Opinion: Three bottom lines will decide conservation's future

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Conservation in Africa is increasingly being judged by its ability to deliver environmental protection, economic growth and community benefit at the same time. Richard Vigne argues that achieving one at the expense of the others ultimately weakens both conservation and the economies that depend on it.

• Richard Vigne is the Executive Director of the School of Wildlife Conservation at the African Leadership University. He writes: "In wildlife conservation, no single bottom line is enough. Profit without ecological restraint destroys the product. Conservation without enterprise becomes dependent and fragile. Community benefit without a functioning wildlife economy becomes charity, not development."

• He adds that the triple bottom line will remain "empty language" unless it is embedded in governance, regulation and executive incentives, with conservation institutions held accountable for delivering outcomes for people, planet and profit simultaneously.

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