Organization
African ParksNatural Project
AfricaStarted
01/2025Status
In progressAbout African Parks
African Parks is a non-profit conservation organisation that takes on responsibility for the long-term management of protected areas in partnership with governments and local communities.
Mission: African Parks was founded in 2000 in response to the dramatic decline of biodiversity across Africa due to poor management of national parks and protected areas and lack of funding. Our goal is to restore and effectively manage these landscapes so they can become sustainable and deliver a multitude of benefits for people and wildlife – at scale.
Growth: The organisation currently manages 23 protected areas in 13 countries covering over 20 million hectares. This is the largest portfolio of protected areas managed by any one NGO on the continent.
Model: African Parks pioneered the “Public-Private Partnership” model, which has proven to be one of the most effective ways of managing protected areas in Africa, and now recognised within the conservation sector as best practice for achieving results on the ground. We are 100% accountable to our government and community partners, who remain the policy-makers and owners of the landscapes.
Rhino Rewild: Rescue, Rewild, Renew
Phase 1: Rescue
In 2008, a private rhino breeding farm was set up as a commercial venture in South Africa. Over 15 years, the farm became the world’s largest southern white rhino captive breeding operation, amassing over 2,000 rhino. However, the venture was unable to secure financial partners or establish a sustainable funding model.
In jeopardy of the rhino being poached or fragmented as part of a liquidation process, African Parks purchased the operation with one clear intent: to rewild these rhino over the next 10 years to well-managed and secure areas, establishing or supplementing strategic populations, thereby de-risking the future of the species.
Phase 2: Rewild
African Parks plans to translocate up to 300 rhinos annually, to multiple, well-managed protected areas across Africa over the next 10 years. With 23 parks under management in 13 countries, African Parks is establishing multiple release sites within its existing network, as well as working with other conservation organisations, communities and governments to establish additional sites, ensuring that the rhinos will be protected in their new, wild homes. The goal is to establish seven to 20 healthy wild rhino meta-populations at the end of the 10-year timeline.
Phase 3: Renew
Once rewilded into safe, wild areas, these rhino – with ongoing management and protection – will establish new populations and supplement existing ones, helping to de-risk the species as well as
play a role in repairing critically important ecosystems. This phase is essential for ensuring that seven to 20 meta-populations and their ecosystems are protected in the long term, leaving an indelible impact on biodiversity during the most critical decade for our planet.
Rhino Ready
The crux of the solution and the ultimate success for rewilding 2,000 rhino, lies in the existence of safe, well-protected and effectively managed areas across Africa – something which African Parks has been achieving for over 20 years.
The three key pillars of our management model:
- Biodiversity conservation
- Community development
- Park revenue generation
These are the main components needed for the safe return and rewilding of these species.
Read more about the Rhino Rewild Project
"We are thankful to the VGP Foundation for joining forces with us in support of the Rhino Rewild Initiative. This partnership is helping to build a legacy of hope for future generations, securing the survival of this iconic species and making a lasting impact on Africa’s remaining wild spaces."
African Parks
