Wild Impact started working with the Benguerra Island Community in 2014. Benguerra Island, set within Mozambique’s Bazaruto Archipelago, hosts approximately 2,000 community residents who mainly depend on traditional fishing and seasonal tourism for their livelihoods. The island’s infrastructure is limited, with only one primary school serving 437 children and minimal healthcare facilities, posing significant challenges for the community. In 2020, Wild Impact in collaboration with &Beyond initiated programmes to collaboratively protect key habitats and species, enhance educational resources, opportunities and environmental awareness, promote sustainable fishing practices and increase water security. By aligning economic incentives with environmental conservation, Wild Impact aims to empower the community to protect the Bazaruto Archipelago’s unique marine ecosystems.
Within the Bazaruto Archipelago seascape, the Oceans Without Borders team works with African Parks and other local stakeholders to support the development of a community-based conservation model that integrates research, monitoring, and community development to underwrite the conservation of the Bazaruto Archipelago National Park within the context of the extended Inhambane seascape. The OWB team operates from Benguerra Island, supported by &Beyond Benguerra Island Lodge. Supported by the patronage of the Ocean Family Foundation.