Wanderlust aside, The Long Run brings to together some of the world’s most committed conservationists. Thirty-nine members across 22 countries share an ambitious goal to collectively conserve over 20-million acres of biodiversity and improve the lives of two million people by 2020. In 2017 alone, The Long Run’s members safeguarded over 13-million acres of nature, celebrated over 100 cultures and provided employment to more than 5,500 people.
The owners of these lodges, retreats and private parks have spent much of their careers proving that tourism can be used as a force for good. Guided by The Long Run’s 4Cs — culture, community, conservation and commerce — their business models seek to protect the assets that make their destinations so appealing; a vibrant local culture, a prosperous community of employees and neighbours, and untouched landscapes abundant in wildlife.
Some Long Run members have used tourism to transform neglected pockets of land into protected areas, rich in biodiversity.
In 1991, Michael Lutzeyer had the vision of safeguarding a small farm overlooking South Africa’s Walker Bay as a pristine example of the Cape Floral Kingdom.
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