Diving into the second phase of Nature Returns, we just started selecting business proposals and supporting entrepreneurs to develop their businesses in the pilot sites for the benefit of the management of protected areas. Together with Connectology and the Fundação Principe, we launched our very first Academy on the fantastic Island of Principe!

Producing building blocks or plywood instead logging wood in the forest, raising snails instead collecting the rare Obo Snail in the park, or producing ecological charcoal to prevent tree cutting are some of the brilliant ideas that local entrepreneurs proposed for helping to conserve the Nature Park of Principe.

During the Academy, participants got the opportunity to gain valuable knowledge on key topics essential for the growth and development of their business proposals and benefited from the great opportunity for networking with experienced experts of Fundação Principe and Connectology, and fellow entrepreneurs. We are assisting 14 local entrepreneurs and wish them all the best prospects for their businesses. During the next month, we look forward to receiving final business plans that will allow them to use Nature Returns’ incubation grants to kick off their businesses.

The Principe Nature Park is one of our five pilot sites, the only in Africa. With these business proposals, we aim to mitigate or reverse some of the threats that were previously identified during the first phase of the project: illegal logging, invasive species or coal production. A monitoring program is now under preparation to assess the success of these businesses and their impact to the conservation of the Nature Park.