DAMARALANDCAMP, NAMIBIA

Winner Conservation Award 2005

Damaraland Camp is the successful result of a partnership between Wilderness Safaris and the Torra Conservancy, and an inspiration for communities and conservationists throughout Africa and beyond. Wilderness Safaris is an organisation and ecotourism company dedicated to responsible tourism in southern Africa, striving to ensure the protection of Africa's spectacular natural heritage while sharing the benefits with its people. In operation since 1983, today the company markets and operates more than 60 camps and safaris in seven southern African countries and is the custodian of 2.5 million hectares of prime wildlife land.

Recognising that conservation is as much about people as about the environment, the company has pursued important goals through its Children in the Wilderness programme, as well as through the Wilderness Safaris Wildlife Trust, which have helped change the face of nature-based tourism in southern Africa. Wilderness Safaris firmly believes that its single most important achievement to date is to have built a sustainable business model that does not compromise environmental principles and which provides jobs, training, skills, careers, adjusted horizons, hope and a realistic alternative to less sustainable development.