Community-based tourism partnerships

In areas with few economic opportunities, rural communities turn to subsistence farming and informal mining to survive and earn meagre incomes. This activity degrades the natural environment and presents a key threat to the wildlife that occurs there. Without sustainable incomes, local communities do not value nor prioritise conservation efforts.

• We help to protect 2.3m hectares of land. Forty-six percent of that land belongs to community trusts.
• These communities are key strategic partners in our ability to protect land and empower communities. They are the landlords that enable us to operate in their area.
• Our formal, long-term business partnerships with the trusts are key to achieving our shared goals, for mutual benefit.
• Wilderness has worked with governments and established community trusts for nearly 40 years. These relationships enable us to operate sustainable and successful tourism camps in large wildlife habitats.
• The partnership agreements stimulate revenue sharing and generate annual lease fees and royalties as well as other meaningful contributions. The trusts manage the income for the benefit of the community.
• We also employ staff only from local communities, fund social development projects and support small business entrepreneurs and farmers.

These measures empowers households in partner communities to build more sustainable livelihoods, through direct employment and indirect support from the trust.