A list of the most expensive items in the world includes three things: gold, cocaine, and rhino horns. From 1960 to 1995, black rhinos were massacred for them. Africa’s rhino population is estimated to have dropped from at least 65,000 in the middle of the century to just a few hundred by its end. For a while, extinction felt inevitable. Now – slowly – that’s starting to change. 

For part of the explanation, head to Desert Rhino Camp in northwest Namibia. What began as a rhino research station some twenty years ago is today an exclusive safari lodge. Guests bundle around the fire pit each night, sharing stories and hoping to get a glimpse of one of the rarest animals on earth. But there is more to the camp than starry skies and breathtaking encounters. Its magic, in fact, lies in something far more mundane: land lease agreements.

“For 21 years, Desert Rhino Camp has been paying money into a community trust,” explains Vincent Shacks, group impact manager at Wilderness, the company that runs the site. Of roughly 2.2 million hectares of land managed by Wilderness, just two percent is privately owned. The remaining 98 percent either belongs to the government – as part of a national park – or the local people, as part of a community trust. The locals then decide how to use the land, often bringing in a tourism provider in exchange for lease fees. “In Damaraland, where our Desert Rhino Camp is located, the trust uses that money to hire rangers who look after the rhinos,” says Vincent. “More revenue equals more rangers. More rangers equals more rhinos”.  

This model is quietly revolutionary. “Conservation is not just about solar panels and water-saving devices anymore,” says Vincent. Operating sustainably is the bare minimum. “Nor is this a version of corporate social responsibility,” he says, where a portion of a company’s earnings are simply donated. Wilderness goes further, with land protection and local revenue generation “baked into” the business and its supply chains. More than 90 percent of the staff are locals. Procurement is local. Training is local. Money from the lodge goes into local schools, food, and study assistance for young people. At Desert Rhino Camp, the entire community has a stake in success. 

For organisations hoping to learn from this approach, Vincent offers three pieces of advice. First, conservation has to be leadership-driven. “It’s not something that happens in an office down the hall – it’s in every office,” he says. Next, it takes dedicated resources. Wilderness has more than 25 staff members dedicated solely to the company’s impact on people and wildlife. Finally, businesses need to measure and report their progress. Wilderness collects data from each of its safari camps every month, and makes its reports publicly available online. With this level of success, it’s not just transparency – it’s advertising.  

Today, black rhino numbers in Namibia’s community conservancies are on the rise. It’s one of the largest unfenced rhino populations left, anywhere. And the Wilderness effect is growing – the company now operates more than 60 camps in seven African countries. Their goal for the coming years is to double the amount of land they help to protect. In a system where land is sought-after – not just for wildlife poaching, but for intensive agriculture and mining – sometimes the best way to save nature is to monetise it.

Rhino horns remain one of the world’s most precious commodities. But with the right incentives, endangered species are worth more than their weight in gold.

Learn more about WTTC’s work on Nature Positive Travel & Tourism here>