Great Plains Conservation and the Great Plains Foundation have fallen naturally under three pillars – Conservation, Communities and Land.
Our aim is to have robust, tried and tested methods based on science, but also innovative and game-changing conservation projects, short and long-term solutions, that can align with global efforts, while also supporting the ambitions of partners, including communities and governments.
The story of Great Plains has its roots in the earliest days of conservation; when the idea of protecting pristine wilderness was recognized as a public good. From those early models of conservation came the notion that to truly protect wilderness the entire ecosystem needed to be preserved. It is this approach, maintaining and when necessary restoring, functioning ecosystems that guides us.
Great Plains is committed to securing African landscapes at a scale large enough to protect resident and seasonal wildlife populations. In that effort, we identify and select key areas that are under threat, often next to national parks, World Heritage Sites, and reserves, and acquire the rights to convert that land to protected areas with economic benefits. For example, we convert hunting land or agricultural land to wildlife conservation supported by photographic tourism.
