23.09.11 GEXSI helps towards creating new LCA national chapter
GEXSI helps towards creating new LCA National Chapter
Friday, 23rd September 2011 / For Immediate Release
Berlin, Germany – GEXSI has played a major role in the decisions of the Leadership for Conservation in Africa (LCA) to jointly establish a new national chapter in Madagascar. The Vision 20/20 Initiative is the flagship programme of the LCA and aims to effect the protection of 20 million hectares of African primary forests and other selected eco-systems by the year 2020.
GEXSI prepared a concept note, ‘Vision 20/20 Ankarafantsika’, which mapped out how nature conservation and livelihood impact goals could be achieved through the successful implementation of integrated agro-forestry and eco-tourism schemes in the region centred around Ankarafantsika National Park, which lies in the north-west of Madagascar. The concept note was circulated to the LCA Board as well as the Head of Madagascar National Parks, with all parties unanimously agreeing with the conclusions. Following this, a decision was taken to launch a Madagascar LCA National Chapter before the end of the year.
GEXSI CEO Dr. Andreas Renner remarked, “GEXSI has been grateful for the opportunity to help further the impact of the Vision 20/20 Initiative through our strategic partnership with the LCA.”
Dr. Renner added, “GEXSI has been present in Madagascar since 2007. We incubated a social business venture, Plantinum Madagascar, which has developed relevant experience in growing useful plants in a sustainable way. This experience has enabled GEXSI to help the LCA expand its capability profile to encompass developing agro-forestry projects in the buffer regions of national parks as another support for developing conservation-led businesses in sensitive ecological zones.”
The LCA was established by South African National Parks (SANParks), Gold Fields Ltd, and the IUCN in 2006. Its membership includes the Heads of Conservation of the 16 member countries, including Burkina Faso, Botswana, Cameroon, Ethiopia, Ghana, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, Republic of Congo, Senegal, South Africa, Tanzania, The Gambia, Uganda, Zambia and Zimbabwe. The LCA has one vision: To harness the collective will and capacity of business and conservation leaders for sustainable conservation-led socio-economic development in Africa.
About GEXSI
GEXSI, the Global Exchange for Social Investment, was launched at the World Economic Forum in 2001 to pioneer entrepreneurial solutions to end poverty. We organisation works at the interface of venture philanthropy and social impact investing; it works through a UK registered charity and a project development and advisory firm. The original goal of GEXSI was to set up an exchange for social investments in low-income regions around the world. The original aim of the organisation was to identify outstanding social enterprises and match investment proposals with mainly US- and Europe-based impact investors. GEXSI revised its focus to concentrate on providing social entrepreneurs with financial and advisory support for early-stage development while providing social investors with strategic guidance on how best to deploy their money to achieve the maximum positive social and environmental benefits. Based on our vision of working towards a world where new entrepreneurial ideas to fight poverty, flourish, we have developed two entities united under the GEXSI banner to advance our work: the GEXSI Charity, our not-for-profit organisation, and GEXSI Capital Partners, our project development and advisory services organisation.
For further information, please contact:
Dr Darrin Lee Long
Phone: +49 30 2888 3310
Email: leelong@gexsi.org
