Article from the May 2013 issue of Africa Geographic Magazine.
Text: Ian Michler.
In May 1993 Africa – Environment & Wildlife made its debut on magazine shelves across South Africa. The new publication (which changed its name to Africa Geographic in 2001) quickly drew support, acclaim and not a little controversy, and attracted readers across the globe.
Since then, the magazine has borne witness to canned hunting scandals, the rise of transfrontier conservation areas, awareness of climate change, fundamental shifts in conservation thinking and the escalating assault on Africa’s rhinos and elephants.
Founder Peter Borchert recently took stock with long-time contributor Ian Michler.
Ian Michler What are your thoughts on this wonderful achievement – producing 193 issues of Africa Geographic in 20 years?
Peter Borchert Bewilderment. So much has happened, yet the two decades have passed in a flash.
IM Is this what you had in mind when you started out in 1993?
PB Yes, it was always the intention to be Africa’s flagship wildlife and conservation magazine, and to inspire people to get involved and to experience Africa first-hand.
IM Before starting the magazine, you were managing director of a major publishing house. What led you to leave and launch a new venture at a time when many people in South Africa must have thought it crazy to be taking such risks?
PB Well, I had so many opportunities to travel the world in those days and wherever I went I came across great wildlife publications about the region I was visiting.
I was struck by the fact that here in Africa, where I believe we have the greatest abundance and diversity of life anywhere on the planet, we did not have a signature magazine to celebrate the fact. It was this that drove me to make it happen.
Back in 1993 it was a difficult time of hope and anxiety, excitement and fear in South Africa. That period between Nelson Mandela’s release in 1990 and our first open elections in 1994 was filled with uncertainty. But then the day dawned, we went to the polls and the miracle happened.
IM Over the years, the magazine has won numerous awards for the quality of its content and production. Aside from these, what are the other highlights?
PB Awards are nice to get, but the real sense of excitement always comes from reader response and a sense of having made a difference. I remember meeting a young ranger who said that an editorial of mine had inspired him to seek a career in conservation. That was humbling and very special. And when a wealthy person from Europe made a big donation to a conservation NGO on the strength of an article we had written, we were really chuffed.
IM Do you have any regrets about how Africa Geographic’s path of progress has gone?
PB None at all. Plenty of frustrations though, mostly around questions of distribution which, particularly into Africa, is logistically tricky and very expensive.
IM In 1993, the digital era was seemingly far off, but now it is shaping the publishing landscape – has this added to the challenge or made it easier?
PB We’re talking about technology and its use that within the past few, short years have changed how we run our lives and have certainly added to the ways we consume media. At first the debate was print versus digital, with all sort of predictions about the death of print. But now the more astute publishers are seeing it not as either/or but as print and digital, with a solid strategy embracing an anchor print magazine as part of a much wider Facebook, Twitter and blogging community.
It all feeds into a media ecosystem where like-minded people can both listen to opinion and express their own in an instant. Clever software and powerful devices now mean that people can also download their favourite magazines or read them online. The key to successful publishing will, as always, be excellent content, but success will also rest on our ability to deliver that content to our readership in the format of their choice.
IM What are your thoughts on the role the media in general play in conservation?
PB Globally, the daily press and news channels could do more, but they tend to focus on a very narrow band of events that usually reflect the political interests of the major power blocs. They thrive on disaster news and if an environmental story does make the cut, 10 to one it will be about an oil spill or extreme weather. Also, their need for fresh material is insatiable, so there is little follow-through.
IM Do you think the media in this country are vigorous enough when going after key environmental stories?
PB Sadly, I think we have only a few really good environmental journalists, but they can only do what they can get past their editors.
IM There is an old adage in journalism that says, ‘an image is worth a thousand words’. Is this true, or does a well-researched story work best?
PB There is little doubt that great images grab the eye and we have something of a reputation for publishing incredible photographs, but there is also the adage that ‘the pen is mightier than the sword’. So I guess that at times words take the lead. I like to think that we bring the combined power of both to the fore.
IM What do you see as Africa’s biggest environmental challenges?
PB I know deep down in my marrow that Africa’s future is inextricably bound to the health of its wild places. The world’s human population increased fourfold during the 20th century. At the same time consumption of natural resources grew 16-fold. Globally we will number more than nine billion people by 2025, with most of the growth coming from developing countries, particularly in Africa. Huge pressure will be placed on land use and with it pressure on natural systems. The use and consumption of resources and equity already underlie many of our challenges and this will continue, along with food security, human health and, of course, maintaining our wildlife regions for their own sake as well as forming the foundation of Africa’s nature-based travel industry.
To probe deeper, we’ll never be able to ensure a good future for Africa until the rights of women are secured across the continent. Women, young and old, married or not, must have the right to have sex on their terms and to have the ultimate say in the number of children they have. I don’t care what custom and religion say, this is something that the men of Africa have to accept and the process starts with political and civil leadership.
Our job is to carry these underlying messages consistently. One of the best ways to convince people, though, is not by haranguing them but by constantly showing them how beautiful Africa is because, notwithstanding our challenges, we have the best wildlife, the best game parks, the best landscapes of any region on earth. And the best way to accomplish this is through superb photography and great stories, both of which we do pretty well, I think.
IM What needs to happen to improve the effectiveness of conservation in Africa?
PB I am tempted to say more money, but while extra funding is needed, it is not as simple as that. Nowhere in Africa does conservation enjoy a high-enough profile and it is always cited that resources are needed for human health, education and so on. Of course these are vital issues, but my real frustration is that Africa’s leaders don’t see that conserving landscapes and resources is fundamental to societal health as well. Also it is often not about the amount of money available from government coffers, but how badly that money is misused.
