The above calculation is only valid when executed properly. Conservation requires skilled management as well as a team of skilled law enforcement scouts and more capital than one probably realizes. There is an organization in Tanzania which figures that if you want to successfully protect a wildlife area, you need to put approximately $1000 into every square kilometer of land. Unfortunately, many of the African states which have made a concerted effort to protect their wildlife, do not have enough capital to put that type of money into each protected area. In Tanzania alone, there are over 20 protected areas (National Parks, Game Reserves, Wildlife Management Areas, etc)! However, there are some individuals who are investing privately in conservation areas in East Africa, supporting and training law enforcement teams and single handedly making a HUGE difference. What fuels some of this investment is tourism. But what tourism is really fuelling is a huge economic sector and employment for a vast amount of individuals living in places and situations where they would otherwise be unemployed. I was informed at one stage a couple years ago that in sub-Saharan Africa, tourism is the second largest hard currency earner, behind natural resources….that is big! If tourism did not exist, the governments and people in these areas would not be protecting these incredible ecosystems. There are multiple obstacles for conservation in East Africa, some of which are poaching and a lack of funds and private individuals/companies assisting the government in conservation/law enforcement systems. SO if you can’t fund an entire project, then at least come visit and contribute to the driving force of the protection of incredible wildlife, people and places. As the rest of the world homogenizes, support the uniqueness of what Africa has to offer before it gets lost!
Below is a list of organizations, safari companies and people which I respect and which I will no doubt elaborate on at later stages:
Friedkins/Friedkin Conservation Fund/Legendary Adventures: www.legendaryadventure.com OR www.friedkinfund.org
