Finch's Quarterly Review explores how Long Run Destinations can enable you to enjoy the high life and support conservation at the same time
On the same day that the World Cup kicked off in the fevered atmosphere of Soccer City, South Africa, another football tournament was also getting underway elsewhere in Africa. Though it cannot hope to compete with the attention focused on South Africa, the Laikipia & Beyond Unity Cup, taking place in Kenya, may in the long run prove just as important.
The purpose of the Laikipia tournament is to create unity and understanding amongst the diverse communities of the Laikipia region of central Kenya, and to raise awareness of environmental issues amongst Kenyan youth. Organized by the Zeitz Foundation, which was established in 2008 by German entrepreneur Jochen Zeitz, it is being supported by the United Nations Environment Programme as part of its efforts to draw attention to 2010 being the ‘International Year of Biodiversity’.
Nobody is under any illusions that a few football matches are going to change the world overnight, but it’s a step in the right direction, and long-term thinking is at the heart of the Zeitz Foundation’s philosophy. Based at Segera, a 20,000-hectare estate in the middle of the Laikipia Plateau, the Foundation’s mission is to promote sustainable, ecologically and socially responsible projects around the world that contribute to a vision of our planet being maintained in the healthiest possible state, for the mutual benefit of all.
The Laikipia football tournament is an offshoot of the Foundation’s flagship initiative, known as ‘The Long Run’, which aims to foster long-term change by demonstrating that sustainable ecosystem management can deliver a healthy balance between conservation, commerce and the cultural and other needs of local communities.
The Full article can be found on the Finch's Quarterly Review website: http://www.finchsquarterly.com/tag/long-run-destinations/
