Meet the Team

  • A young man smiling outdoors, wearing a beige cap and gray T-shirt, standing in front of a lush green landscape with a river and hills under a blue sky.

    Juan Malan

    Co-Founder and Marketing

    My name is Juan. I was born and raised in South Africa — where the wild isn’t something you visit… it’s something you live. From a young age, the bush was home. The sounds, the smells, the dust, the danger — that’s where I felt most alive.

    I worked as a safari and trails guide for years, walking with lions, tracking rhinos, and helping people reconnect with the wild side of life. But somewhere along the line, I started seeing less wonder… and more warning signs.

    Dead rhinos.

    Burned-out rangers.

    Empty promises from the people in power.

    And that’s when it hit me — it wasn’t enough to show people the wild anymore.

    I had to protect it.

    So we started AWPA — not as another soft conservation charity, but as a bold, loud, truth-telling alliance. A movement of people who’ve seen what’s happening on the ground and refuse to stand by while wildlife is wiped out for profit.

  • A man smiling outdoors in a green T-shirt holding a camera with a large telephoto lens, standing on a grassy field with trees in the background.

    Gabriel Harmer

    Co-Founder and Community Outreach

    My name is Gabe, and I co founded the African Wildlife Protection Alliance (AWPA) with one goal: to protect what matters most—Africa’s wildlife and wild spaces.

    I’ve spent my life in and around the bush, and over the years I’ve seen both its beauty and its vulnerability. AWPA was born from a deep love for the land that raised me and a drive to do more than just witness its decline—I wanted to be part of the solution.

    From guiding guests through the Lowveld to collaborating with rangers, researchers, and local communities, I’ve seen firsthand what’s needed on the ground. AWPA connects donors, tech, and practical tools with the people protecting Africa’s wildlife every day.

    This isn’t just a cause—it’s personal. Through AWPA, I’m building something bigger than myself: a movement rooted in transparency, impact, and lasting change.

  • A smiling man with a beard and shaved head taking a selfie outside in a patio area with chairs and greenery in the background.

    Peter Balanesi

    Co-Founder and Tech Guru

    I am a systems disruptor, Navy veteran, and former defense tech architect who now builds tools to protect the wild. I co-founded AWPA and the engine behind its operational and digital backbone — merging battlefield-grade precision with boots-on-the-ground conservation.

    After two tours in the U.S. Navy I was pulled into semiconductor manufacturing, optimizing real-time defect analysis at Intel/Micron. I then built test infrastructure for Predator Drone comms at L-3 Communications before stepping into a high-impact engineering role at Raytheon.

    As a Lead Senior Software Engineer, contributing to both the EWPMT and Ravenclaw programs — designing and building automation systems and mission-critical software for Army battlefield intelligence.

    At HawkEye 360, I joined as a Senior Developer on the Dirigent program, helping build satellite scheduling software from the ground up — translating complex customer needs into orbital intelligence operations.

    In 2025, I walked away from the defense world and chose the wild. AWPA was born — a nonprofit forged with one tech belief:

    The same systems that track missiles can track poachers. The same code that moves drones can move donors.

Who we are

We are AWPA – the African Wildlife Protection Alliance.
Born from the wild heart of Africa and anchored in the spirit of relentless action, we exist for one reason: to protect what cannot protect itself.

Across Africa, rangers fight a war most people never see. Poachers, traffickers, and greed-driven markets are wiping out elephants, rhinos, pangolins, cheetahs, wild dogs, and vultures at devastating speed. Each of these animals is not just a species — it’s a keystone, a guardian of ecosystems that keep this planet alive. When they fall, entire landscapes unravel.

We refuse to let that happen.

OUR MISSION

  • Fund Rangers on the Frontlines
    Boots on the ground save lives. We support ranger units across Africa with resources, gear, and training so they can fight back against poaching syndicates.

  • Fuel Global Conservation Efforts
    We back trusted organizations around the world that are protecting endangered species and ecosystems. From anti-trafficking networks to wildlife sanctuaries, if they’re in the fight, we stand beside them.

  • Protect Endangered Species
    From rhinos and elephants to pangolins, cheetahs, wild dogs, and vultures, our mission is to stand between extinction and survival. These are more than animals — they are ancient bloodlines of the earth.

  • Ignite Global Action
    Through bold storytelling, fundraising events, auctions, and campaigns, we connect the world to Africa’s wild frontlines. Every voice, every dollar, every share fuels the fight.

Baby rhinoceros standing on a small mound of dirt in a grassy field with trees in the background.

Why We Do It

Because silence equals extinction.
Because future generations deserve more than photographs in history books.
Because rangers are outnumbered, outfunded, and too often forgotten.

This is not charity.
This is legacy.

AWPA stands for a world where elephants still roam, rhinos still thunder, and pangolins still curl up safely under the African moon.

Join us. Stand with the wild. Be the change.

Contact us

Interested in working together? Fill out some info and we will be in touch shortly. We can’t wait to hear from you!