Protected and conserved areas play a key role in protecting biological diversity and ecosystem services upon which Africa’s economy and people depend. These areas need reliable and sustainable sources of funding to maintain their daily management operations, meet conservation targets, provide quality visitor experiences, where appropriate, and provide benefits to communities living in proximity to the conservation areas.

Eastern and Southern Africa’s protected areas face a significant financing and resourcing challenge, especially those areas that protect large and wide-ranging mammals, such as rhino, elephant, lion and wild dog. While the funding, management and associated staffing requirements of individual protected areas varies according to factors such as local geographical features, shape, climate, cultural context, species living in the area, adjacent land uses and populations, there is consensus that there is a significant funding gap across Eastern and Southern Africa.

Average scores for headline indicators from the most recent assessments

Source: BIOPAMA (2017).

Funding gap and available financing resources in 15 countries in Eastern and Southern Africa

Breakdown of internally generated revenue in seven countries: Eswatini, Ethiopia, Kenya, Namibia, South Africa, Tanzania, and Uganda