IM Can Africa reduce the high poverty levels it has without inflicting long-term damage on the environment?
PB Well, poverty alleviation is seen largely in terms of economic growth, but that is something of a fallacy. If one looks at India and China, growth has been stratospheric but poverty still exists and heavily degraded environments have made the plight of poor people even worse. In fact, the health of the entire population in those countries is compromised. Witness China’s growing concern with air quality. In Africa, even with the best of scenarios, poverty alleviation is a distant goal and most development will impact negatively on the environment. It makes me sound anti-development, which I am not. But it often comes at a heavy price.
IM Is technology a blessing or a curse?
PB A blessing no doubt. Again money is required and visionary leadership, but imagine how computers and networking together with mobile technology could bring the world’s best teachers into every classroom in Africa. Imagine how independent of fossil fuels Africa could be if its hydro, wind, solar and thermal energy potential were harnessed. I have read that East Africa’s entire ongoing development programme could be supported by its thermal power potential.
So, technology is key, but it also has its environmental impacts. Let’s not forget, for example, that mobile technology is dependent on coltan as a superconductor. The Congo Basin holds the greatest reserves of the mineral, but it is mined under apalling human rights conditions and at the expense of gorilla habitat. No easy solutions, are there?
IM In these past 20 years, what notable conservation successes have there been?
PB I think that if it hadn’t been for the efforts of NGOs and other committed environmental ambassadors over the past two decades, the destruction of habitat and the loss of species would have been far higher than it has been. So, sadly, one of the successes has been the creation of just enough impetus to slow destruction, not to stop it or reverse it. But there have been triumphs and we must rejoice in them. Take for example the Kavango-Zambezi Transfrontier Conservation Area. At 440 000 square kilometres and across five countries, it’s the biggest single conservation area in the world.
IM Is there still one big conservation story that hasn’t been told?
PB Absolutely. Population. How can we seriously talk about sustainable development when we humans just grow and grow in numbers? In developed countries population growth has slowed, but consumption is huge. In underdeveloped countries, particularly in sub-Saharan Africa, consumption may be low, but human growth is exponential. However, try to find ‘population’ on the agendas of big conservation conventions and you will search in vain. It is such a political, social and religious hot potato that it is swept under the carpet time and again. It makes a mockery of sustainable development strategies. In Africa, I maintain that this is a women’s rights issue, but I’ve already had my say about that.
IM If you were allowed to interview one personality involved in environmental and conservation work, who would that be?
PB Phew. How does one choose? Can I not rather host a dinner party with David Attenborough, Sylvia Earle, Ian Player, E.O. Wilson and Jane Goodall? Imagine that!
IM What are your favourite destinations in Africa?
PB My favourite destination is generally the place I am in at the time. It sounds trite I know, but it is true. I always feel so privileged to be anywhere in Africa’s wilds.
IM Who have been your heroes?
PB My dinner party guests plus the likes of John Hanks, Richard Leakey, Gerald Durrell, Daphne Sheldrick, Wangari Maathai … it’s a long list.
IM What are your hopes for Africa Geographic in the next 20 years?
PB That I am around to see it being better and more influential than ever. As a then 85-year-old I would like to still be sound enough in mind to be writing about Africa.
Peter ‘Off Duty’
IM: Birds or big game?
PB: Probably I err on the side of birds, but I can watch elephants all day, given the chance. I generally find that birding delivers the big stuff too, as you need to be patient to find and identify birds properly and that is when special sightings tend to come to you, rather than you dashing around trying to find them. I see no point in being in the bush and rushing around madly – it defeats the purpose.
IM: Hyaenas or lions?
PB: Lions are spectacular beasts but most of the time they are asleep and rather boring. Hyaenas are fascinating, but they still get bad press. They are so clever and resourceful and if you read the hyaena studies of scientists like Gus Mills I defy you not to become a fan.
IM: Eagles or bee-eaters?
PB: Eagles; their power and majesty is awesome.
IM: Kruger or Etosha?
PB: I think they are among the best value reserves in Africa, so I would hate to choose. I love the fact that they are so accessible for self-drive safaris and the accommodation is adequate and affordable. For sheer wildness though, I would probably choose North Luangwa National Park in Zambia.
IM: Movie or book?
PB: Definitely more of a book person. And I generally have several on the go at any one time. I have a crime-writing fixation and love the style of British and Scandinavian authors. I’m a big fan of Deon Meyer as well. I’m currently listening to an audio release of The Hand that Trembles by Kjell Eriksson, re-reading the poems of W. B. Yeats and dipping into The God Species by Mark Lynas.
IM: Beer or wine?
PB: Wine (and good Scotch). A couple of years ago I was in East Africa to watch the migration with Daryl and Sharna Balfour. Daryl had also invited Peter Finlayson, one of South Africa’s gifted young wine fundis. After watching river crossings all day, we came back to an evening meal and a tasting of great wines. What a combination!
IM: Classical music or rock?
PB: Just about everything – classic, baroque, folk, jazz, rock – you name it. Isobel, one of my daughters, is an up-and-coming singer-songwriter and Tom, my younger son, is an enthusiastic and skilled rock guitarist. We live in a music-filled house.
IM: Early bird or night owl?
PB: In the bush I am definitely an early bird – the sounds and smells of wild Africa in the early hours of the day are magical. When city-bound I sleep chronically badly, so I tend to prowl and catch up on reading when I can’t shut down.
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