Announcing the Launch of the Keystone Partnership
Launching the Africa Keystone Protected Area Partnership
The Rob Walton Foundation is proud to be a founding partner of the Africa Keystone Protected Area Partnership, a bold new effort bringing together African governments, communities, NGOs, and funders to safeguard 162 protected areas that are most foundational to biodiversity and the socioeconomic success of the continent.
Launched by five African Heads of State on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly and included in the first African Union Biodiversity Declaration, the Keystone Partnership is an important step towards safeguarding these protected areas – and the arch of landscapes around them – that are essential for Africa’s future. Keystones provide livelihoods and food security for 70 million people, shelter 71% of Africa’s endangered species, supply water to one in five Africans, and create rainfall for agriculture across a vast region. Well-managed Keystones can create tens of thousands of jobs, enhance community security, and underpin stable economic growth.
The Keystone Partnership brings together governments, communities, NGOs, and funders to strengthen protected area management and mobilize long-term investment for these Keystones to deliver lasting impact for both nature and people.
The Keystone Partnership will be a central focus of the Rob Walton Foundation, through which we will continue to support collaborative, large-scale conservation efforts to protect critical ecosystems that sustain nature, secure livelihoods, and support community stability.
The Foundation looks forward to working alongside Africa’s leaders to safeguard these landscapes at scale.