By Werner Myburgh, CEO, Peace Parks Foundation
Africa’s Conservation Future
In the next 30 to 50 years, Africa’s conservation will face unprecedented challenges that demand a fundamentally new approach. With the trends already evident, the decisions we make now will define whether people, wildlife and ecosystems can remain healthy in a rapidly changing world.
Unprecedented Challenges
One thing is clear: Africa will become the world’s most populous and climate-impacted continent. Urbanisation is accelerating and as populations and affluence rise, the demand for land, water and resources grows. Nature will carry the weight of these pressures.
Pressures on People and Nature
The competition between people and wildlife for land and water will continue to increase. At the same time, fragmented landscapes are increasingly unable to sustain wildlife, support human wellbeing or withstand climate shocks. Population growth, climate change and land use pressure are driving rapid degradation across the region, threatening biodiversity, ecosystem services and community resilience.
Keeping Ecosystems Healthy
To keep ecosystems healthy, two things are essential: peaceful coexistence between people and wildlife, and sustainable use of resources. That is the big picture. The question is, how does one relatively small organisation help shift this trajectory? First, people who are directly dependent on natural resources must benefit from keeping ecosystems healthy. The cornerstone of a healthy, functional planet is the protection of wilderness. Intact, biodiverse landscapes remain productive and resilient, and protected areas are the backbone of these systems.
The Way We Support Governments Must Evolve
This means the way we support governments in managing state protected areas must evolve.
At Peace Parks Foundation, we explored how existing models might adapt to the rapidly changing pressures facing Africa’s ecosystems and identified opportunities to strengthen long-term resilience. As many approaches depend on varying levels of external support, we see value in complementing them with governance structures designed to remain stable over the long term. This raises an important question: how do we build a system that endures?
A System That Endures
Because of the long-term impacts we anticipate, far more should be done to evolve towards protected area management models where we prioritise local ownership and local leadership without compromising on the business principles of accountability, efficiency, sustainability and impact.
Integrated Co-Management
Our approach is to create new park management entities where all key stakeholders are recognised in decision-making. We call this integrated co-management.
This is achieved in two ways:
- A governance structure with strong local ownership, ensuring community leaders, government and key stakeholders are represented at Board level.
- A lean, professional management team beneath that Board, with a CEO and staff capable of delivering efficiency, transparency and high performance.
Nyika Vwaza Co-Management Trust
A flagship example is the Nyika Vwaza Co-management Trust in Malawi, which is responsible for managing over 400,000 ha of state protected areas, including the oldest and largest national park in Malawi, the Nyika National Park. The Trust is fully registered and, of its 15 Board members, only two are non-Malawian. The Board includes community leaders, district and national government, the private sector and independent professionals.
The Trust functions exactly like a company: it appoints the best management it can afford, which it has now done. A CEO has been put in place, the team is being built and government staff are already seconded to the new entity. This model blends private sector efficiency with inclusive governance.
Success Should Inspire Scale
Our ambition for the Nyika Vwaza Trust is simple yet bold: success should inspire scale. If this model works, governments and community leaders across Africa will see that inclusive governance is not just possible – it is powerful.
Models Suited to the Continent’s Future
Success means more than safeguarding land. It means building governance systems that remain resilient under increasing ecological and social pressures. It means learning from global experiences, where isolated protected areas have faced challenges such as biodiversity loss and costly restoration efforts. This is Africa’s opportunity to lead by drawing on global lessons and shaping governance models suited to the continent’s future.
Can We Adapt Fast Enough?
The coming decades will be challenging. But they also offer an opportunity for Africa to set new global standards for models that work – for people and nature. The question is not whether we can adapt. It is whether we can adapt fast enough.
Helping Shape That Future
At Peace Parks Foundation, we are committed to helping shape that future, building integrated, future-fit governance structures that protect ecosystems, support communities and keep Africa’s wild places intact for generations to come.
