Wildlife economy summit to launch African-led conservation

Heads of state, business leaders, technical experts and community representatives are gathering in Zimbabwe's Victoria Falls on June 23-25 for the Africa wildlife economy summit, which aims to radically change the way the continent's nature-based economy is managed.

Convened by the United Nations Environment Program and the African Union and hosted by Emmerson Mnangagwa, the president of Zimbabwe, the summit will launch the African Wildlife Economy Initiative.

The initiative is an African-led vision of conservation that links the private sector with national authorities and local communities to design and finance conservation-compatible investments that deliver sustainable economic and ecological benefits to countries, people and the environment.

At least 12 ministerial delegations from Angola, Zimbabwe, Botswana, Gambia, Zambia, Chad and South Sudan are attending the summit, as well as private sector tourism and conservation investors, representatives from communities, conservation scientists and policymakers. Representatives from at least 30 countries are expected to attend the event.

Businesses built on Africa's natural landscapes and wildlife -- including tourism; the harvesting of plants and natural products for food, cosmetics or medicines; and wildlife credit schemes -- employ millions of people and earn governments billions of dollars in revenue. Alongside commercial rewards, conserved habitats drive local, regional and global environmental benefits.

A working paper by Space for Giants, supported by UNEP and the World Conservation Monitoring Center, will be released at the summit. According to the paper, consumer spending on tourism, hospitality and recreation in Africa, estimated at $124 billion in 2015, is expected to reach $262 billion by 2030. But even as economies built on wildlife continue to grow, they must take into account economic, social and ecological sustainability.

Key to social sustainability is ensuring local communities are co-investors in the nature-based economy. The people living with nature must be at the center of transactions, and communities must be treated as equal partners, with their own conservation and development aspirations similarly valued alongside important interventions to conserve species.

"To save wildlife and preserve livelihoods, we must ensure that wild spaces remain a legitimate and competitive land-use option," said Joyce Msuya, deputy executive director of UNEP. "We must create a new and effective wildlife economy."

"Africa has made significant headway in protecting natural spaces and conserving wildlife and ecosystems," said Josefa Correia Sacko, AU commissioner for rural economy and agriculture.

Sacko added, "It is high time to boost economies through Africa-led public-private partnerships that place communities at the heart of investment, while taking into account the need to continue the conservation pathway."