$100M to Protect Parks? Absolutely, Says This Foundation

A conservation group based in South Africa just received its largest donation, thus putting the organization in a better position to manage the protected areas that are under its care.

“We are proud to support the public-private partnership model that makes African Parks so successful, and to help accelerate the organization’s ambitious 2030 goals,” says Rob Walton of the Rob and Melani Walton Foundation who pledged to give $100 million to the NGO.

African Parks manages 19 protected areas, covering 14.7 million hectares across the continent, including Iona National Park in Angola and Odzala-Kokoua National Park in the Republic of Congo. Both will receive some funds, the latter under the Legacy Landscapes Fund. Given over the next five years, the $100 million is “providing a source of stable long-term funding that will contribute enduring protection for some of the most biodiverse, threatened landscapes on the planet,” says Peter Fearnhead, CEO of African Parks.