Our Impact
Measured in hectares,
not headlines
The actual numbers behind ERP Mercantile — what every purchase pays for across the reserves, skies, and communities of Southern Africa.
Elephants lost in Africa
Rhinos lost in Africa
Experience in the field
Of shop proceeds to the field
Where it goes
Every cent to the field
Every order placed with ERP Mercantile supports Elephants, Rhinos & People, active in Namibia and South Africa since 2016. Because ERP's operating costs are carried by its parent company, groupelephant.com — through a standing donation of 1% of its own revenue — the shop's proceeds are free to serve the work itself: ranger support, wildlife monitoring, and programmes that build livelihoods in the communities alongside elephant and rhino country.
Conservation, here, is not a cause you give to. It is something you carry with you.
What we actually do
Every initiative, one mission
Elephants Programme
Rescue and treatment of elephants injured by poaching, snares or natural causes; emergency response when herds break out of reserves onto public roads; relocation of animals in danger of being culled; and collaring and monitoring to track movements and protect populations more effectively.
Rhinos Programme
Drone and ranger monitoring of rhino populations, dehorning of animals most at risk from poachers, range expansion into larger habitats, relocation of threatened individuals, and research on orphaned rhinos and their behavioural differences compared to wild-raised counterparts.
People (P.E.A.C.E.)
Our poverty-alleviation framework — Planning, Education, Agriculture, Cooperatives and Environment — built on the belief that the people living beside elephant and rhino country are the only viable long-term solution to the survival of the species. Active in the Blouberg, Gazini and Ntshabeleng communities.
ERP Air Wing
A fleet of two Cessna 182s based at Swakopmund airport in western Namibia, flying anti-poaching patrols, herd-monitoring missions and supply runs over the vast tracts of land we protect. What used to take rangers days on foot now takes a morning in the air. Supported by Redbird Flight and Group Elephant.
#BIKES4ERP
Bicycles for rural schoolchildren — the schools neighbouring the Melorane reserve are the main beneficiaries, giving children a way to get to school. Bike drops like the Inkwazi Uhambo distribution put hundreds of bikes directly into the communities that need them most.
ERPKids
Conservation education in the villages bordering our reserves — a self-study maths learning app in the local schools, a feeding scheme for orphans and vulnerable children, and curriculum that grows the next generation of people who will keep the wild standing.
K9 Unit
Tracking and apprehension dogs that support ranger teams when poaching incidents occur. A trained dog can follow a scent trail for hours where a ranger would lose it in minutes — a critical tactical tool in anti-poaching response.
ERP Honey (Bees)
Beekeeping and honey production at Melorane and Gazini, creating jobs and income for rural beekeepers. The Melorane Apiarists are led by Portia Morudi, who mentors new beekeepers and guarantees a market for every producer. Beehives in big trees also serve as a natural elephant deterrent, protecting ancient trees from being pushed over.
Nutrition Gardens
Vegetable and crop production around the conservation areas, feeding families and orphans through a community feeding scheme while creating surplus to sell. A trust fund seeds these small enterprises so they can stand on their own.
Land & Habitat (Melorane)
Our flagship project since 2021 — the Melorane ERP Game Reserve, established on community-owned land through a 90-year lease with the Barokologadi Community Property Association, bordering the greater Madikwe reserve. Big-5 game-proof fencing is complete, an anti-poaching model is in place, and we aim to franchise this model into other conservation areas.
ERP Namibia
ERP Namibia extends our work beyond South Africa, led by local conservationist Tinus Hansen. The focus is on protecting Namibia's desert-adapted elephants (only ~150 remain) and its black rhino — Namibia holds more than half the world's remaining black rhino, including the last free-roaming desert-adapted rhinos on earth.
ERP Bush Buddies
An initiative at Melorane in the ERP Game Reserve, pairing field staff with community members to build relationships and shared stewardship of the reserve and its wildlife.
Fund a day in the bushveld
What you buy here pays for a day's work in the field. No donations, no middlemen, no overhead taken out.