After 32 years as Africa Foundation, the conservation and community development partner of luxury travel company &Beyond has relaunched as Wild Impact.
This rebranding reflects the organisation’s growth as it expands its reach beyond Africa to Asia and South America, aligning with &Beyond’s Scaling Impact 2030 strategy.
Expanding a shared vision
The rebranding marks a significant milestone in the long-term partnership between &Beyond and Wild Impact. “As &Beyond has grown and expanded in terms of the geographical areas where we operate, so Wild Impact has followed us into those remote and protected landscapes,” said Joss Kent, &Beyond Executive Chairman and CEO. “This latest development…means that our two brands are more than ever completely aligned in terms of our vision and impact strategy.”
Wild Impact continues its mission to empower communities living near conservation areas, supporting their sustainable development as a foundation for long-term conservation. Active in 78 communities across six African countries, Wild Impact facilitates projects identified by the communities themselves, ensuring long-term sustainability through collaboration with governments and other stakeholders.
A deep-rooted partnership
The origins of this partnership date back to the early 1990s at &Beyond Phinda Private Game Reserve in South Africa. From the outset, both entities shared the belief that luxury ecotourism could catalyse wealth and conservation, benefiting landscapes, seascapes, and the local communities that safeguard them.
“Our rationale is about underwriting the long-term conservation of the Earth’s wild places through best business and not-for-profit practices,” said Dr Andrew Venter, Wild Impact CEO. “Our new name underlines our purpose to work collaboratively with partner communities and key stakeholders.”
A methodology for change
Wild Impact’s work is guided by its Theory of Change framework, a circular, long-term model linking conservation with community resilience. The framework is centred around four key focal areas:
- Conserving ecosystems through community-based and formal conservation initiatives
- Future foundations, focusing on healthcare and access to quality education
- Tomorrow’s leaders, promoting tertiary education and environmental awareness
- Thriving communities, enhancing youth opportunities, enterprise development, and climate resilience
This holistic approach ensures both conservation and community development progress hand in hand, creating lasting impacts in the areas where Wild Impact and &Beyond operate.
A legacy of sustainable impact
Wild Impact’s methodology, anchored in the philosophy of “listen, learn and co-create,” highlights its commitment to working with partner communities and conservation stakeholders. “The ultimate outcome of our collective journey…will be a future that finds the wild spaces in which &Beyond operates resilient, vibrant and healthy, and their custodian communities actively advocating for their conservation and protection for generations to come,” concluded Venter.
