A great workshop held by the Regional Government of Principe and Fundação Príncipe was the first step for launching the Nature Returns project in Sao Tome and Principe, a true paradise in equatorial Africa. The Principe Nature Park (PNP) is one of the five pilot sites for testing the novel approach of bringing together management of protected areas and innovative businesses, with Fundação Principe and the Nature Park of Principe as project partners.

The workshop took place in Santo Antonio do Principe from March 21st to 24th, 2024, gathering the partners and all the main stakeholders in the Nature Park, hosted by the Regional Secretary for Environment of the local government.

Principe is the only site of the project in Africa. The project will cover the area of land and marine buffer zones of the PNP and the areas of mature forest, which have a rich mosaic of native and secondary forests, plus the islets of Tinhosas and the mangroves in the island’s shore. These hold a significant number of endemic species of conservation concern, like the endemic giant snail, the Principe Thrush and the Principe Owl.

The teams of both the Fundação Principe and the Nature Park are now trained in the methodology of Conservation Standards used in the project, and started immediately learning by doing, through the definition the vision for the site, the conservation’s situation model and the analysis of threats that can be potentially reverted by local businesses.

Climate change and the introduction of alien species of animals and plants inland, together with plastic pollution in coastal and marine areas, are the most significant threats to the park, although hunting, wood cutting, coal production and the excessive collection of reef species are also listed.

The next step of Nature Returns in Principe will be related to the identification of business solutions that can help reducing the threats identified in the site. Some ideas have been already flagged during the workshop, like developing ecotourism that could contribute to monitor and reduce illegal activities in the area, the transformation of biomass as alternative to coal or manufacturing products from plastic disposals.

In addition, a call for business ideas will be launched in September, looking for the local communities and entrepreneurs’ inputs, to have more inputs and ideas that could be supported by the project. We look forward to a fantastic list of businesses that will eventually be developed in the island with a positive impact in both biodiversity and society of Principe.