Make Money in Africa with Wild Animals

The Phinda Game Reserve is a Safari Lodge run by &Beyond, South Africa. Wildlife in Africa is a growing tourist industry that has turned into a successful business sector. Kevin Pretorius, the Director of &Beyond in South Africa, explains how these private enterprises have made wildlife areas profitable.

Phinda Game Reserve most unique tourist industry, Game & Wildlife, which is ever growing and expanding across the international market. Phinda is working to empower previously disadvantaged South Africans from the surrounding communities to run the tourism industry at the reserve independently as entrepreneurs. In order to do so it has established itself as a project for empowering communities through conservation.

The land of this lodge has been handed back to two of its communities, who Phinda then leases the land back from. The Safari Lodge therefore needs to generate enough profit to pay this rent, which has motivated them to expand further as a tourist industry.

&Beyond has created the &Beyond Foundation that takes care of the communities by implementing projects known as Corporate Social Responsibility Initiatives that work with the development and empowerment of the communities. Education, primal health care facilities and income generating activities have been established with many projects in each category. Jabulani Nxumalo from the Mnqobokazi Trust SA tells us how the community is learning to run a business while leasing their land for the development of this area.

Schools and education facilities have been set up by &Beyond, as well as the funding of capable students from within the community for higher education in tourism and hospitality who can bring their skills back to the industry. They are sent to University to study hospitality management in order to bring their skills back to Phinda, enabling them to slowly take over ownership and continue in the tourism business.

The incentive is that the community will eventually be able to manage the Phinda Game Reserve land and tourist industry independently. The programme also works at enabling them to become self-sufficient and eventually generate new businesses and opportunities for themselves as they grow and develop. The reserve will be the cornerstone for the success of the communities, but will also encourage as many income generating activities as possible.

Visit Phinda Game Reserve website at http://www.phinda.com/