Over 90 photographers have donated beautiful prints for the “Prints for Wildlife” campaign to support non-profit African Parks.
Global (04 August 2020) – African Parks is a non-profit conservation organisation that takes on the complete responsibility for the rehabilitation and long-term management of national parks in partnership with governments and local communities.
The organisation manages 18 national parks and protected areas in 11 countries covering over 14.1 million hectares in Angola, Benin, Central African Republic, Chad, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Malawi, Mozambique, the Republic of Congo, Rwanda, Zambia and Zimbabwe.
With the tourism industry on its knees, African Parks has collaborated with over 90 photographers to raise funds for the running of the parks, salaries and so much more.
Each photographer has donated one of their photos for a limited edition print to help raise funds. So far a total of $300,000 (over ZAR 5M) has been raised and the campaign only ends on the 26th of August 2020.
As reports rolled in about the impact of COVID-19 and travel restrictions on ecotourism, local economies and conservation across Africa, two photographers from Austria and the Netherlands decided to take action. Marion Payr and Pie Aerts joined forces to start a print fundraiser to support people and wildlife in parks managed by partnerships between Governments and conservation non-profit African Parks.
Marion Payr and Pie Aerts started to reach out to a wide network of wildlife photographers to set in motion an unprecedented campaign to raise support for the protection of these critical wild ecosystems. The group consists of some of the best wildlife photographers in the world, from 24 different countries spanning Africa, Europe, North America, Australia and Asia with a combined reach of over 9 million followers on Instagram.
100% of the proceeds after printing and handling will be donated to African Parks for their conservation efforts spanning 18 parks and 14.1 million hectares which they manage in partnership with Governments and communities for the benefit of people and wildlife. Managed effectively, these vital natural landscapes safeguard biodiversity and support human wellbeing, delivering clean air and water, food security, carbon sequestration, livelihoods and healthcare.
“The key to conservation is putting people at the heart of the solution, with community programs supporting health, education, job security, and sustainable livelihoods. African Parks, and their approach to conservation in working closely with partners and communities, is ensuring that the protected areas under their management are safe places where people and wildlife can flourish. When the entire world plunged into crisis with the outbreak of COVID-19, I was moved to bring together some of the best wildlife photographers on the planet to use the power of art to contribute to conserving some of the most precious ecosystems in Africa” – Pie Aerts, Prints for Wildlife Co-founder and Photographer
“When COVID-19 began to spread across the world all of my travel projects came to an immediate halt. As a travel photographer I reached out to my diverse client base about what they were experiencing and their feedback served as poignant reminders of the link between tourism and conservation. This was the spark that ignited the idea for “Prints for Wildlife” to join forces through art in the absence of tourism to support conservation and build awareness of these extraordinary places” – Marion Payr, Prints for Wildlife Co-founder and Photographer
You can see all of the prints available here and in the gallery below.
Photo Credit: Amy Shutt
Photo Credit: Bjorn Persson
Photo Credit: Chris Schmid
Photo Credit: Shaaz Jung
Photo Credit: Thomas Vijajan
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