Pre-departure we spent a significant amount of time learning about various businesses and wildlife organizations within South Africa. I noticed that many of the businesses had a keen awareness of their bottom line regarding ESG, especially specific to wildlife management and conservation efforts. One conversation, in particular, stood out. We were meeting with a government agency where they shared trade-offs regarding their budgeting agenda. While conservation is important to many, the size of the budget doesn?t allow them to maximize funding to each sector. In a recovering pandemic economy, many government agencies have had to focus more on the citizens than wildlife funding. However, the severity of Rhino poaching and the threat of extinction remain a core initiative.
We initially arrived in Johannesburg, South Africa which resembled many small cities in the US. Soon after, we flew to Livingstone Zambia where we stayed along the Zambezi River. This area was more rural and displayed the importance of the local community. The tribal influence was extremely relevant. In fact, many people have a thorough understanding of family lineage dating back to their tribal ancestors. While tribal influences are important, many Zambians live a modern lifestyle. We had the opportunity to sit down and talk with locals about our age for a while. We shared many of the same music and pop-culture interests. Many times they thanked us for choosing to visit their country. They have such pride in their culture and their country.
Zambia was full of many fulfilling experiences and I?m eager to see more of South Africa and Eswatini.
