The winners of the Regenerative Travel 2021 Impact Awards have been announced, and we are pleased that our Adopt An Acre Initiative has won in the “Conservation” category.
The Regenerative Travel Impact Awards celebrate people and projects that embody the spirit of regeneration—improving people’s lives, communities, and the world around us. They are advocates for inspiring changemakers working to solve our biggest challenges and inspiring positive action, both inside and outside of travel.
Here is our Managing Director, Dr Mohanjeet Brar, accepting the award.
Adopt An Acre for Wildlife Initiative
Our mission for nearly three decades has been to create more space for wildlife by expanding the area of natural habitat beyond the National Parks so that a larger area is preserved in which the wild animals can live safely in their natural environment.
By working with the local communities adjacent to the parks we have created thriving wildlife conservancies (reserves) through the leasing of their land and setting it aside for wildlife. This provides land owners with a regular income greater than they would attain from farming, plus it creates jobs and livelihoods for their family members within the conservancy and gives them a reason to protect wildlife. In return, they allow us to operate a small, low-key eco-friendly tented camp within each conservancy to generate tourist income with which the leases are paid.
- 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
It is the income from safari tourism and the Adopt An Acre plan that pays for land to be set aside for wildlife. With the total closure of safari tourism for months in 2020 and an ongoing reduction in tourism due to the global Coronavirus Pandemic, there is growing concern about the welfare of those Maasai communities who depend on the income from tourism in the conservancies. There are also fears that the future of these important areas of protected wildlife habitat may be threatened with serious consequences for the many wildlife species that have made them their home.
Through our “Adopt-an-Acre” plan, contributors have been adopting areas of conservancy land with donations which are helping to pay the land leases so that the Maasai families continue receiving the rents and the conservancies can continue to exist.
We are very grateful to those that have already supported our Adopt-an-Acre campaign to keep the conservancies running. If you have not already donated and you would like to find out more please see: Adopt an Acre for Wildlife …
As a special incentive, those donating to adopt 30 acres or more will receive a travel credit for the same amount donated to be used for payment of a future stay at Porini Camps!
