*A version of this article originally appeared in the January 2022 Bush Telegraph newsletter. You can read our recent newsletters and sign-up to receive these in your inbox on our Bush Telegraph newsletter page.
Reliable, long-term funding is critical to conservation. While one-off donations, large and small, can have a significant impact, ongoing funding commitments ensure the stability that allows conservation teams to properly plan, develop and fully embed their core initiatives.
Across the globe, there are some impressive philanthropic ventures and charitable foundations working alongside governments to ensure such long-term ventures can flourish. One of the most recent of these organisations is the Legacy Landscapes Fund (LLF), an international public-private partnership created to protect areas of outstanding natural beauty and importance in developing countries.
The fund’s aim is to establish a portfolio of 30 protected areas by 2030 and support them with reliable, long-term funding for sustainable conservation, biodiversity preservation, climate protection and the creation of secure livelihoods for local people.
Backed by some of the world’s most generous conservation donors, including the Rob and Melani Walton Foundation and the Wyss Foundation, LLF is wasting no time in selecting and supporting its chosen biodiversity hotspots. In the fund’s first year, it has approved four sites, including North Luangwa National Park in Zambia, and now, by unanimous vote, Gonarezhou National Park in neighbouring Zimbabwe.
Adjoining Mozambique’s vast Limpopo National Park and South Africa’s Kruger National Park, Gonarezhou is a quiet park spanning 5,000km² of tall grassy pans, dense woodlands and winding river gorges. Wonderfully raw and rugged, famed for its elephants, sandstone cliffs, laid-back safari lodges and, most recently, its commitment to the reintroduction of rhino, Gonarezhou is a deserving recipient of this financial commitment. Managed for years by the Gonarezhou Conservation Trust, a committed team from ZimParks and the local community working alongside experienced conservationists from the Frankfurt Zoological Society, the park is a true wilderness, offering sanctuary to numerous species of mammals and birds, plus safari aficionados. We are thrilled for the team on the ground and excited to see the potential of Gonarezhou realised over years to come.
A visit to Gonarezhou is usually part of a longer Zimbabwe safari, perhaps in combination with the equally remote Mana Pools National Park. Both are revered for their walking opportunities and excellent, old-school guiding – see our Bat Hawk Safari for a superbly unspoilt, immersive experience.
If you’ve been inspired and want to find out more, give us a call or enquire now to speak to an expert.
