The Natural Selection Foundation incorporates the U.S.-registered 501(c)(3) Natural Selection Foundation, the Botswana-registered Natural Selection Conservation Trust, and the community empowerment activities of Natural Selection Safaris and its partners.
Our purpose is simple and heartfelt: to protect Africa’s iconic wildlife and wild places, safeguarding these irreplaceable ecosystems so that generations to come can feel the same wonder we do today. Just as important, we are committed to empowering communities to thrive alongside nature by fostering sustainable livelihoods and ensuring that conservation brings benefits to people too.
At the heart of all our supported projects is the importance of sustainable partnerships between tourism businesses, communities, government and our amazing NGO partners. Where there are no organisations addressing key, we implement programmes ourselves.
Since 2016, we have proudly funded or implemented close to 160 wildlife conservation and community initiatives in wildlife areas across Botswana, Namibia, South Africa and Madagascar, with 20 of these enjoying our long term commitment.
All funds are managed by a board of experienced independent conservation scientists. With this guidance and the generosity of supporters, we have and will continue to be an important vehicle through which local conservation needs receive attention and funding.
Guided by a model of community-driven conservation, we believe that protecting nature and uplifting people are not mutually exclusive, but rather essential components of a sustainable future. In partnership with local communities and conservation experts, we focus on expanding wildlife and habitat protection, strengthening rural livelihoods, and fostering coexistence between people and wildlife.
We have brought conservation oversight to 1.6 million hectares of land.
12 0000 students have participating in conservation education initiatives.
Supported conservation, community and coexistence projects in 15 different wilderness areas
Partnered with 42 communities living alongside wildlife.
Partnered with 12 non-profit organisations supporting conservation and coexistence.
We believe conservation and outreach work is most effective when it is grounded in collaboration, respect, and a commitment to long-term sustainability.
Our approach is to identify the key issues, connect with organisations on the ground who are already tackling them, and help fund, strengthen, or expand their efforts. We only step in to run our own programmes when no suitable partner exists.
At the heart of every project lies a clear truth: lasting impact comes from strong, sustainable partnerships among tourism businesses, local communities, government, and our dedicated NGO partners.
Since 2016, we have proudly supported or led nearly 160 conservation and community initiatives in wildlife areas across Botswana, Namibia, South Africa, and Madagascar.
Provide logistical support and contribute 1.5% of their total turnover in addition to funding from a per person per night Conservation, Community and Reserve Fee.
True conservation success stems from deep respect for, and partnership with, local communities. Our collaborative initiatives empower them as stewards of their lands, ensuring lasting conservation and outreach impact.
We work hand-in-hand with trusted local and international Non Government Organisations (NGOs) to create and implement solutions that nurture nature and strengthen community livelihoods.
Together with government conservation and national park authorities, we work to safeguard and revive wilderness areas, ensuring they thrive for years to come.
Tourism revenue, philanthropic partnerships, and donations all help fund our conservation and outreach programmes at Natural Selection Foundation. Natural Selection’s conservation tourism model is a key contributor to this work. 1.5% of every guest’s stay at their camps and lodges is donated to the Natural Selection Foundation, supporting community-based wildlife conservation, research and monitoring, and conservation education.
In addition, each lodge charges a per-person, per-night Community, Conservation, and Reserve Fee, which provides vital funding to protect wildlife habitats and support local communities in their specific areas of operation.
Philanthropic partnerships further strengthen our key projects, and we are also fortunate to receive donations from inspired safari guests and passionate supporters of African wildlife.
The Natural Selection Foundation comprises a small, dedicated team of passionate community development and conservation specialists, supported by Natural Selection Safaris and their operating partners.
Our board— Dr. Jennifer Lalley (MSc, DPhil), Dr. Julia Mambo (MSc, PhD), Professor James Watson (MSc, PhD), Dr. Susie Ellis (MSc, PhD), and Roger Collinson (MSc) bring a broad range of conservation and community upliftment expertise. They provide advisory support across conservation, communication, fundraising, and financial governance.
Conservation Trust and co-founder of Natural Selection Safaris, the leading conservation tourism company donating to conservation and community upliftment in southern Africa. She is a US-born conservation biologist who has lived and worked in southern Africa for over 30 years as a researcher, university lecturer, non-profit project leader, and environmental consultant. In her current role in Botswana, Jennifer is a champion for wildlife-friendly socio-economic development and the empowerment of vulnerable community members through conservation tourism. Her passion is to drive strategic partnerships that support long-term conservation goals and social change, working with rural communities, governments, and numerous NGO partners.
Dr. Julia Mambo is a climate change and sustainable development expert with two decades of experience working across Southern and Eastern Africa. Her work spans climate policy, gender equality, environmental governance, private sector development, and community-based resilience programming. Dr. Mambo has led and contributed to high-level research, policy advisory processes, and programme implementation for governments, development finance institutions, civil society organisations, and private sector actors. Julia’s expertise includes climate adaptation planning, climate finance, Gender and Climate Change policy (including National Gender Action Plans under the UNFCCC framework), monitoring and evaluation, and institutional capacity strengthening. She has extensive experience integrating gender-responsive approaches into climate and environmental programming, particularly in vulnerable and rural contexts.
Professor James Watson has spent over two decades in conservation planning efforts around the world, working with conservation NGOs, governments and industry to try and reach the best outcomes for biodiversity. He is currently a senior technical expert on spatial planning for the United Nations Development Program’s Global Programme on Nature for Development. James is passionate about understanding the impacts of climate change and he founded the International Union of Nature Conservation’s Climate Change Specialist Group in 2012 and was chair of this specialist group between 2012-2018. He was also a founding member of the IUCN’s offset policy Task Force (in 2010) and recently served on the United Nation’s International Panel for Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES) Data and Knowledge Task Force. He sits on scientific advisory committees for BirdLife and supervises multiple conservation projects at any given time. James has published more than 400 peerreviewed papers on conservation related matters, often with a focus on spatial planning.
Dr. Susie Ellis is well known for her extensive experience in international wildlife conservation which includes many years as a non-profit executive for large conservation organisations as well as threatened species-focused non-profits such as the International Rhino Foundation where she was Executive Director from 2006-2020. She has overseen operations and strategic planning for numerous African and Asian conservation initiatives and been instrumental in designing and leading recovery planning workshops for threatened species throughout her career. Susie is a highly skilled director, facilitator, mentor and champion for African wildlife conservation. She sits on multiple conservation boards and specialist groups where she brings a unique perspective and wealth of knowledge.
Roger Collinson has some 50 years of experience in the innovative planning, management and development of many renowned private game ranches, government game reserves, national parks, communal land conservancies and community-based tourism projects in southern Africa – including South Africa, Botswana, Zambia, Namibia, Madagascar, Mozambique and Lesotho. This experience has been gained as both “hands on” manager and “arm’s length” advisor involving a wide range of clients in the private sector, government, NGOs and Community Based Organizations. This experience also covers a wide range of topics including ecosystem management, ecological research and monitoring, ecotourism, wildlife utilization, reserve infrastructure, staff development, financial sustainability and Conservation and Tourism joint ventures on communal land. Roger has a number of publications, given numerous presentations to a wide variety of audiences, received awards and served on a number of Boards – including South African National Parks Board (SANParks). For the past 15 years he has worked in Namibia on projects involved with Etosha National Park and Conservancies in communal land in the Kunene Region.
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