Protect Earth's last wildernesses, $5 per acre

To all our supporters,

From when the Forever Wild initiative was first conceived, it was planned as a way to explore options to redefine our relationship with nature while ensuring the wellbeing of communities was not compromised. That means we were bound to find new ways, or change existing ways, of doing business and supporting livelihoods. In everything we do, nature and community must have equity, rather than decisions simply being about profit.

In 2022 we set about working with the Traditional Custodians, the Muluridji people, of our Tropical Wetlands property in Northern Australia. We also talked to the broader Indigenous community. We explored various ways to create a viable social enterprise that both supported local livelihoods and nature conservation. Over the course of 15 months, we co-designed a small but powerful social enterprise in the form of a wildlife lodge on our Tropical Wetlands reserve.

In July 2023 'Wild Nature Lodge' opened its doors, run in conjunction with a new, wholly-owned Indigenous company called Bana Bubu (Place of Water). The lodge is a business, but profits go back to the conservation actions at the Tropical Wetlands and to provide opportunities for the local Indigenous community. In 2024, for example, we (Forever Wild and Bana Bubu) aim to have an art fair on-site at the Tropical Wetlands Reserve, where local Indigenous artists can display and sell their work. It will be the first event of its type in the small community of Mareeba!

For conservation to be successful we MUST think and act differently. So far, conservation has failed to prevent widespread species loss. If we do not develop and prove models to redefine the relationship between people, economics and nature, we will not succeed in protecting the last wilderness landscapes on earth. The bulk of our work is to understand the hurdles to how we redefine the relationship, and then develop viable, achievable models to make it happen and for others to replicate.

By continuing to support the Forever Wild initiative, you are supporting an entirely new way of thinking and creating solutions to the challenges we face.

Thank you for all your support.

The Forever Wild Team

Links:

• Wild Nature Lodge opened on July 1 2023!!