Mission Statement:
The Landmark Foundation recognises that the intact natural landscapes of Southern Africa region are under threat from irresponsible human activities. These landscapes are now amongst our most treasured landmarks. The threats to these places are the result of land-uses that have degraded the aesthetic value of the areas and the biodiversity patterns and processes contained in them, and in most cases for short-term financial gain. What is required is a landmark change of thinking and behaviour, whereby biodiversity and landscape conservation provides investment returns and benefits to people, that in turn creates incentives for its conservation. The Landmark Foundation will strive to build the conservation economy so that these landscapes can effectively be conserved.
The Landmark Foundation was founded in 2004.
The conservation-minded promoters of the Landmark Foundation have been concerned that not enough attention is focussed on direct implementation in the change of land-use to conservation. It is clear that there is a need to focus on a very practical basis on hectares brought into effective biodiversity conservation as a yardstick of success, whether in living landscapes or as pure conservation areas. The number of jobs created by the efforts of the organisation in the building of a conservation economy will be another measure of success. The creation of these jobs will be the surrogate measure of the economic opportunities created by the organisation’s activities.
Governance
The organisation is governed by a Charitable Trust Deed registered by the Master of the High Court in Grahamstown, South Africa. The organisation is registered with the South African Government Department of Social Development as a Not-For-Profit organisation (NPO 039416), and with the South African Revenue Services.
The organisation is audited annually and is governed by Trustees according to the highest corporate governance standards. Dr Bool Smuts is the Director of the Landmark Foundation and Ms Jeannine McManus has been appointed as the researcher and in-field Manager of the Leopard and Predator Project. All other services and service providers are appointed on a project-by-project basis. All disbursements only occur with resources specifically sourced for the activities.
Projects
The Landmark Foundation will tackle projects in various areas of the Southern African region. The projects will aim to deliver on the mission of the Foundation. The focus of the work will range from protected area expansion and consolidation, to addressing climate change and desertification, to social and economic upliftment of people through building the conservation economy, to any action leading to conservation-friendly and compatible land-uses, to species conservation. Conservation will be seen in its broadest context to include the living and cultural landscape.
The organisation has been in operation 2004 and has already demonstrated significant delivery on its mandate. It has developed a high profile and achieved significant successes in the projects developed or undertaken. In this period more than 20 000 hectares has been added to conservation land-use, about R 30 million has been sourced for investment in conservation, and 120 new employment opportunities have been created. The organisation remains focused on delivery!
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