Nature guide Bruce ‘Burpee’ Lawson kicked off the #BurpeesForConservation challenge this week to raise one million rand by doing one million burpees – and in two days the organisation managed to raise over R100 000.
South African wilderness guide and instructor, Lawson aims to perform 30 000 burpees over ten days in a hotel room in Australia while in quarantine.
As Tshembo Africa Foundation founder, Lawson’s athletic antics for the BurpeesForConservation challenge will hopefully raise one million South African Rand. Together with participants throughout the world, they will sweat their way through a million burpees between 15 March and 11 April 2021.
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The drive’s proceeds will be used to upskill anti-poaching teams to preserve wildlife in the Greater Kruger Area in South Africa through the Greater Kruger Environment Protection Foundation (GKEPF).
They aim to also motivate 10 000 people in over 30 countries to improve their fitness levels by doing burpees for the cause through collective participation. Lawson hopes to inspire as many people as possible to join by trying to break a world record of doing 30 000 burpees over ten days.
Here’s how the #BurpeesChallenge is going so far
The link between the pandemic and poaching
The BurpeesForConservation proceeds will be donated via Tshembo Africa Foundation to the Greater Kruger Environment Protection Foundation (GKEPF).
The tourism industry in South Africa was hard hit by the effects of the pandemic last year. About 10% – over six million people – of South Africa’s working population are employed in the tourism industry.
“Areas around the Kruger National Park in particular were adversely affected when accommodation establishment had to close down due to lockdown. Towns such as Hoedspruit in the Limpopo province, for example, are almost solely reliant on tourism,” says Sharon Haussmann, CEO of GKEPF.
Combined with this humanitarian crisis, there was a halt in funding coming into the country’s protected areas and parks. No guests meant that no park levies were paid to keep up their constant battle against wildlife crime. This led to a stark incline in poaching and important wild species facing an even steeper uphill battle to survive.
But why burpees to raise funds?
The #BurpeesForConservation campaign is being run off the back of a previously successful fundraising endeavour to fund these projects and keep the animals safe.
“Burpees are a great exercise because they work nearly all of the body’s major muscle groups, including quads, chest, shoulders and core, whilst also being a cardio exercise that requires explosive energy. I personally don’t find burpees that difficult, in fact, I enjoy them and incorporate them into most of my workouts. Because of that, I’m going for the endurance thing with the challenge,” said Lawson.
Bruce will livestream the BurpeesForConservation launch and his participation from 15 March live on YouTube.
