Nonprofit Conservation Partnerships
Addressing the devastating consequences of climate change and providing alternative livelihoods
We partner with conservation organizations to provide sustainable alternative livelihoods with the goal of providing climate-smart business opportunities while reducing illegal activities which are environmentally destructive. We have unique experience with such partnerships in national parks and protected areas, linking our work to addressing climate change, human-wildlife conflict, habitat destruction and the bushmeat trade.
As part of our new strategy, all our entrepreneurs will be supported to operate ‘climate-smart’ businesses that can withstand shocks and do not degrade their local environment.
Providing alternative livelihoods: reducing reliance on bushmeat hunting in Democratic Republic of Congo
Funded by the Arcus Foundation, Village Enterprise successfully partnered with African Wildlife Foundation (AWF), the leading international conservation organization focused solely on Africa, in a dual mission to improve the livelihoods of residents in the Lomako area while protecting the local bonobo population there. Bonobos, found only in the DRC, are humankind’s closest living relative and are threatened due to poverty and conflict that fuel the hunting of wild animals for food. We worked closely with AWF to adapt our graduation model based on local needs and to build staff capacity to implement our poverty graduation program.
“I am amazed to see the difference the program has made to the individuals that participated. Lomako is a very difficult, complex context, and so the fact that the entrepreneurs have succeeded is even more impressive.”Charly Facheux, African Wildlife Foundation, Vice President, Strategy, Knowledge Management and Impact
Adapting the graduation program for alternative sources of income to illegal hunting and fishing
In 2020, we completed a feasibility study for partnership with Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) in the Democratic Republic of Congo and the Republic of Congo. The study’s objectives are to implement an adapted version of the Village Enterprise graduation program under the Environmentally Preferable Purchasing and Sustainable Wildlife Management projects in the Republic of Congo, and produce a design that will enable Wildlife Conservation Society and Village Enterprise to raise additional funds to implement graduation in the Democratic Republic of Congo.