PROTECTED
AREA
EXPANSION
Securing the landscapes that wildlife and people need to survive
Protected areas are the foundation of conservation. We work with landowners, communities, traditional leaders, and governments to secure, connect, and restore the landscapes that wildlife and people depend on, creating a growing network of protected areas across Africa.
PROTECTED AREA EXPANSION
WHY PROTECTED AREA
EXPANSION MATTERS
Across Africa, habitat loss and
fragmentation are among the
greatest threats to biodiversity
Expanding agriculture, mining, infrastructure, and human settlement continue to divide once-connected landscapes into isolated fragments, making it harder for wildlife to move, breed, and adapt.
Wide-ranging species such as African Wild Dogs, Cheetahs, Elephants, and Vultures depend on connected landscapes to survive. Healthy rivers, wetlands, and grasslands also provide clean water, climate resilience, and sustainable livelihoods for millions of people.
Protected areas provide long-term security for these landscapes. By protecting and connecting important habitats, we create space for wildlife to move, strengthen ecosystem resilience, and safeguard the natural systems that support both biodiversity and people.
PROTECTED AREA EXPANSION
THE CHALLENGES
WE ADDRESS
We work to address some of the
greatest barriers to landscape-scale
conservation including:
Habitat loss
and fragmentation.
Declining ecological
connectivity
that isolate wildlife populations.
Degraded rivers
wetlands and rangelands
Limited formal
protection
for important biodiversity.
Invasive alien plants
and habitat degradation.
Long-term
stewardship
and effective protected area management.
PROTECTED AREA EXPANSION
HOW WE CREATE
CHANGE
Creating protected areas is only one part of the solution. We combine science, partnership, ecological restoration, and long-term stewardship to secure connected landscapes that continue to deliver benefits for wildlife and people.
Securing protected areas
We work with private and communal landowners, traditional leaders, communities, and government conservation agencies to secure high-value land through Biodiversity Stewardship agreements, Protected Environments, Nature Reserves, conservancies, and other voluntary conservation mechanisms.
Connecting landscapes
We identify and secure ecological corridors that connect protected areas across landscapes and international borders, allowing wildlife to move freely, maintain healthy populations, and adapt to environmental change.
Restoring ecosystems
We restore degraded rivers, wetlands, grasslands, and rangelands by removing invasive alien plants, improving ecological processes, and rehabilitating habitats that support biodiversity, water security, and climate resilience.
Supporting long-term stewardship
Protected areas require ongoing management. We strengthen governance, develop management plans, build conservation capacity, and support landowners, communities, and protected area managers to ensure these landscapes remain healthy and productive over the long term.
PROTECTED AREA EXPANSION
OUR IMPACT
Creating larger, connected
Landscapes
We secure and connect areas of important habitat, giving wildlife the space to move, helping ecosystems remain healthy and resilient, and supporting people whose lives and livelihoods are connected to these areas.
Expanding protected areas
On 17 January 2025, we helped secure the declaration of the Western Soutpansberg Nature Reserve under South Africa’s National Environmental Management: Protected Areas Act. Covering 11,607 hectares across 14 properties, the reserve was created through the voluntary commitment of eight landowners, who chose to protect their land while continuing to manage their livelihoods.
The reserve represents the first formally protected portion of a broader conservation landscape, with more than 20 landowners already participating across 36,000 hectares. Our long-term goal is to secure 50,000 hectares of formally protected land in the Soutpansberg by 2030, strengthening connectivity with the Greater Limpopo and Greater Mapungubwe Transfrontier Conservation Areas.
PROTECTED AREA EXPANSION
WHERE WE WORK
We work across the EWT’s priority
landscapes, securing and connecting
the habitats that are most important
for biodiversity and ecological
resilience
Our work also extends beyond individual protected areas to ecological corridors, water source areas, and transboundary conservation landscapes, helping create connected networks
PROTECTED AREA EXPANSION
GET INVOLVED
Protecting land is only the beginning
Securing land for conservation creates the foundation for lasting impact. Keeping these landscapes healthy, connected and effectively managed requires long-term collaboration with landowners, communities, government, donors and conservation partners.
Together, we can secure and connect landscapes where wildlife and people can thrive.