Wildlife Adventures, established in 1997, is an overland and in-bound tour operator running 135 annual departures in 12 African countries.
The funding from Verde Ventures enabled Wildlife Adventures to complete its first lodge in northern Mozambique in the 1,500-square kilometer Quirimbas National Park, a marine and terrestrial park established as a result of the community’s request for the protection of local biodiversity and to help bolster tourism in the region.
Verde Ventures provided an investment of $495,000 to the company to be used to renovate and expand the
Ibo Island Lodge on Ibo Island, Mozambique. In addition, through Verde Ventures' collaboration with the United Nations Development Programme’s Equator Initiative, a grant was also provided for the establishment of a community trust fund and to support micro-enterprises providing services to the lodge.
The investment in Wildlife Adventures directly benefits the conservation of Ibo Island and its surrounding marine protected area within the Quirimbas National Park, part of the Coastal Forests of Eastern Africa biodiversity hotspot. Ten globally threatened bird species and five globally threatened turtle species are found on Ibo Island, making it an important site for conservation efforts.
In addition to the conservation benefit, this investment will also improve the livelihoods of the local community of Ibo by providing a crucial source of income to this impoverished community in remote, northern Mozambique.
For the latest news on Ibo Island and the Lodges' new activities please visit
http://www.iboisland.com/the-lodge/activities/dhow-excursion.aspx.