Making a difference in conservation with Great Plains and lodges alike
By traveling to Africa on a luxury safari holiday with Journey Beyond, you can make a real and lasting difference through supporting – and even getting involved in – groundbreaking conservation and community initiatives. Many of our favorite safari operators are leveraging the transformative power of ecotourism to give back to local communities and to wildlife. Great Plains – who run some of the best lodges in Africa – are a great example of this.
Protecting rhinos
Many of Africa’s most iconic species face challenges, but perhaps none more so than rhinos. The pressure on these remarkable creatures from poachers can be intense, and Great Plains – acting through their charitable conservation Foundation – were not prepared to simply get despondent. Instead, they intervened.
In 2015, they launched their Rhinos Without Borders joint venture with andBeyond (another renowned safari operator). A total of 87 rhinos were moved from South Africa to safer locations in Botswana, where they have successfully bred and increased their numbers naturally.
Unfortunately, the poachers realised what had happened, and began to threaten the relocated rhinos. In response, Great Plains created a dedicated team of rhino monitors, responsible for studying the rhinos and ensuring their conservation and security. Through a powerful mix of compassion, science and determination, Rhinos Without Borders is helping to save rhinos in Africa.
Restoring a unique biosphere
The Sapi Reserve in Zimbabwe’s Zambezi Valley is like many other wilderness areas in Africa: beautiful but threatened. Fortunately, this wonderful wildlife sanctuary is now under the care of the Great Plains Foundation, which means that it has a much brighter future.
Great Plains have proven their conservation credentials by managing the Selinda Reserve in Botswana, and in the case of Sapi, they’ve adopted a similar approach. Consulting experts helped them devise a strategic conservation plan for the area that brings together ecotourism, wildlife monitoring, supporting the local Parks Department, and even reintroducing species that had disappeared locally.
Great Plains were one of the pioneers of combining conservation with sound business methods, and their approach is already paying vital ecological dividends in this UNESCO World Heritage Site, as well as creating meaningful livelihoods for local people.
Great Plains cure for healthcare access
Many people living in remote parts of Africa lack access to the kind of facilities and services that we sometimes take for granted. In the case of rural communities in countries like Botswana and Kenya, this can include difficulties with reaching doctors and nurses. As a result, people can’t always get the medications and care they need.
The Great Plains Foundation realised that if the patients couldn’t get to the doctors, then the doctors must come to the patients. That lightbulb moment has led to an innovative programme that brings medical professionals from clinics to schools in villages (schools are often the focal points in these communities).
In particular, they’ve been focusing on eyesight challenges, and creating teams of international and regional specialists who move from village to village, conducting eye tests and helping kids get the glasses they need.
Improved eyesight naturally leads to doing better at school – something as simple as a sight chart can unlock access to a world of opportunities.
To experience these exciting and rewarding conservation and community projects at first hand, contact the travel experts at Journey Beyond and have a look at our Great Plains Conservation Itinerary where you can experience the wonders of a luxury African safari while supporting incredible causes.