Suyian Conservancy Receives Outstanding Rating in Protected Area Management Performance by International Agency
Conservation is easy to talk about. It's harder to measure. And harder still to sit in a room with your management team and honestly ask: are we actually doing this well?
That's exactly what Suyian Conservancy did in February 2026, when it completed its first Integrated Management Effectiveness Tool (IMET) assessment. The results offer a candid picture of where the conservancy stands at the start of an important new chapter.
What is IMET?
IMET is a globally recognised assessment framework used by protected areas around the world to evaluate how effectively they are being managed. It's not an external audit. It's a structured, facilitated self-evaluation, covering everything from planning and governance to staffing, security, community engagement, and conservation outcomes. Roughly 300 questions, worked through over several days with management teams, department heads, and community representatives.
The process is facilitated by a certified IMET coach, in Suyian's case Paula Vrdoljak of Tulukani Ltd, who has worked with Space for Giants across multiple projects over the last few years and has a good understanding of the organisation. Her role is important: without independent facilitation, self-evaluations risk becoming exercises in self-congratulation. The coach's job is to ask for evidence, challenge assumptions, and keep the scoring honest.
Paula reflected on the experience:
"It was a great pleasure to facilitate the IMET for Suyian Conservancy. The team were open to the process and welcomed recommendations for improvement."
What did Suyian score?
Suyian achieved an overall management effectiveness score of 62.85%. That's the highest first-time baseline score Paula has recorded in her experience with the tool. The conservancy performed strongly in Outputs (76.3%), reflecting solid operational delivery and enforcement presence on the ground, and in Management Context (67.8%), reflecting the ecological integrity and conservation value of the landscape.
Areas identified for development include ecological monitoring, structured community benefit-sharing, and the formalisation of HR systems, all of which are being addressed in Suyian's 2026–2030 General Management Plan, launched this year.
Why does this matter?
According to Maurice Schutgens, Managing Director of Conservation at Space for Giants, the value of the exercise lies less in the score itself and more in the willingness to undertake it.
"We want to professionalise. We're not scared to have an introspective look and judge ourselves to see where we can do better. A lot of organisations shy away from this, because you're going to end up sitting in sessions where you tell yourself you're falling short or not delivering at certain things. But we want to adopt international best practice, and we want to measure up."
"This 62.85% is a good start and a direct reflection of the hard work and commitment from our governance and management teams," says Archie Voorspuy, General Manager of Suyian Conservancy. "However, it also clearly shows that we have a ways to go. We are determined to address the areas identified for improvement, and we fully expect the next IMET assessment to show significant progress."
The timing of this first IMET is deliberate. It establishes a baseline at the launch of the new General Management Plan. It’s a starting point from which progress will be tracked in future assessment cycles. It also sits within a larger ambition: Suyian's journey toward black rhino reintroduction (as soon as next year), one of the most demanding conservation undertakings a private conservancy can pursue.
"You're going to have to be really good to get rhinos," Maurice notes. "So this is part of us seeing where our gaps are, so that we can aspire to improve."
A score of 62.85% is something to be proud of. But at Suyian, the more important number is the next one.
