Conservation at Singita
At Singita, conservation is our passion and purpose
Over the past three decades, our far-reaching commitment to safeguarding the continent’s wildlife populations and wilderness areas – as well as creating economic independence within communities living alongside them – has seen us implement strategic partnerships with non-profit Funds & Trusts in each of the regions in which we operate.
Aiming to create a lasting legacy for the continent by ensuring that Africa’s natural beauty and abundance will not only survive, but also flourish and thrive, the Singita Conservation Foundation was established. Through the Foundation, we are inviting purpose-driven individuals who share Singita’s vision to join our journey as we work towards a sustainable future for Africa’s precious species, their fragile habitats, as well as vulnerable communities through long-term conservation projects that make a meaningful impact.
Working toward a sustainable future
Rampant biodiversity loss driven by mankind’s unsustainable production and consumption patterns has led to the planet losing nature faster than it can be restored.
As the world enters a decade that’s set to be defined by transformation, restoration & regeneration, our efforts are fully aligned with global conservation goals.
The heart of our conservation model
At Singita, conservation encapsulates an interdependent relationship between three critical components: Biodiversity, Community & Sustainability. They are all integral to our model, as we believe Africa needs large and meaningful projects to move the needle.
Focusing on biodiversity conservation, wildlife management, meaningful community partnerships, a commitment to sustainability and treading lightly on the Earth, our strategic partnerships with non-profit Funds & Trusts help to protect unique ecosystems, recover critically endangered species, ensure no further extinction, benefit neighbouring communities under our care and contribute positively to the reduction of GHG emissions through our climate commitments.
Our conservation focus areas
Fulfilling our conservation promise
Managed and functioning independently from Singita, our non-profit Funds & Trusts employ some of the best conservation experts on the continent. They drive strategic and critical initiatives that fulfil Singita’s commitment to biodiversity, sustainability and community partnerships.
Our Conservation Partners
As we continuously work towards achieving our 100-year purpose – the guiding light for all key decisions in each of our operations – it has become clear that strategic partnerships are essential to Singita’s conservation vision for the continent. Partnering with non-profit Funds & Trusts in each of our regions, we work alongside them to achieve our conservation goals. Over the past three decades, this has included successfully implementing various reintroduction and restoration programmes, as well as a wide range of community development partnerships that make a tangible difference in the lives of people living in and around our lodges and camps.
Grumeti Fund
As the custodian of more than 350,000 acres of the world-renowned Serengeti ecosystem in Tanzania, Singita’s partnership with Grumeti Fund has had a profound impact on the Serengeti ecosystem. The non-profit Grumeti Fund carries out wildlife conservation and community development programs in and around the Singita Grumeti Reserve.
Faced with challenges including uncontrolled illegal hunting, rampant wildfires and spreading strands of invasive alien vegetation when they took over the management of the area in 2003, the Fund dedicated itself to transform severely depleted wildlife numbers into thriving populations once more. Restoring this once barren and highly degraded region to a flourishing wilderness, their successes include the remarkable recovery of many species – including buffalo, wildebeest and elephant populations, and in 2019, the Fund carried out the largest single relocation and reintroduction of 9 critically endangered Eastern Black Rhino.
The non-profit Fund is fiscally independent in its conservation and community project operations. Funds are derived in the form of donations from Singita guests, NGOs and philanthropists seeking to make a lasting contribution to the sustainability of conservation work in Africa.
Singita Lowveld Trust
Our biodiversity projects focus on maintaining healthy, well-functioning ecosystems and habitats in the reserves in which Singita operates. These ecosystems are vital for the protection of a diverse range of wildlife, including species of conservation concern, such as rhinos, leopards, lions, wild dogs and vultures.
As we strive for the restoration and regeneration of our rich wilderness landscape, we can’t do this without the support and in collaboration of our communities. Together we're committed to ensuring that people living alongside wilderness areas not only benefit from tourism and conservation jobs but also experience lasting socio-economic growth.
Download the SLT brochure to find out more about their programmes.
Malilangwe Trust
As custodians of the Malilangwe Wildlife Reserve in Zimbabwe, the Malilangwe Trust manages the conservation of this pristine wilderness – which comprises 38 different habitats and ecological zones in 115,000 acres of protected land.
After successfully introducing 28 black and 15 white rhinos to the reserve in 1998, it is now home to a globally significant population of both and the programme has been so successful that it is a source for restocking rhinos in other reserves on the continent.
The Trust has developed a blueprint for creating harmony between conservation initiatives and community development in villages that neighbour wildlife areas and ensured a sanctuary for a wide range of wildlife, including breeding herds of rare antelope species such as sable and roan.
An onsite Environmental Education Centre for school teachers and children allows them to immerse themselves in Outdoor Education and fieldwork, while the Trust’s nutrition programme provides 20,000 children with a fortifying meal before school every day in order to address increasing food insecurity in the region.
