Mara Ecosystem and is an essential refuge for all species from the savannah. Despite its unique biodiversity however it has largely been ignored by conservationists and the area is suffering greatly.
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The forest has been subdivided and allocated to individual landowners in parcels ranging in size from 12 acres to 300 acres. Landowners seeking to secure their land have fenced parcels with electric fencing and cleared forest to make space for livestock grazing and subsistence agriculture. These electric fences are a death sentence for pangolin. The animals are electrocuted as they pass through the wire. Using the only defence mechanism they know they roll into a ball, catastrophically rolling onto the lower wire strands. It was estimated that 2 pangolin were killed each month by this method in 2023.
In addition, the commercial charcoal trade has exacerbated the rate of deforestation in the area. Large areas have been burned at an alarming rate thus decimating the habitat and food supply of pangolin and other species.
TPP Kenya therefore focused on working with landowners to:
- i) Remove electricity from fencing
- ii) Provide financial incentives to halt the rate of deforestation, initially by a conditional payment scheme.
In December 2023 the trustees of The Pangolin Project CIO confirmed support for this use of resources as being consistent with the aims and objectives of the charity. Support for this strategy was also received by TPP Kenya from individual donors and from the international Pangolin Crisis Fund.
## **Activities**
During the period April 2023 – March 2024 TPP Kenya requested funding from The Pangolin Project CIO to address the following aims:
## **Giant Pangolin monitoring and protection**
1. Assess the difference in biodiversity and pangolin presence in forested and cleared areas and assess the impact of fencing types on biodiversity. This information would be used to target areas for protection and assess fencing types that can support biodiversity;
2. Identify technology that will reliably measure home range of Pangolin and contribute to their protection from poaching and electric fencing;
3. Measure home range and assess habitat use of up to 10 Giant Pangolin adults in the Nyekweri Ecosystem.
4. Establish daily monitoring / ranger teams for tagged Giant Pangolin that contribute to the protection of the area
## **Habitat protection**
1. Reduce the mortality of Giant Pangolin in Kimintet conservancy and surrounding area by the removal of all wire and electric fencing below 65 cm.
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2. Carry out a feasibility assessment for protection and conservation of the Nyekweri Ecosystem in collaboration with Base Camp Explorer Foundation.
These aims were to be met by the following activities:
## **Giant Pangolin monitoring and protection**
1. Three camera trap surveys of 30 days utilising 50 camera traps across Olorien and Kimintet Conservancy.
2. Identifying and tagging up to 10 adult Giant Pangolins in Olorien and Kimintet conservancy area
3. Establishing 5 Giant pangolin monitoring units / teams to monitor daily movement of Giant Pangolin in the areas on Kimintet and Olorien Conservancy;
4. Continued daily monitoring of: Giant Pangolin location, Giant Pangolin activity, deforestation.
## **Habitat protection**
1. Arrange four meetings with land owners and leaders to agree a plan to:
- a. Reduce the amount of new fencing being built
- b. Remove the bottom 65 cm of electric fencing for landowners in conservancies and out of conservancies.
2. Facilitate removing electricity and defencing of bottom 65 cm of fencing in Kimintet and Olorien Conservancy.
3. Carry out a feasibility assessment to secure remaining forest in the Nyekweri Ecosystem and conservation of the biodiversity that remains.
The trustees of The Pangolin Project CIO approved the funding for these purposes and a total of £49,360 was transferred to TPP Kenya. A further £6,462 was paid directly by the CIO for tracking devices.
## **Outcomes**
## **Monitoring**
Although 5 Giant Ground Pangolin were tagged, problems were encountered with the retention of the tracking devices, all of which were lost. It was known that at least two devices were lost when the animal became stuck on a fence. Due to concerns about welfare and stress to the animals when caught on fences the tagging programme was halted.
