Across Botswana, Zimbabwe and Kenya, Great Plains Foundation continued to protect critical landscapes, restore biodiversity and invest in communities through long-term conservation partnerships. In 2025, emergency conservation, scientific monitoring, education, community development and ranger support came together to show what hope looks like in practice: a sustained commitment to the land, wildlife and people who depend on one another.
Great Plains Foundation
2025 Annual Report
A Future of Hope
From the Founders
“…We have never lived in an era in conservation where we have had more hope. We have the means, the technology and the world’s interest to do something outstanding now… The obstacle to scaled success is not ideas or opportunities. It is not the willingness of our communities in Botswana, Zimbabwe or Kenya. It is the willingness of our supporters to assist us, as they have in growing numbers and healthy donations each year. 2025 was our highest fundraising year, and it was also the year we released endangered painted dogs and rhinos. This report is an accountability document to those of you who so kindly helped in 2025. It is also a living record of our progress, year on year, because conservation is never done overnight, it is the long game, the eye on the horizon…”
Dereck and Beverly Joubert
Founders of Great Plains Foundation, National Geographic Explorers At-Large.
From the Founders
“…We have never lived in an era in conservation where we have had more hope. We have the means, the technology and the world’s interest to do something outstanding now… The obstacle to scaled success is not ideas or opportunities. It is not the willingness of our communities in Botswana, Zimbabwe or Kenya. It is the willingness of our supporters to assist us, as they have in growing numbers and healthy donations each year. 2025 was our highest fundraising year, and it was also the year we released endangered painted dogs and rhinos. This report is an accountability document to those of you who so kindly helped in 2025. It is also a living record of our progress, year on year, because conservation is never done overnight, it is the long game, the eye on the horizon…”
Dereck and Beverly Joubert
Founders of Great Plains Foundation, National Geographic Explorers At-Large.
Conserve Land
Protecting Africa’s critical landscapes and wildlife corridors
Great Plains operates in some of Africa’s most ecologically vital landscapes, safeguarding more than 1.5 million acres across Botswana, Zimbabwe and Kenya. Each reserve and conservancy is part of a wider living system, supporting biodiversity, movement corridors and human-wildlife coexistence. When land is secured and cared for, it creates the foundation for biodiversity to stabilise and for communities to build more resilient futures alongside it.
Botswana
Okavango Delta & Linyanti
Zimbabwe
Sapi & Hwange
Kenya
Maasai Mara, Shompole, Amboseli
Biodiversity Protection
Emergency Conservation: Project Rewild
Project Rewild is centred on restoring ecological balance where it has been disrupted. Through carefully planned wildlife translocations and long-term post-release monitoring, the initiative supports species recovery while strengthening the systems they depend on.
17
Painted dogs translocated
479
Impalas translocated
6
New elephant calves recorded
Biodiversity Protection
Land Restoration: Conservation Roots
Restoring ecosystems begins with rebuilding the systems that sustain them. Indigenous trees help stabilise soil, support biodiversity, regulate water and strengthen resilience to a changing climate. In 2025, Conservation Roots achieved a significant milestone by planting over 50,000 trees in total through indigenous reforestation, school workshops, and community stewardship in Kenya.
12,469
New trees planted in 2025
59,577
Trees planted in total
2,100+
Trees donated to schools and groups
”“Tree planting from Great Plains Foundation has brought our community together. It is not just about trees, it’s about building greener, healthier and more connected communities.”
Simon KeroreCommunity Association Leader
Protecting biodiversity requires sustained presence
Great Plains Wildlife Rangers and Foundation teams monitor and conserve more than 694,000 acres of critical ecosystems across Botswana and Zimbabwe. Their work combines field knowledge, government partnerships, conservation science and technology to respond to threats and understand ecosystem change over time.
- 145 snares removed in Botswana and illegal fishing reduced across key wilderness areas.
- AI-driven satellite mapping was initiated in Zimbabwe to monitor canopy height and vegetation change.
- Female Rangers have expanded their roles in biodiversity monitoring, community engagement, and field leadership, growing our team of women in the Ranger Programme to a total of 21.
- Ranger development strengthened GIS, GPS, 4×4, leadership, resilience and conservation storytelling skills.
- In 2025, we expanded our team to include 35 Wildlife Rangers.
”“Conservation Storytelling Training has been an eye-opening workshop for me, because it’s through storytelling that we share conservation ideas with our communities. We can change their mindsets by telling them what we encounter in the field.”
IreneFemale Ranger, Botswana
Community
Community Upliftment: Practical, locally led solutions
Community upliftment is rooted in practical solutions that support everyday life. From women-led solar initiatives to sustainable farming, enterprise and improved health access, this work strengthens livelihoods, wellbeing and opportunity.
1,000
Solar Mamas reached the five-year milestone target of 1,000 household solar systems.
175
Naboisho Women’s Group supported 175 Maasai women through beadwork, soap and honey.
135
The Great Plains Ambulance supported 134 patients across five OCT villages in the eastern panhandle of the Okavango Delta in northern Botswana.
3
Community farming expanded across 3 countries: Botswana, Zimbabwe and Kenya.
2
2 upcycled glass houses were built for families in northern Botswana.
Education & Opportunity: Creating pathways for learning and growth
Access to education and the ability to pursue opportunity shape resilient communities. Across Botswana, Zimbabwe and Kenya, Great Plains Foundation works with communities to reduce barriers to learning and invest in the next generation of conservation leaders.
- 14,512 Pupils receiving daily meals in 2025
- 2.8 million Nutritious school meals distributed in 2025
- 295 Students hosted for conservation education camps in 2025
- 3 New diploma scholarships
- 2 New footbridges built in remote regions
”‘’We’re left with no words to say about this amazing work Great Plains Foundation is doing for my community. We have lost lives in the past rainy seasons at this stream due to floods and after the completion of this bridge, we will be moving safely to our local markets, hospitals and kids to school even when the stream is flooded. Thank you.”
Rev NangiyiooCommunity Representative
Great Plains Foundation Grant Programmes
Big Cats Initiative
Grants that strengthen community-based conservation, scaling human-wildlife coexistence solutions, and protection for big cats worldwide. 10 grants awarded in 2025, supporting coexistence, monitoring and community-led protection for big cats across 11 countries since 2023.
Project Ranger
Flexible funding that keeps rangers supported in the field, equipped and effective across Africa. 3 more grants were awarded in 2025, bringing the total to 46, strengthening ranger teams through operational capacity and wellbeing.
Thank you for making this work possible!
Through passion, partnerships, and perseverance, we reached significant milestones: planting over 50,000 indigenous trees, installing 1,000 solar systems in homes in remote regions, successfully translocating 17 threatened painted dogs to protected areas, and building bridges, classrooms, and training programmes that continue to strengthen communities alongside these ecosystems.
The collective impact can be seen in many forms, in healthier ecosystems, in species returning and adapting, and in communities building more resilient and self-sustaining futures. Ours is a model shaped by balance, between people and wildlife, between tradition and innovation, and between immediate action and long-term impact, all done with care, compassion and deep purpose. Thank you for standing with us, and for being part of a collective effort that values life in all its complexity and connection.
Download the full 2025 Annual Report
Explore the full stories, data, partnerships and programme updates behind this 2025’s impact.
Join a community of monthly donors dedicated to protecting Africa’s iconic wildlife and wild spaces while supporting the sustainable development of communities living alongside these ecosystems.
