Watch “My Africa” in virtual reality

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Narrated by Academy Award-winning actress Lupita Nyong’o and presented in stunning virtual reality, “My Africa” transports viewers to an elephant sanctuary in Kenya, where a community is reknitting the bonds that have long enabled people and wildlife to coexist.

 

 

 

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Africa — Continent at a Crossroads​

Africa is the last continent on Earth where significant numbers of the world’s largest land mammals still roam free. But its lands are under threat, in large part due to rapid, unchecked development, land degradation and climate change. Smart, sustainable use of Africa’s “natural capital” — its forests, fresh water, soil and wildlife — is crucial to both reverse the continent’s trend of scarcity and provide economic growth for its people.

For Africa’s people to thrive, development across the continent must be made sustainable. But numerous challenges remain.

 

A Land Under Threat

Wildlife Trafficking
Tens of thousands of African elephants are poached annually for their ivory. Beyond the loss of wildlife, poaching robs Africa of its economic prosperity and has been linked to organized criminal networks.
Rangeland Degradation
Grasslands, savannas and woodlands are vital to the livelihoods of some 100 million African farmers and herders, but increased desertification, soil erosion and invasive vegetation threaten the health of these landscapes.
Climate Change
By 2020, up to 250 million Africans will suffer increased water stress due to climate change, and rain-fed agriculture yields will decline by 50 percent.
 

​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​Community-Driven Conservation Is the Answer

Loijipu, a rescued rhino at Reteti Elephant Sanctuary in Northern Kenya
© CI/photo by Melina Formisano

In Africa, the future of humanity is tied to wildlife, and Conservation International is committed to working directly with local communities so that protecting nature also protects their livelihoods. Only then can Africa meet its many challenges and drive economic prosperity for indigenous peoples and local communities across the continent.

Conservation International helped launch Kenya’s Reteti Elephant Sanctuary — the first community-owned and operated elephant sanctuary in Africa. Reteti rescues injured and orphaned elephants with the aim of returning them to the wild, and supports local employment, education and security. Our engagement helped fund local wildlife rangers to combat elephant poaching in Kenya’s sprawling Namunyak Wildlife Conservancy, strengthening security for wildlife and the local Samburu people with the goal of establishing a model of sustainable community-based conservation at an unprecedented level in Kenya and beyond.

 

More of our conservation work

Portrait of a woman in the village of Ayukre. Brazil, Kayapo Indians, Xingu region
© Cristina Mittermeier

Brazil’s Kayapó: Stewards of the Forest

Conservation International has a long history of working alongside the Kayapó people, stewards of Brazil's southeastern Amazon, to monitor and protect their vast, forested lands against deforestation by providing surveillance training and supplies. We helped the Kayapó set up sustainable businesses that focus on abundant, non-timber products like copaiba oil, fruit and honey. Learn more about our work in Brazil

 

Areng River, Cardamom Mountains               
© CI/photo by David Emmett

Cambodia’s Central Cardamom Mountains National Park

Since 2001, our scientists and field workers have provided guidance to indigenous people in and around Cambodia's Cardamom Mountains, home to dozens of threatened species. We've inked agreements with several Cardamom communities, training residents to care for local ecosystems, report illegal logging and — critically — protect local wildlife, in return for incentives that support sustainable development. Learn more about our work in Cambodia

 

Old women bringing in the sheep and goats in Kamiesberg, Namaqualand.
© Tessa Mildenhall

Improving grazing practices in South Africa

In South Africa's Namaqualand, Conservation International works closely with livestock herders to restore depleted rangelands, demonstrating innovative techniques that enable the sustainable use of grazing lands and provide a blueprint for the rest of the continent to follow. Learn more about our work in South Africa

 

The key to stimulating successful development around the world is to implement nature-based programs that benefit people and wildlife. We hope you’ll join us.

 
 

SUPPORT COMMUNITY-LED CONSERVATION

Around the world, we work with local communities to protect the nature we all need to survive. Your donation will provide general support to Conservation International's critical conservation work.

 
 

#MyAfrica transports viewers to the untamed rangelands of Kenya, where Lupita Nyong'o narrates the story of a young Samburu woman named Naltwasha Leripe. Whether tending daily livestock, digging “singing” wells deep into dry riverbanks or rescuing a baby elephant orphaned by a poacher’s gun, Naltwasha reveals a world in which the futures of wildlife and people are intertwined. Journey with Conservation International to face thundering wildebeest, baby elephants and a community devoted to saving Africa’s wildlife. To learn more and take action, visit: conservation.org/myafrica

A New VR Experience

Journey beyond Conservation International’s “My Africa” 360 film to discover a unique, tactile and interactive location-based VR experience as you care for Dudu, the newest arrival at the Reteti Elephant Sanctuary. “My Africa: Elephant Keeper” will enable you to experience a rare connection with a precious animal while learning more about a conservation story unfolding in northern Kenya.

Vision3 and Conservation International created this experience to take virtual reality to the next level. The participant is able to move around in a photorealistic environment and provide care to a baby elephant – including feeding it milk, wetting its ears and listening to its heartbeat. “My Africa: Elephant Keeper” aims to educate — and to create a lasting impact.

Watch Elephant Keeper »