Summary

WILDTRUST (registered as the Wildlands Conservation Trust - IT No.4329/1991/PMB) is a South African Non-Profit, Non-Government and Public Welfare Organisation, established in 2004 through the merger of two regional Trusts. It pursues the realisation of its vision of "A thriving and resilient world" through two core programmes: WILDLANDS and WILDOCEANS. The WILDLANDS' programme focuses on terrestrial conservation and underwriting the sustainable development of the green economy, and the WILDOCEANS programme focuses on marine and coastal conservation and underwriting the sustainable development of the blue economy. The WILDTRUST vision is achieved through working at the interface between environmental sustainability and human wellbeing to improve livelihoods of communities and restore the ecosystems that support them. The work of the WILDTRUST encourages the employment and upskilling of the youth and the empowerment of communities to deliver a sustained and improved environmental outcome and impact.

It is estimated that by 2050 there will be more plastic in the ocean than fish. It is evident that because of our impact, marine ecosystems are drowning in trash, noise, oil, and carbon emissions. What we seem to forget is that covering more than 70 percent of the earth, our oceans are among the earth’s most valuable natural resources. They govern the weather, clean the air, help feed the world, and provide a living for millions. Because of overfishing, populations of marine species are either becoming depleted or very underpopulated in certain parts of the ocean. If we want future generations to enjoy the benefits our oceans provide, the time to act is now.

It is against this background that WILDOCEANS was born in the context of accelerated plans for development in the Southern African marine sector and the sustainable development goals of the Blue Economy.