On 11 November 2025, the Wildlife Friendly Enterprise Network and CLAWS Conservancy announced a major milestone in community-led conservation: the first sale of Certified Wildlife Friendly® beef in Africa, sourced from rural subsistence farmers in northern Botswana’s Okavango region and purchased by Wilderness, a leading conservation tourism operator in the region. This achievement demonstrates how market incentives can support coexistence between pastoral communities and large carnivores, and reflects years of collaboration among CLAWS Conservancy, livestock producers in Ngamiland and Wilderness Botswana to reduce conflict with lions and improve rangeland practices.

Through this innovative procurement arrangement, Wilderness acts as the exclusive buyer, purchasing beef from local farmers who follow CLAWS’ lion-friendly interventions, including the use of predator-proof bomas, herding-for-health practices, and the avoidance of retaliatory killings when lions approach their villages and livestock. The initiative would not be possible without key partners such as Beef Boys, a Maun-based citizen-owned meat specialist, who provide the link between the remote farmers and Wilderness operations.

Under the Certified Wildlife Friendly® model, participating livestock owners implement herding practices that reduce livestock losses to predators and avoid retaliatory killing of lions. These practices include mobile herding, night corrals adapted for security, and the use of early-warning systems linked to long-term monitoring of lions. This first Certified Wildlife Friendly® beef sale in Africa marks a significant step forward in demonstrating real, tangible benefits for communities who are coexisting with wildlife.

Farmers taking part in this initiative now have access to a reliable, premium market for beef raised in ways that protect lions and support ecosystem health. Wilderness has committed to purchasing Certified Wildlife Friendly® beef for use in its Vumbura Plains and Little Vumbura camps, creating a direct value chain between conservation producers and sustainability-minded consumers.

The Okavango region hosts one of the last remaining strongholds for lions in Botswana. Historically, livestock predation by lions has led to severe conflict. However, through coordinated community engagement, conflict mitigation systems, and a market that rewards conservation stewardship, participating farmers have reported dramatic reductions in livestock loss and an increase in lion presence. For years, communities in the Okavango have carried the costs of conserving lions. With a dedicated market and Wildlife Friendly® certification, that stewardship is now being recognized and rewarded. This is coexistence in action, and it is working. This initiative demonstrates that coexistence is possible when rural communities are economically supported in conservation roles.