Risk mitigation strategies are a natural human instinct, a part of our DNA, if you will. Despite us not even realising it, we actively aim to mitigate risks daily whether it’s putting on our seatbelts when in the car, checking the weather so that we are appropriately dressed or making sure that have all our travel documents in order to ensure that we can board a flight.
Just as we review and mitigate risks daily, it is equally important for organisations and companies to do so too. Luckily for Peace Parks Foundation, our Project Systems and Compliance Manager, Stefan van Zyl and Impact Analyst, Jason Gilbertson are incredibly good at recognising potential pitfalls and coming up with risk mitigation strategies that benefit the organisation and its partners.
It’s an early 4am start for Jason and Stefan as they make their way to Cape Town International Airport for a red-eye to Durban. After a quick bite to eat, they board the short flight to King Shaka International Airport with all required travel documents in hand – avoiding any risks of missing their flight, of course.
The purpose of their trip is to meet with both the Combatting Wildlife Crime team and the Information Communications Technology (ICT) team, where they will work together to assess and review any risks that exist in the departments. Once these risks have been identified, the teams work together to develop a general strategy when moving forward to ensure Peace Parks Foundation runs smoothly.
After successful discussions with the Combatting Wildlife Crime team, Jason and Stefan head off to meet Peace Parks’ ICT Manager, Wayne Bridger. Here, the team do the crucial job of identifying cyber security threats, something that has seen a global increase, and implementing risk mitigation strategies to overcome it.
Although this might not sound as exciting as wildlife translocations and being in the field, identifying and mitigating risks that exist within the organisation is a critical component to ensure that the exciting and impactful projects, can take place. Peace Parks is grateful for the dedication of the head office staff, whose hard work continues behind the scenes.
