Leaders in tourism (& conservation)
Tourism & Conservation
The link between tourism and conservation is well established, and in Africa, the efforts of a number of tourism personalities, and organisations, has been significant for the preservation of vast tracts of native habitat, the wildlife within, together with support for local communities More on this under People and local communities).
The foresight of many of these ground-breaking policies from these pioneering individuals has led Africa to the forefront of wildlife conservation through tourism.
"For (names withheld) and others who chose to spend their lives in remote places amongst wild animals. Few of them crusaded deliberately to save our wildlife: they chose this way of life for personal reasons – some in pursuit of adventure, others to escape from the harsh realities of day-to-day conflicts. Their role as conservationists was entirely fortuitous. With maturity were born a sense of awareness, and a close affinity with their environment. A select few become imbued with a compulsion to preserve these resources for posterity – the vanguard of our conservations."
This is an extract from the dedication by Norman Carr to his book on the story of the Luangwa Valley, called Valley of the Elephants and in many ways this sentiment accurately portrays the early years of conservation in Africa….