Wyss Foundation Commits $65M to African Parks to Secure Protected Areas in Africa

The Wyss Foundation today announced a commitment of up to $65 million to the South African-based conservation organization African Parks to support the protection and management of four existing parks in Rwanda and Malawi and to enable the nonprofit organization to conserve up to five new protected areas yet to be identified in other countries.

African Parks, a conservation organization founded in 2000, takes on the direct, long-term management responsibility of national parks and protected areas in partnership with governments to save wildlife, restore landscapes and ensure sustainable livelihoods for local communities. African Parks currently manages ten parks in seven countries, totaling approximately 6 million hectares of protected areas.

“The Wyss Foundation is partnering with African Parks to safeguard more large wild landscapes in Africa from poaching and destruction,” Hansjörg Wyss, founder and chairman of The Wyss Foundation, said. “African Parks has demonstrated success in cooperating with local leaders, communities and African nations in preserving ecosystems benefiting wildlife, while supporting local communities and populations. We are proud of our partnership with African Parks.”