The monitoring of GGP individuals was increased through expanded use of camera traps, increasing the number in use from 30 to 94. The camera traps have been used to carry out intensive camera trap surveys as well as to monitor biodiversity and GGP across the entire area. They have been a placed across 7 different areas in Nyekweri. The team move daily to check
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camera traps on a rotational basis. The monitoring team and lead analyst have enabled TPP to better understand the ecological behaviour of GGP in Nyekweri.
A very positive outcome from the increased camera traps is the knowledge that Giant Pangolins are reproducing. In July 2024 two pups were captured on camera traps, marking the first sighting of pangolin pups in two years. These sitings are encouraging for the viability of the population in the area.
Through extensive camera trap monitoring and analysis of the data TPP Kenya have been able to identify not only the location of burrows used by Pangolin but also that certain burrows are favoured by multiple individuals. Pangolins often come back and use the same burrows they have used before indicating that some burrows are more important for GGP individuals. This data is significant for a better understanding of why GGP favour certain areas. It paves the way for further ecological research into food and habitat preferences.
## **Habitat Protection**
In December 2023, TPP Kenya and Kimintet and Olorien Conservancy launched a conditional payment scheme to halt deforestation. Landowners enter into a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) and are paid 7500ksh/ ha / year for forest cover remaining on the land parcel. The conditions of the payments are:
1. Forest is not cut
2. No fence is put through the forest
3. TPP are able to monitor the forest on the landowner’s land.
By October 2024, 132 landowners had signed an MoU and more than 4,000 acres of forest was protected under the conditional payment scheme. The habitat protection team carried out daily meetings with landowners directly to explain the MoU. Several landowners came forward to ask directly whether they could join the scheme. Preliminary results show that with appropriate and competitive financial compensation landowners are willing to engage with conservation as an alternative use of their land. In addition to this the MoU process has built trust between TPP Kenya and the community. TPP Kenya has become a lead partner for habitat protection in the area.
With the agreement of landowners TTP Kenya removed electricity from 71km of fencing (142km of wire).
## **Impact**
The impact of the work of TPP Kenya extends beyond pangolins, safeguarding one of the most diverse areas in the Mara ecosystem and preserving its critical role in local climate regulation. TPP Kenya has expanded its efforts with the aim to secure and restore Nyakweri as a sanctuary for the Giant Pangolin and its diverse ecosystem. The ultimate objectives include conserving
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24,000 acres through land leases, addressing threats to Giant Pangolin posed through deforestation and electric fencing, and fostering a community led conservation model.
## **Financial Review**
The Pangolin Project CIO received a total of £49,925 in donations and grants over the period April 2023 – March 2024. Monies £22,500 and £26,940 was received by way of grants from The David Shepherd Wildlife Fund and Tusk Trust Limited respectively. The balance was received by donation.
The charity made two payments to The Pangolin Project in Kenya, totalling £49,360. It paid £6,462 directly for tracking equipment. The excess of expenditure over income was met from the surplus of unrestricted funds from the previous year.
The charity does not currently have a formal reserves policy. Most of the Charity’s income is in the form of restricted grants obtained following detailed written applications by The Pangolin Project in Kenya. Payments are made by the charity based on reports and projected expenditure by the Project in accordance with those grants. The charity has access to the audited accounts of The Pangolin Project Kenya.
## **Structure, Governance and Management**
The charity’s governing document is its Constitution.
The charity is a Charitable Incorporated Organisation.
The charity had 6 trustees at the end of the relevant period. In July 2024 2 trustees moved to the Governing Board of TPP Kenya and therefore resigned as trustees. New trustees are appointed by resolution of the existing trustees. They are recruited by recommendation, presentation of their interest in Pangolin protection, their knowledge and experience of conservation and consideration of the duties of charity trustees.
The charity receives donations and grants intended by the donors for use by the Pangolin Project in Kenya.
The trustee board meets at least 3 times a year. It receives reports of the strategy, objectives and activities of the Pangolin Project. It considers the budget and accounts. It approves, as appropriate, the requests for funding from the Pangolin Project.
