The Luc Hoffmann Institute, the African Leadership University’s School of Wildlife Conservation and the WWF Regional Office for Africa are running Beyond Tourism in Africa, an innovation challenge to identify, incubate and promote innovative sources of income from wildlife that go beyond tourism and help local communities manage their natural resources sustainably and improve their collective wellbeing. Participants have the chance to win a place in the African Leadership University’s incubation programme and access to seed money.
Over the past 30 years, conservation in Africa has become heavily dependent on tourism for revenue – especially photographic tourism and trophy hunting. However, tourism is vulnerable to social, economic or political instability. The global shutdown caused by the COVID-19 pandemic has further highlighted the vulnerability of a conservation model based solely on tourism.
Because of this accelerated need for diverse revenue streams, we are seeking bold ideas that allow for the protection of wildlife while also providing livelihoods and economic resilience to the communities who manage land or live in close proximity to wildlife. Our ambition is to transform the way local communities derive benefits for the conservation of wildlife.
Innovators from around the world are welcome to apply, especially people from non-traditional conservation and alternative sectors and those with strong ties to rural communities in Africa.
Learn More
Applications will be accepted from 1 September to 15 October 2020 through an online application portal at https://bit.ly/beyondtourismafrica.
For more information about the innovation challenge, or to provide funding to enhance the project’s reach and impact and contribute to the future of conservation, get in touch: innovationchallenge@wwfint.org
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