Wilderness Impact Challenge
Driven by purpose; united by cause.
Changemakers, innovators, and environmental champions, we want you!
Welcome to the inaugural Wilderness Impact Challenge, 2025 edition.
This transformative initiative aims to advance environmental protection and sustainable practices while building on Wilderness' longstanding commitment to preserving Africa’s rich biodiversity.
Unpacking 'The Why'
With a USD 100,000 prize to bring the winning vision to life, this challenge builds on Wilderness' unwavering dedication to safeguarding Africa’s wild while addressing the urgent need for creative solutions to human-wildlife conflict.
As we launch this new competition, we aim to foster an ongoing effort that seamlessly integrates conservation tourism with the latest thinking in innovation, technology, and entrepreneurship. Aligned with our impact strategy - the Wilderness Impact Challenge marks a bold step forward in our commitment to making a lasting positive impact on our world.
Cracking the Challenge Code
'The What'
'The What'
Africa’s biodiversity faces growing threats as expanding human populations encroach on once-remote habitats, intensifying conflicts between communities and wildlife. Iconic species like elephants and lions are increasingly at risk, while farmers suffer crop losses and livestock predation, leading to deeper poverty and food insecurity. These problems call for innovative approaches that protect both people from wildlife and wildlife from people.
Recognising that traditional methods are not advancing quickly enough to meet today’s challenges, we’ve launched this initiative to ignite dialogue and engage a diverse, global audience. The goal is to inspire creativity and collaboration in finding innovative solutions to address critical issues and drive meaningful progress.
Guided by Wilderness’ three pillars – Educate, Empower, and Protect – this year’s challenge emphasises the Protect pillar. It invites entries that focus is on improving human-wildlife coexistence and strengthening wildlife security. Proposals should target the specific needs of wildlife protected areas and their surrounding communities in Namibia, Botswana, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Tanzania, Kenya, and Rwanda.
Solutions we're seeking
Types of entries to explore
01Technological innovations
- Early warning systems: Develop sensors or monitoring devices to detect wildlife movements and alert communities.
- Non-lethal deterrents: Create devices or methods (e.g., lights, sounds, scents) that deter wildlife without harming them.
- Fencing and barriers: Innovate cost-effective, eco-friendly barriers that protect crops or livestock from wildlife.
Community Engagement and Education
- Conflict mitigation strategies: Develop community-driven approaches to manage interactions with wildlife, such as community patrols or conflict resolution techniques.
- Education programs: Design educational materials or programs to raise awareness about wildlife behavior, conservation, and sustainable practices.
Livelihood and Economic Solutions
- Alternative livelihoods: Introduce income-generating activities that reduce dependency on wildlife-related resources (e.g., fresh food provision, sustainable agriculture).
- Insurance and compensation: Develop innovative insurance or compensation schemes for farmers or communities affected by wildlife-related losses.
Data and Monitoring Solutions
- Data analytics: Utilize data analytics and remote sensing technologies to understand wildlife movements and behavior patterns.
- Monitoring systems: Develop tools for real-time monitoring of wildlife populations and human-wildlife interactions.
Collaborative and Multi-stakeholder Approaches
- Partnerships: Foster collaborations between NGOs, governments, local communities, and businesses to implement holistic solutions.
- Capacity building: Strengthen local capacities through training, mentorship, and knowledge-sharing initiatives.
Behavioural and Psychological Insights
- Human behavior: Solutions that deal with human perceptions, attitudes, and behaviors towards wildlife to inform targeted interventions.
- Social psychology: Apply behavioral science to understand and influence decision-making related to wildlife conservation and conflict mitigation.
Inspired and ready to take action? Here’s 'The How'
Feeling inspired? Ideas flowing?... If you think you’ve got what it takes to craft a scalable solution to this year’s conservation focus, now’s your chance! With a USD 100,000 prize on the line, the Wilderness Impact Challenge 2025 is your platform to make a difference; turning ideas into meaningful action.
Here’s how it works
Entries are submitted online via a digital form. Simply answer the questions provided, and use the word count allocation as a guide for the required details.
Entries open on 3 December 2024 and run until 28 February 2025. Finalists will be announced on 14 March 2025, with the winner revealed at the end of March.
Stay inspired
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