Gamewatchers & EarthAcre Delivers Conservation Payments
Gamewatchers & EarthAcre Partnership Delivers Direct Conservation Payments in Kenya
In a landmark move set to reshape conservation across Africa, EarthAcre, in partnership with the African Natural Capital Alliance (ANCA), officially launched a groundbreaking model that ensures community landowners are directly paid for safeguarding nature. After years of working together, Gamewatchers’ partnership with EarthAcre is now delivering tangible results. This innovative conservation finance model is live across several landscapes including in two of Kenya’s most iconic community conservancies — Ol Kinyei and Selenkay, home to the award-winning Porini Safari Camps by Gamewatchers Safaris.
This isn’t just a policy shift — it’s a transformation of how nature conservation is valued and compensated on the ground. For decades, indigenous communities have been the frontline stewards of wildlife-rich landscapes. Now, with the new EarthAcre model, they’re being fairly compensated with direct, transparent, and scalable payments — a significant addition to the income they already receive through eco-tourism partnerships.
What’s New? A Model That Puts Communities First
Conservation has long been recognised as noble work — and while organisations like Gamewatchers Safaris have consistently paid landowners for protecting habitats, this hasn’t always been the norm across the wider conservation landscape.
With EarthAcre’s digital platform, a new model is emerging — one that ensures landowners are directly and transparently paid for the ecological value of the land they protect. Here’s how:
- Traceable payments: No middlemen. Landowners receive income directly, regardless of the complexity of community structures.
- Quantifiable outcomes: Partnering with Harvard’s Davies Lab, EarthAcre measures real, science-based ecological results.
- Layered income: Communities in Ol Kinyei and Selenkay now benefit from both eco-tourism and conservation-linked finance — turning nature stewardship into a viable, long-term livelihood.
- Free, Prior, and Informed Consent (FPIC): A cornerstone of EarthAcre’s approach, ensuring every participant joins on their own terms.
Voices from the Land
Meet Luke Mamai – Landowner, Conservationist, and Direct Beneficiary of EarthAcre’s Pioneer Model that Pays Communities Directly for Nature Stewardship.
Luke is a landowner from Selenkay Conservancy where our Porini Amboseli Camp is located. He has been a direct beneficiary of setting his land aside for wildlife habitat conservation — through this model and other community-powered conservation efforts.
Speaking during the official launch, Luke shared what this new model means for him and others: not just recognition, but real, measurable value for protecting nature. This is conservation backed by compensation — with transparency, equity, and dignity at its core.
- Benefits to Wildlife: increased areas of natural habitat protected by anti-poaching rangers and reduced conflict with local people
- Benefits to Local People: regular income from lease payments and employment
- Benefits to Visitors: eco-friendly safari experiences in exclusive wildlife areas away from tourist crowds
This video clip explains more:
Dan Pere from Ol Kinyei reminds us why leasing land for conservation matters — not just for wildlife, but as a real income source for communities.
Dan says it best: “Protecting land means investing in our future.”
Daniel Mamai, manager and landowner at Selenkay Conservancy, has already received direct payments through the new EarthAcre model — clear proof that this system works. He believes this is the way forward, encouraging more landowners to join in. It’s a shift beyond relying solely on eco-tourism, creating a dual-income approach that rewards communities for protecting wildlife and preserving habitat.
More landowners joining means more wildlife saved and stronger communities empowered. Conservation with compensation? Now that’s a game-changer.
Indigenous communities around the world manage over 80% of Earth’s biodiversity — yet have historically received little financial recognition. EarthAcre’s approach flips the script. With backing from the Klarna/Milkywire Nature Transformation Fund and support from leading African corporations via ANCA, this model isn’t just about Kenya — it’s a scalable blueprint for global change.
“This isn’t just a conservation project. It’s the start of a more just and inclusive conservation economy,” says Patita Nkamunu, Co-founder of EarthAcre. “It ensures the people doing the work — the true guardians of biodiversity — are finally compensated with equity, transparency, and dignity.”
The Road Ahead
With agreements in place to scale from 35,000 acres to over 1 million acres, EarthAcre’s model has the potential to become one of the most impactful nature-based financial solutions in Africa and beyond.
As the world looks to nature-based solutions for climate resilience and biodiversity protection, Kenya is already leading the way. Through the commitment of communities in Ol Kinyei and Selenkay, and the continued innovation of partners like EarthAcre and ANCA, conservation is becoming not only sustainable but empowering.
Learn more about how Gamewatchers Safaris protects biodiversity here: https://www.porini.com/biodiversity/ and how it supports community conservation at https://wildlifehabitattrust.org/trust-projects/
Posted on 14th July 2025
By Ivy Vuguza
