Achieving Impact at Scale
Okavango aims to improve livelihoods in rural Africa while delivering strong commercial returns. Okavango's team has contributed to:
179,000 Smallholder farmers linked to markets |
1M Beneficiaries (improved livelihoods) |
1900 Full time, well-paid jobs |
$6M+ Conservation fees paid to communities |
8M Tons of carbon emissions avoided |
500M+ Trees protected |
3M+ Acres of land protected |
*NB: figures represent a portion of the existing portfolio of investment, and are being revised (upward) across the whole portfolio. These figures exclude Aureos Capital, Kibo Capital and Conservation Capital managed investments.
* Jobs supported are well paid at or above national minimum wage.
* Jobs supported are well paid at or above national minimum wage.
Protecting Nature Drives Systemic Impact
Conservation Businesses are positioned to deliver SYSTEMIC IMPACT linked to the most critical issues of our time. The firm's intended impact aligns with the environmental and social objectives of the Sustainable Development Goals, a set of globally accepted and recognized target.
Communities are both on the frontline of conservation efforts and at the forefront of environmental degradation and climate change. By harnessing the power of markets, we aim to increase and diversify the income of rural communities and their capacity to weather nature-related shocks due to land degradation, climate change, overpopulation, and resource scarcity.
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The scale and speed of environmental degradation is outpacing both the resources and reach of traditional conservation approaches by governments and non-profits. Over the next 15 years, we aim to raise and deploy a billion dollars towards improving the health of ecosystems most critical for sustaining life- human, wildlife, biodiversity and business- in sub-Saharan Africa.
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Market-driven growth, or the lack thereof, has historically been a primary driver of ecosystem damaging behavior. It doesn't have to be this way. Businesses can deliver scaled, sustainable and efficient solutions that complement other conservation efforts.
We aim to create meaningful conservation deals from transactions that were previously framed only in one-dimensional commercial terms. |
Conservation-lens investment offers important solutions for poverty alleviation and climate mitigation and adaptation for the rural poor, in addition to addressing ecosystem degradation and biodiversity.
Integrated solutions maximize resilience – Okavango' ultimate goal is to help communities, nature and business thrive in the face of rising environmental degradation, resource scarcity and climate change.
Conservation and poverty alleviation efforts go hand-in-hand. Conservation Businesses serve as engines of economic opportunity for communities in rural Africa. Poor rural Africans are disproportionately dependent on nature and most vulnerable to resource and weather shocks. Meanwhile, successful biodiversity conservation depends on the livelihoods of the local communities that coexist and are stewards of each landscape. If rural communities benefit from nature, or have alternative sustainable sources of income, the chances of successfully conserving a landscape increase dramatically.
Protecting ecosystems is essential in the global response against climate change. Reforestation and ecosystem regeneration improve carbon sequestration capacity; protecting against land conversion and deforestation prevents emissions. In fact, natural climate solutions can provide 37% of the greenhouse gas mitigation required between now and 2030. Yet, they receive only 2.5% of climate mitigation funding. Healthy ecosystems also play a critical role in helping communities and business avoid the worst effects of climate change by providing climate resilient food sources and buffering against extreme weather events.
Integrated solutions maximize resilience – Okavango' ultimate goal is to help communities, nature and business thrive in the face of rising environmental degradation, resource scarcity and climate change.
Conservation and poverty alleviation efforts go hand-in-hand. Conservation Businesses serve as engines of economic opportunity for communities in rural Africa. Poor rural Africans are disproportionately dependent on nature and most vulnerable to resource and weather shocks. Meanwhile, successful biodiversity conservation depends on the livelihoods of the local communities that coexist and are stewards of each landscape. If rural communities benefit from nature, or have alternative sustainable sources of income, the chances of successfully conserving a landscape increase dramatically.
Protecting ecosystems is essential in the global response against climate change. Reforestation and ecosystem regeneration improve carbon sequestration capacity; protecting against land conversion and deforestation prevents emissions. In fact, natural climate solutions can provide 37% of the greenhouse gas mitigation required between now and 2030. Yet, they receive only 2.5% of climate mitigation funding. Healthy ecosystems also play a critical role in helping communities and business avoid the worst effects of climate change by providing climate resilient food sources and buffering against extreme weather events.