## **Reference and Administrative details**
Charity Name: The Pangolin Project CIO
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Registered charity number: 1190187
Charity’s principal address: The Croft
Station Lane
Great Barrow
Chester CH3 7JN
## **Names of the charity trustees at 31/03/2024**
Katie Abigail Hamilton, Chairperson, appointed for 2 years on 30/06/20 and for a further period of 3 years on 25/05/22
Rowena Margaret Okell, appointed for 3 years on 30/06/20 and for a further period of 1 year on 07/06/23
James Gordon McIntosh, appointed for 1 year on 30/06/20 and for a further period of 3 years on 28/06/21
Gemma Francis, appointed for 3 years on 06/12/22
Daniel Ingram, appointed for 3 years on 06/12/22.
David Forbes Nixon, appointed for 1 year on 17/01/24.
## **Declarations**
The trustees declare that they have approved the trustees’ report above.
Signed on behalf of the charity’s trustees:
Katie Abigail Hamilton Date: 23[rd] January 2025
Chairperson
Rowena Margaret Okell Date: 23[rd] January 2025
James Gordon McIntosh Date: 23[rd] January 2025
Daniel Ingram Date 23[rd] January 2025
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**Charity Name No (if any) The Pngolin Project CIO 1190187 Receipts and payments accounts CC16a For the period** Period start date Period end date **To from** 01/04/2023 31/03/2024
## **Section A Receipts and payments**
|**A1 Receipts**|**Unrestricted**
**funds**
**to the nearest**
**£**
**395**
**-**
**-**
**90**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**485**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**485**
**110**
**6 463**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**6 573**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**6 573**
**- 6 088**
**-**
**41 224**
**35 136**|**Restricted**
**funds**
**to the nearest £**
**-**
**22 500**
**26 940**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**49 440**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**49 440**
**-**
**-**
**34 360**
**15 000**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**49 360**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**49 360**
**80**
**-**
**32 500**
**32 580**|**Endowment**
**funds**
**to the nearest £**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**|**Total funds**
**to the nearest £**
**395**
**22 500**
**26 940**
**90**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**49 925**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**49 925**
**110**
**6 463**
**34 360**
**15 000**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**55 933**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**55 933**
**- 6 008**|**Total funds**
**to the nearest £**
**395**
**22 500**
**26 940**
**90**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**49 925**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**49 925**
**110**
**6 463**
**34 360**
**15 000**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**55 933**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**55 933**
**- 6 008**|**Last year**
**to the nearest £**|
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|Donations|**395**|||||**19 011**|
|David Shepherd Wildlfe Fund|**-**|||||**30 000**|
|Tusk Trust Limited|**-**|||||**26 495**|
|Inerest|**90**|||||**71**|
||**-**|||||**-**|
||**-**|||||**-**|
||**-**|||||**-**|
||**-**|||||**-**|
|**_Sub total_**_(Gross income for_
_AR)_|**485**|||||**75 577**|
||||||||
|**A2 Asset and investment sales,**
**(see table).**|||||||
||**-**||||||
||**-**|||||**-**|
|**_Sub total_**|**-**|||||**-**|
|**_Total receipts_**
**A3 Payments**|||||||
|||||||**75 577**|
||||||||
|Bank Charges|**110**|||||**66 362**|
|Cell Trachtech|**6 463**|||||**-**|
|16/05/23 Transfer to TPP|**-**|||||**-**|
|12/09/23 Transfer to TPP|**-**|||||**-**|
||**-**|||||**-**|
||**-**|||||**-**|
||**-**|||||**-**|
||**-**|||||**-**|
||**-**|||||**-**|
|**_Sub total_ **|**6 573**|||||**66 362**|
||||||||
|**A4 Asset and investment**
