The Keystone Protected Areas
Africa is home to the world’s most iconic wild landscapes and the most complete remaining assemblages of megafauna on earth. The health of these landscapes underpins the continent’s biodiversity, its ecosystems, and the well-being of its people – yet many of these landscapes remain critically underfunded and undermanaged.
To identify where that investment will matter most, more than 8,000 protected areas were analyzed according to their size, irreplaceability, connectivity, and ecological integrity. From this analysis 162 Keystone Protected Areas (KPAs) emerged – these are landscapes that form the bedrock of the continent’s biological diversity, its hydrological stability, and the prosperity of the communities who call them home.
Africa’s 162 Keystone Protected Areas:
- 1.5M km2 ~5% of the African continent
- 1 in 5 Africans depend on KPAs for water
- 71% of Africa’s threatened species
- 70M people live in and near KPAs
- 5.8B tons of carbon stored within them
Securing the Future for Africa’s Wildlife and People
The Africa Keystone Fund is mobilizing the philanthropic capital required to ensure that the KPAs continue to play a critical role in protecting wildlife populations and safeguarding ecosystem services for millions of people across Africa.
Bold Vision
WCN and the Africa Keystone Fund join the Africa Keystone Protected Areas Partnership (Keystone Partnership), a bold new initiative bringing together African governments, communities, NGOs, and funders to safeguard 162 of Africa’s essential landscapes by 2035.
Formally introduced by five African Heads of State during the UN General Assembly and integrated into the inaugural African Union Biodiversity Declaration, this initiative marks a significant advancement in African conservation for people and nature.
The Keystone Partnership serves as a collaborative platform to catalyze the support required to ensure that these landscapes yield permanent benefits for both the environment and local populations. Well managed protected areas act not just as critical reservoirs of biodiversity but also as catalysts for job creation, regional security, and enduring economic prosperity.
Partnership Initiative
Over the past two decades, WCN has built and managed a portfolio of Wildlife Funds recognized as among the most effective mechanisms for delivering large-scale, lasting impact for species and landscapes. WCN and the Rob Walton Foundation, believe that this model is uniquely suited to the scale and urgency of conservation initiatives across the 162 KPAs.
Central to the Keystone Partnership are Collaborative Management Partnerships (CMPs), through which sovereign governments engage NGO and community partners to strengthen local capacity, contribute specialized technical expertise, and reinforce management on the ground.
The Rob Walton Foundation has played a pivotal role in leading the process to establish the Keystone Partnership. Dozens of countries and NGOs are now actively engaged and this circle of partners is expected to grow as the program matures.
Scale and Impact
The Africa Keystone Fund (AKF) was launched as the vehicle to mobilize the philanthropic capital required to protect and restore these landscapes. One hundred percent of funds raised are granted directly to the most impactful conservation initiatives, each selected through a rigorous, science-based approach and field-based due diligence. Ongoing monitoring and evaluation will measure conservation and community outcomes, with results reported to donors and other key stakeholders.
The Fund is designed as a lean and nimble mechanism to channel funding to support the management of KPAs and their adjacent landscapes, and to foster the necessary community development for these areas to thrive. The Fund will advance and complement WCN’s other Wildlife Funds, support relevant WCN Partners, and benefit from WCN’s Rising Wildlife Leaders program.
An Invitation to Engage
We are building a community of donors who share a commitment to the Keystone Partnership’s ambitious, long-term vision. This exclusive, trust-based circle of peers is designed to connect each donor’s personal passion and desired legacy with the opportunities where their support will matter most, alongside a program of distinctive engagement experiences reserved for this community.
- Learn more — Request a private conversation with a senior member of the Africa Keystone Fund team.
- Give — Support the Africa Keystone Fund.
- Experience it — Request details on our exclusive donor field visits.
Invest in Africa’s Essential Landscapes
Your donation supports Africa’s 162 Keystone Protected Areas, and the landscapes that surround, buffer, and connect them.