Challenge launched to advance conservation efforts

The Wilderness Trust announced the launch of the inaugural Wilderness Impact Challenge, an initiative aimed at advancing wildlife conservation and rural development.

With a U$100 000 prize to help bring the winning idea to life, this challenge builds on Wilderness' long-standing commitment to conserving Africa’s rich biodiversity, while addressing the urgent need for creative solutions to human-wildlife conflict.

“Conservation as we know it isn’t succeeding fast enough. That is why we have pioneered a new model to creatively disrupt the way conservation has traditionally been funded. We are shifting our focus from merely protecting specific species to reimagining entire ecosystems and economies, ensuring that our solutions are both scalable and sustainable,” said Vincent Shacks, Wilderness Group Impact Manager.

According to Wilderness, the challenge seeks resourceful solutions that promote human-wildlife coexistence and enhance wildlife security. It said that rooted in three core pillars – Educate, Empower and Protect – Wilderness' Impact strategy aims to address critical conservation issues.

For its 2024 edition, the challenge will concentrate on the Protect pillar, inviting submissions that focus on wildlife areas and the communities connected to them in Namibia, Botswana, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Tanzania, Kenya and Rwanda.

The challenge encourages entries from individuals and organisations worldwide, addressing vital areas such as developing technology like early-warning systems and non-lethal deterrents, designing eco-friendly barriers to safeguard crops and livestock, and implementing community-driven conflict resolution and educational programmes.



Tangible reality

Wilderness said that following a comprehensive review process, a panel of judges would assess the entries and award U$100 000 to the most impactful project, assisting in transforming the winning entrant’s or team’s idea into a tangible reality.

“We invite innovators, researchers and community leaders from all corners of the globe to submit their proposals and join us in this exciting new chapter of conservation. This challenge embodies our ethos of forging new paths and we are excited to explore disruptive solutions that will balance human and wildlife needs while advancing our commitment to sustainability and impactful change,” Shacks said.

The Wilderness Impact Challenge opened for entries on 3 December 2024 and will close on 28 February 2025.

All interested individuals and organisations are encouraged to register and participate. Finalists will be announced on 14 March 2025, with the winner revealed at the end of March.

For additional information or enquiries, contact [email protected] or visit the website.