natural reserve
For biodiversity: Millionaires invest in Africa’s nature
White rhinos at J. Hume’s private rhino sanctuary in South Africa. The South African owner of the largest rhino breeding project in the world wants to pass on his farm. photo
© Jürgen Bätz/dpa
$10 million is the starting bid for a massive rhino breeding project. Many wealthy people are now pouring large sums into nature conservation, including Germans. The money helps save biodiversity.
They’ve made huge sums of money in the private sector. Now private philanthropists are pouring large amounts into conservation in Africa. The South African owner of the largest rhino breeding project in the world now wants to pass on his farm: John Hume is said to own almost 2000 white rhinos on his “Platinum Rhino” ranch in South Africa – the starting price of the auction, which runs until May 1, was set at 10 million US dollars (9, 5 million euros).
Many animal and environmental projects could not be financed without financially strong private investors, says Richard Vigne, executive director of the School of Wildlife Conservation at the African Leadership University in Nairobi. There has been a significant increase in investments by private philanthropists, especially since the corona pandemic, which raised the connection between people, nature and climate into the global discourse. Among them are also Germans.
Hasso Plattner’s wife protects rainforests
Sabine Plattner, the wife of the co-founder of Europe’s largest software manufacturer SAP, Hasso Plattner, has been campaigning for the protection of the rainforests in the Republic of Congo for years. Among other things, she is concerned with the highly endangered mountain gorillas in Odzala-Kokoua National Park. Her privately funded Congo Conservation Company wants to boost ecotourism here, according to the Hasso Plattner Foundation. The charity organization African Charities, founded by Plattner, also supports the Dzanga Sangha Reserve in the Central African Republic. For her commitment, Plattner received the Federal Cross of Merit and the “Medal de Chevalleur” from the President of the Republic of the Congo in 2019.
The heart of the German ex-Puma CEO and current boss of the American motorcycle brand Harley-Davidson, Jochen Zeitz, has been beating for Africa for many years. The 60-year-old has poured millions of euros into his carbon-neutral eco-luxury resort Segera, a 50-hectare conservation area in the heart of Kenya’s Laikipia safari region. Segera – where Zeitz also owns a private house – is the seat of the Zeitz Foundation, which promotes nature conservation projects. In addition, Zeitz initiated “The Long Run”, an association of dozens of resorts that are committed to sustainability and nature conservation.
It’s missing more than $600 billion a year
Richard Vigne of the African Leadership University says that because many African governments do not see their protected areas as economically profitable, these countries underinvest in nature and animal protection. According to the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP), the global biodiversity funding gap is estimated to be between $598 billion and $824 billion per year through 2030.
Nature conservation organizations and governments alone could not do this, says Philipp Göltenboth, Africa director of the environmental foundation WWF Germany. “In principle, it’s great that private individuals invest money in nature conservation,” he says. “It’s good that support comes from different sectors.” Among other things, this could lead to successful public-private partnerships. This is the only way one can hope to one day close the massive financial gap for biodiversity, according to Göltenboth.
Positive examples of private ventures include those of British billionaire Jim Ratcliffe and US stockbroker Paul Tudor Jones, says Richard Vigne. Jones had started investing in Africa in the 1990s. He says he has helped conserve over two million hectares of land through his African Community Conservation Foundation and the Malilangwe Trust.
Private donors instead of governments
“The greatest threat to Africa is the extinction of biodiversity. Due to the population explosion and the encroachment into formerly wild areas, animals and plants are disappearing every day,” Jones told the British newspaper “The Times” in 2021. Since many African governments do not have the will or the budget to save the wilderness, he realized that private donors had to step in.
Ratcliffe, who chairs petrochemicals group INEOS, is currently focusing on a $10 million project in southern Tanzania. “The creation of a sustainable and environmentally friendly safari tourism will both protect the wildlife and create sources of income for the population,” he describes his project.
There are numerous other examples of well-funded investors who have made a positive contribution in Africa. “I would like more and more billionaires to realize that nature is completely underfunded,” says Helge Mahne, director of global funding at the animal rights organization African Parks. “Africa is home to about 20 percent of global biodiversity. Once it’s lost, we can’t restore it.”
UNEP report Plattner Foundation website Sabine Plattner African Charities website Zeitz Foundation website The Long Run Initiative website Malilangwe Trust website African Community Conservation Foundation website The Times Interview with Paul Tudor Jones Paul Allen Family Foundation website Carr Foundation Jim Rattcliffe on his investments in Tanzania