Samir Randera-Rees

Programme manager: Water Source Areas at WWF-SA. Founder and CEO of Whispers of the Wild, former presenter on 50|50.

[Samir Randera-Rees @SamirRandRees]

Thank you @WWFSouthAfrica and all my colleagues for allowing me to do this work that I love, this award is really a collective recognition.

[WWF South Africa @WWFSouthAfrica]

Congratulations to our very own @SamirRandRees, who has been awarded the @mailandguardian #GreeningTheFuture prize for his work in South Africa’s strategic water source areas! https://t.co/VsivFX1c7e

[Samir Randera-Rees @SamirRandRees]

Never use @OnlyRealtySA. We couldn't move out of our house during lockdown, and we told them on the phone we would move as soon as lockdown lifted. When we moved they said all was well, only to steal our R20 000 deposit, saying we hadn't informed them "in writing". #CovidCrooks

[ALU School Of Wildlife Conservation @aluconservation]

during this coronavirus period.
Read his full article from @WWFSouthAfrica blogs.

https://t.co/Lz5MbvGPxU

2/2

[WWF South Africa @WWFSouthAfrica]

In the realm of careers towards a #GreenerWorld, we’ve heard from a Water Quality Analyst and a specialist in river restoration, plus WWF’s @SamirRandRees who shared his career journey of water. Do you have a #GreenJobs story to share? https://t.co/2bphGXeUsL

[WWF South Africa @WWFSouthAfrica]

Ikigai is a Japanese term for a job that balances what you love doing, what you are good at,what the world needs – and what you can get paid for. At WWF I get paid to do a job I love, that I am good at & that benefits people & nature. What more could you ask for? SR #GreenerWorld

[WWF South Africa @WWFSouthAfrica]

3/3 Part of protecting our water source areas is to remove the water-thirsty alien vegetation that reduces river flow. It is always satisfying to visit a field site that was once thick with invasive alien plant species and to find indigenous species springing from the ground. SR

[WWF South Africa @WWFSouthAfrica]

2/3 saw a group of insecure young people about to embark on an internship in environmental management. A few months later I returned to find a confident group who had found ways to make a living from nature. SR #GreenerWorld

[WWF South Africa @WWFSouthAfrica]

1/3 An example of my diverse days takes me back to last year in rural Eastern Cape, close to a water source area. It was the first day of the FirstJobs work programme which we ran.

[WWF South Africa @WWFSouthAfrica]

My job is wonderfully diverse. I may be in boardrooms with senior people from government or corporates one day, in my office writing reports, doing a media interview or roaming the mountains with farmers the next. No two days are the same, & that’s how I like it! SR #GreenerWorld

[WWF South Africa @WWFSouthAfrica]

A great passion of mine is sharing my love of nature with others. WWF provides an amazing platform to communicate with the public, and whether through blogs, TV shows, speeches or Twitter takeovers, I relish showing people how much nature does for us. SR #GreenerWorld

[WWF South Africa @WWFSouthAfrica]

The best thing about my #GreenJob is that it allows me to spend time in nature 🌱WWF has projects in many mountain catchments across South Africa and I get to travel to those sites about twice a month. Being in nature reminds me why I do this job. SR #GreenerWorld

[Samir Randera-Rees @SamirRandRees]

@ColvinH2O @WWFSouthAfrica Hehe, me too. I know who I have to thank for it.

[WWF South Africa @WWFSouthAfrica]

Through the relationships I developed I managed to land my current job managing the water source areas work at WWF. At first I felt completely ill-equipped but took every opportunity to learn and slowly my confidence and ability grew. SR #GreenerWorld

[WWF South Africa @WWFSouthAfrica]

Breaking into the conservation world can be difficult, so to get my foot in the door I volunteered to move to the Outeniqua Mountains to manage a project for WWF. Sometimes you have to leave your comfort zone to catch a break. SR #GreenerWorld

[WWF South Africa @WWFSouthAfrica]

After finishing a Master’s degree in Conservation, I became an entrepreneur in the safari industry and a TV presenter for a nature show. I realised though that I wanted to be more directly involved in conservation work. SR #GreenerWorld

[WWF South Africa @WWFSouthAfrica]

What I first thought was just a hobby soon bloomed into real passion for nature at university when I realised that if I didn't act to defend nature, nature didn't stand a chance. Conservation became a calling. SR #GreenerWorld

[WWF South Africa @WWFSouthAfrica]

My name is @SamirRandRees, I’m an ecologist by training with a passion for nature, communication and innovation. My job as a manager in WWF’s freshwater programme focuses on protecting SA’s water source areas, the high-lying mountain areas that give us our water 💧 #GreenerWorld

[WWF South Africa @WWFSouthAfrica]

People think I spend my time wading in streams collecting water samples 🔬 but despite my scientific background, science isn’t what I do. My job is about people, politics, finance, management and leadership - all underpinned by a scientific understanding. SR #GreenerWorld

[WWF South Africa @WWFSouthAfrica]

My love of nature was developed at a young age by visiting parks and watching nature documentaries. Most conservation careers start with a love of nature which develops into a need to respond to the unfolding #climatecrisis. SR #GreenerWorld

[WWF South Africa @WWFSouthAfrica]

Our first Twitter takeover host is an intrepid explorer, often walking the mountain paths that link people to our remote water source areas. Stay tuned to meet @SamirRandRees and explore his #GreenJob career path to contribute to a #GreenerWorld!