There is no denying that the last couple of years in the workplace have been a little all over the place across the world. From meeting new colleagues through a computer screen to navigating the perks and challenges that come with working from home, this has become the new reality for most. Finally, after three long years, the entire Peace Park Foundation team – from head office to field staff – came together at the end of last year for a 2-day strategic workshop.
Held in the beautiful seaside town of Gordon’s Bay in South Africa, the Peace Parks staff came in from near and far to realign themselves with the work being done in 2022 and to help build a clear strategy for the next two decades.
The Challenge
As we’ve already experienced over the last few years, the world is in an era of unprecedented change. It is predicted that the population will double by 2050 to around 2,5 billion people in Africa, making up one-quarter of the world’s population. This massive increase in population size would put a lot more stress on vulnerable ecosystems and natural resources as humans will compete with wildlife for access to food, land and water.
Not only this, but issues such as climate change and shifts in weather patterns, the potential increase of zoonotic diseases and biodiversity loss will affect the livelihoods and well-being of humans.
These are no small feats to try and overcome. Still, with Africa holding around one-quarter of the world’s biodiversity, it is important that organisations, such as Peace Parks Foundation, come together to drive change.
A Clear Vision
Apart from meeting the many new faces that have joined the ever-growing Peace Parks family, staff members got to discuss the strategic objectives, how realistic they are and propose areas that needed to be reworked. A full team effort to bring conservation at scale!
With 25 years of experience, the need for an organisation like Peace Parks Foundation is greater than ever before. It is, therefore, imperative that clear targets and objectives were set at this workshop so that every staff member can be aligned with the ‘why’ and the ‘how’ of Peace Parks’ vision.
