African Parks tests a new model for perpetual funding

From the newsletter

The Rob Walton Foundation has given African Parks a grant of $4.6 million to test a new funding model for the protection of nature. The model uses something called Verifiable Nature Units, with each unit representing one square kilometre whose ecological condition is maintained or improved over a period of one year.  

• Parks and conservancies could use this model to secure funding for ongoing conservation. African Parks is exploring the model’s use in community-managed landscapes.

• Proving results requires satellite data backed by wildlife monitoring on the ground and independent verification. Smaller conservancies need funding and expertise to gather that evidence. It remains unclear how much of the resulting income would be left after covering costs.

More details