Sustainable Wildlife Economies Project Feedback Report

The SWEP Feedback Report presents key findings from the Sustainable Wildlife Economies Project (SWEP), a collaborative initiative among government, academia, and the private wildlife ranching sector. It investigates how wildlife-based land use and other sustainable wildlife-based economies in South Africa contribute to sustainable land management, socio-economic development, and biodiversity conservation. Research indicates that these sustainable wildlife economies contribute significantly to ecological restoration and often provide more jobs per hectare than traditional livestock farming.

Between 2021 and 2022, SWEP deployed 100 graduates, who completed nearly 300 surveys, covering more than 1.2 million hectares (ha) of established and emerging wildlife operations across the Eastern Cape and Limpopo provinces. 

These integrated surveys focused on wildlife-based land use and habitat restoration, biodiversity outcomes, and economic and social contributions.

Originally published by the South African National Biodiversity Institute here.

Another article on the project findings can be found here