The Rhino Rewild initiative translocated 256 southern white rhino to secure, well-managed protected areas, bringing the total to over 630 to date. 2,217 animals across 13 species were moved in 2025, with hartebeest returning to Liuwa Plain after a 50-year absence. Park rangers conducted over 310,000 patrol days, removing 25,000 snares and confiscating hundreds of illegal firearms to ensure the integrity of these vital ecosystems, while enhanced monitoring using eDNA and BIOSCAN techniques provided deeper ecological insights.

Despite major shifts in funding, the organisation demonstrated financial resilience and managed, through cost reductions and partner support, to close a US$25.4 million gap with no job losses. Progress was made in nature-based finance, with the first carbon fund disbursements made to community projects. Tourism revenue grew by 8% to US$17.8 million, supported by new lodge openings. Majete surpassed US$1 million in annual revenue for the first time, and Akagera achieved the major milestone of full financial sustainability for the year, generating over US$5 million in park revenue.

The coming decade will test conservation with increased climate volatility, population pressure and land-use change. The case for Africa’s protected areas has never been clearer. How Africa's protected areas are managed over the coming decades will shape far more than biodiversity outcomes – it will shape water security for hundreds of millions of people, the stability and resilience of regions, the viability of rural economies across wide parts of the continent, and whether the systems these landscapes sustain remain intact for the communities who depend on them. This is a goal that depends on sustained partnerships with governments, communities and funders.