Today you will learn more about how responsible tourism in Africa works. Check out the historical changes and get ready to discover the region!
Tourism as an instrument of guidance, awareness and preservation of Cultural Heritage Over the years, despite considerable efforts to protect the natural treasures of African savannas, degradation is increasing. Species are being driven to the brink of extinction by poaching and habitats are dwindling due to mining.
Fortunately, many private tourism institutions have taken on the role of environmental guardians and through initiatives and projects involve the community, government and the private sector to make a difference in the preservation of Africa’s wildlife.
The first to raise the flag of conservation tourism A conservation organization that uses tourism as a tool to sustain conservation programs considers it essential that tourist activities are carried out without any negative influence on the land and believes that high quality and environmentally correct tourism experiences arouse the desire of travelers to engage in the fight for preservation.
“We don’t do conservation by sorting, killing some to save the rest – this is a defeatist and disrespectful way to interact with nature.”
Meet the Great Plains Foundation, which is based on the protection of three African species that without which, African ecosystems would collapse: rhino, lion and elephant.
Sustainability and educational work
The company’s first semi-permanent and low environmental impact camps were built in the Okavango Delta, in 1985. Objective: to guarantee wildlife conservation and income generation for local communities.
Since then, more than thirty years have been improving the quality of safaris, lodges and services, without losing focus on sustainability – numerous successful initiatives have already been carried out in the countries of East and Southern Africa aiming at the rehabilitation of African fauna and flora and works educational activities promoted by the non-profit organizations Wilderness Wildlife Trust and Children in the Wilderness.
Empowering communities
For 25 years, the Africa Foundation, in partnership with the luxury properties & Beyond label, has maintained the theme that for wildlife to thrive, local communities need to be engaged in conservation, but for this they need basic infrastructure.
The work of the Africa Foundation focuses on four key areas of development:
education; environmental sanitation; commercial development; environment and conservation.
Training and resources are provided for the implementation of the projects to be carried out and continued in a self-sustainable manner.
The activity of tourism – when responsible – is an important tool for environmental conservation and acts as an instrument of guidance, awareness and preservation of Cultural Heritage, being they material, immaterial, living and natural. It is the duty of all of us to preserve, transmit respect and leave the legacy to future generations.