African Parks

We are very proud and indeed very fortunate to offer a number of exceptional expeditions to reserves across Africa managed and conserved by African Parks. Sometimes offering these expeditions requires great risk and dedication, and through the years, we have developed close contact with members of their teams affording us opportunities we pass on to our guests.

African Parks is a non-profit conservation organisation that takes on the complete responsibility for the rehabilitation and long-term management of national parks in partnership with governments and local communities. They currently manage 15 national parks and protected areas in nine countries covering 10.5 million hectares: Benin, Central African Republic, Chad, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Malawi, Mozambique, the Republic of Congo, Rwanda and Zambia.

The organisation was founded in 2000 in response to the dramatic decline of protected areas due to poor management and lack of funding.  African Parks utilises a clear business approach to conserving Africa’s wildlife and remaining wild areas, securing vast landscapes and carrying out the necessary activities needed to protect the parks and their wildlife.  African Parks maintains a strong focus on economic development and poverty alleviation of surrounding communities to ensure that each park is ecologically, socially, and financially sustainable in the long-term.

The geographic spread of protected areas and representation of different ecoregions, makes this the most ecologically diverse portfolio of parks under one management across Africa. Their goal is to manage 20 parks by 2020, protecting more than 10 million hectares, and we are very excited to contribute in whatever way we can to ensuring that this happens.

Niassa Carnivore Project

Big Life Foundation

Big Life Foundation was founded by photographer Nick Brandt & conservationist Richard Bonham in September 2010.

With Richard Bonham as Director of Operations for Big Life in Africa, and Project Manager Damian Bell in Tanzania, Big Life has now expanded to manage a network of over 250 rangers, with 31 units and 15 vehicles protecting 2 million acres of wilderness in the Amboseli-Tsavo ecosystem of E. Africa.

Big Life is the only organization in East Africa with co-ordinated cross-border anti-poaching operations.

As of July 2013, Big Life’s rangers have made 1,030 arrests and confiscated 3,012 weapons/poaching tools since November 2010.

Recognizing that sustainable conservation can only be achieved through a community-based collaborative approach, Big Life uses innovative conservation strategies to address the greatest threats, reduce the loss of wildlife to poaching, defeat the ivory trade, mitigate human-wildlife conflict, protect the great predators, and manage scarce and fragile natural resources.

Big Life’s vision is to take the successful holistic conservation model in the Amboseli-Tsavo ecosystem and replicate it across the African continent.

Tongwe Trust

Based in the Greater Mahale Ecosystem, in Tanzania, the Tongwe Trust was set up in 2002 with the expressed aim of securing Ntakata Forest as the Tongwe people’s new cultural heartland. Largely founded, staffed, and organised by members of the different villages, the Tongwe Trust is a community-led organisation.

The groundbreaking efforts of the trust were rewarded when Ntakata Forest was formally recognised as the Tongwe’s new cultural heartland in 2015.  However, while the original aim has been achieved, population growth, inter-ethnic conflict, the bush meat trade, and land conversion all remain a threat: the Trust is thus dedicated to protecting the Tongwe people’s new heartland.   These efforts are funded through donations, grants, and a variety of activities, including developing Ntakata as a ‘narrow gauge’ eco-tourist destination which is where Anderson Expeditions and our guests are able to contribute to the wonderful work done.

Children in the Wilderness

Children in the Wilderness is a non-profit organisation established by ecotourism company Wilderness Safaris, which aims to facilitate sustainable conservation through leadership development and education of children in Africa.

Insight, care and commitment are required to conserve Africa’s pristine wilderness and wildlife areas. If we are to ensure that these places continue to exist – in this generation and those to come – we need the rural children of Africa to understand the importance of conservation and its relevance in their lives. Hence, we are thrilled to support the Children in the Wilderness programme: an environmental and life skills educational programme for children, focusing on the next generation of decision-makers; inspiring them to care for their natural heritage and to become the custodians of these areas in the future.

This is achieved by Children in the Wilderness in a variety of ways – from hosting Eco-Club programmes at local schools, to running camps at Wilderness Safaris and partner camps, for the children within the rural communities that live on the edges of the wild areas of Africa.

Children in the Wilderness has also begun a number of other initiatives to assist children and their teachers and parents within their own milieu, such as school nutrition schemes, village upliftment programmes and scholarship programmes.

Pack for a Purpose

The “Pack for a Purpose” mission is to positively impact communities around the world by assisting travelers who want to take meaningful contributions to the destinations they visit, and we at Anderson Expeditions encourage our guests to explore this great initiatve.

There is need everywhere in the world; however, it is sometimes difficult to identify specific needs in places far from home. We believe many people fortunate enough to travel wish they could make meaningful contributions to help meet the needs of the places they visit. Such contributions are one way of expressing appreciation for the experiences and hospitality they enjoyed.

The “Pack for a Purpose” goal is to assist travelers who want to say thank you in this manner or who simply want to expand their generosity beyond their own communities. The supply lists for destinations on the Pack for a Purpose website are provided directly by the local community-based projects that receive and use the supplies, enabling travelers to make informed decisions and to take items that meet the needs of those who will be using them.  Please note that not all destinations we travel to are listed, so if you would like to pack something for one such destination, please just ask us about what might be appropriate and useful.