**purchases, (see table)**|||||||
||**-**||||||
||**-**||||||
|**_Sub total_ **|**-**|||||**-**|
|**_Total payments_**
**_Net of receipts/(payments)_**
**A5 Transfers between funds**
**A6 Cash funds last year end**
**_Cash funds this year end_**|||||||
|||||||**66 362**|
||||||||
||**- 6 088**|**80**|**-**|**- 6 008**||**9 215**|
||**-**|**-**|**-**|**-**||**-**|
||**41 224**|**32 500**|**-**|**73 724**||**-**|
||**35 136**|**32 580**|**-**|**67 716**||**9 215**|
CCXX R1 accounts (SS)
1
## **Section B Statement of assets and liabilities at the end of the period**
|**Categories**
Signed by one or two trustees on
behalf of all the trustees
**B5 Liabilities**
**B3 Investment assets**
**B2 Other monetary assets**
**B4 Assets retained for the**
**charity’s own use**
**B1 Cash funds**|**Details**
**Details**
**_Total cash funds_**
(agree balances with receipts and payments
account(s))
Brought forward
**Details**
**Details**
**Details**
Accountancy fees
Signature|**Unrestricted**
**funds**
**Restricted**
**funds**
**to nearest £**
**to nearest £**
**41 224**
**32 500**
**- 6 088**
**80**
**-**
**-**
**35 136**
**32 580**
OK
OK
**Unrestricted**
**funds**
**Restricted**
**funds**
**to nearest £**
**to nearest £**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**Fund to which**
**asset belongs**
**Cost (optional)**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**Fund to which**
**asset belongs**
**Cost (optional)**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**Fund to which**
**liability relates**
**Amount due**
**(optional)**
Unrestricted
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
Print Name
Rowena Okell
Katie Hamilton|**Endowment**
**funds**
**to nearest £**|
|---|---|---|---|
||||**-**|
||||**-**|
||||**-**|
||||**-**|
||||OK|
||||**Endowment**
**funds**
**to nearest £**|
||||**-**|
||||**-**|
||||**-**|
||||**-**|
||||**-**|
||||**-**|
||||**Current value**
**(optional)**|
||||**-**|
||||**-**|
||||**-**|
||||**-**|
||||**-**|
||||**Current value**
**(optional)**|
||||**-**|
||||**-**|
||||**-**|
||||**-**|
||||**-**|
||||**-**|
||||**-**|
||||**-**|
||||**-**|
||||**When due**
**(optional)**|
|||||
|||||
|||||
|||||
|||||
|||||
||||Date of
approval|
|||Rowena Okell||
|||Katie Hamilton|**16.12.24**|
CCXX R2 accounts (SS)
2
CHARITY COMMISSION
FOR ENGLAND AND WALES
Independent examiner's
report on the accounts
Section A
Independent Examinerfs Report
Report to the trusteesl
members of
The Pangolin Project CIO
On accounts for the year
ended
31 Marth 2024
Charity no
(if any)
1190187
Set out on pages
I report to the trustees on my examination of the accounts of the above
charity {Yhe Trusf) for the year ended 31 MARCH 2024.
Responsibilities and As the tharity trustees of the Trust, you are responsible for the preparalion
basis of report of the accounts in accordance with the requirements of the Charities Act
20111-the Acr).
I report in respect of my examination of the Trusfs accounts carried out
under section 145 of the 2011 Act and in carrying out my examination, I
have followed the applicable Directions given by the Charity Commission
under section 145(5Kb) of the Act.
I have completed my examination. I confirm that no material matters have
come to my attention (other than that disdosed below ") in connection with
the examination which gives me cause to believe that in, any material
respect=
accounting rerdS were not kepl in accordan with section 130 of
the Act or
the accounts do not accord with the ac(x)unting records
Independent
examiner's ststement
I have no concems and have come across no other matters in connection
with the examinalion to which attention should be drawn in order to enable a
proper understanding of the accounts to be reached.
ase
let8 the words in Ihe brackets rflhey do not apply.
Signed:
Date:
21 January 2025
Name:
MrsDDLea
Relevant professional
qualification(s) or body
(if any)-
FCA. FCCA
Address:
Chester House, Lloyd Drive
Cheshire Oaks Business Park. Ellesmere Port
Cheshire CH65 9HQ
IER
October 2018