1.Front section - IUCN

Building support for protected areas through tourism 11
On each property the benefits to wildlife
conservation are significant, for example at Phinda,
adjoining the St Lucia Wetlands, CC Africa
pioneered the translocation of family herds of
elephants. They also pioneered lion reintroduction.
Twelve lions were initially introduced; currently 17
lions occupy the property and 45 have been relocated
to approved reserves. Phinda was pivotal in
restocking reserves with tuberculosis-free buffalo,
providing the only TB quarantine facility in
KwaZulu-Natal province. It is one of the most
successful free-roaming cheetah-breeding reserves
in the world. Less than 30 cheetah existed in the
province’s parks prior to Phinda. Fifteen cheetah
were reintroduced; currently 18 are in residence, and
45 have been relocated. The initial reintroduction of
26 endangered white rhinos has grown to a current
population of 60.
In 1992 they established the Rural Investment
Fund (RIF), now called Africa Foundation, as an
independent not-for-profit rural development
organization. The Foundation channels financial
contributions received from guests and the corporate
sector into education, health, water provision and
other projects. The Foundation has committed
approximately $US 4 million to consultative
community development projects in five African
countries. This includes building more than 65
classrooms and 18 pre-schools, training 250 teachers
and 4500 pupils in environmental awareness through
conservation lessons; awarding university level
scholarships to more than 150 students and building
three health clinics. The Ololosokwan Clinic close to
CC Africa’s Klein’s Camp in Tanzania now serves
between 350 and 700 people a week with just one
doctor in attendance. They employ more than 1300
local staff members, with some 13,000 dependants,
and provide $US 1.7 million in wages per year
across Africa (Carlisle and Bagley, 2003).
Linking practice to conventions and
guidelines
A major accreditation initiative for the NSW Camping
and Caravan Industry Association (CCIA), Australia,
uses the critical elements from a number of
international guidelines on sustainable tourism
including the UNEP, WTO and CBD guidelines. The
Gumnut Award Programme demonstrates a
commitment to continuous improvement in
environmental sustainability and social responsibility.
The caravan and camping sector is important in the
context of outdoor tourism and recreation. It provides
approximately 51% of the accommodation sector in
Australia and has a growth rate of 15% per annum in
visitation (Baillie, 2002). The majority of properties
are situated in or near very sensitive coastal
Game drive in South
Africa where private
tourism ventures such
as Conservation
Corporation Africa are
restoring habitat,
restocking mega fauna
and providing jobs and
income to local
communities.
© Conservation Corporation Africa
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