In her ‘thought piece’ entitled Looking beyond hunting and tourism for community benefits published in October 2019 by Luc Hoffman Institute, Melissa de Kock (WWF-Norway, Senior Advisor: Conservation, Climate and Communities) states that for community based conservation to evolve beyond the existing models based on tourism and hunting, initiatives such as those taken up jointly by Luc Hoffman Institute and WWF-Norway to identify and evolve new business models for community based conservation are needed.
An excerpt from the piece: “I presented the preliminary findings from the report at the Africa Leadership University ‘Business of Conservation Conference’ in Kigali, Rwanda in early September. Participants, which included entrepreneurs, financial experts, and conservation professionals, not only had questions about the project itself and its robustness for financial investment, but also had more ethical questions, including how to allow communities to retain ownership, access and management rights over the wildlife. Ideas suggested in the discussions included tax incentives for investors, preferential loans and access to social benefits for communities, funding for landscape-level land leases, and small-scale models aimed at individuals. Participants also reaffirmed the need to look beyond financial benefits for communities. This sentiment echoes what I have heard from many community members in rural areas in Southern and East Africa, who frequently emphasise the importance of many social and cultural benefits from their sustainable management of wildlife.”
Read Melissa de Kock’s piece here.
