These payments are the most direct and meaningful contributions Wilderness and its guests make to conservation and rural development in the regions where the Group operates. They fund wildlife conservation and community upliftment across seven African countries, being Botswana, Kenya, Namibia, Rwanda, Tanzania, Zambia and Zimbabwe.
“Every dollar we, and our guests, pay to governments and communities contributes to the conservation economy”, noted Vince Shacks, Wilderness Group Head of Impact. “These payments give economic value to wildlife, support rural livelihoods, and help make conservation a viable, long-term solution – while allowing us to share some of the most extraordinary places on Earth with our guests”.
Operating in 2.3 million hectares (5.6 million acres) of protected areas across Africa, Wilderness believes that the value of wild places must be felt by those who live closest to them, a belief which sits at the heart of the business, and at the foundation of its Impact strategy to Educate, Empower, and Protect.
“These payments allow us the privilege to operate in some of the world’s most pristine wilderness areas”, continued Vince. “But it’s the ripple effect we have beyond that that really adds up”.
Over and above the financial contributions Wilderness and its guests make to governments and communities, the Group has hosted more than 8,500 children, like Botswana’s Kitso Paris Mpinang, on life-shaping Children in the Wilderness camps; launched pioneering community initiatives like Zimbabwe’s Ngamo Livestock Farm and Vocational Centre; and assisted its partners in reducing black rhino poaching by up to 80% in Namibia’s Palmwag Protected Area.
“These figures aren’t just numbers”, Vince added. “They’re proof that our conservation tourism model can, and must, be a force for good. And we’re only able to make these payments because of the incredible support from our guests, trade partners, and stakeholders. By choosing Wilderness they are choosing to contribute to something much greater: the conservation of our natural world”.
As Wilderness continues on its journey to double the amount of land it helps protect by 2030, these financial contributions mark a significant milestone in the company’s mission: to increase the world’s wilderness, together.
Learn more about how Wilderness is driving conservation and rural development in Africa, by clicking here.
