The Foundation for the Conservation of Biodiversity – BIOFUND recently welcomed a visit from Rob Walton, an American businessman and conservationist, on a strategic mission to Mozambique that reinforces the country’s role in biodiversity conservation. The visit aimed to explore synergies and partnerships around innovative financing initiatives and the conservation of priority Conservation Areas.

Rob Walton is widely recognised as the former chairman of Walmart and current principal owner of the American football team, the Denver Broncos. Beyond the business world, Walton has been deeply dedicated to biodiversity conservation and sustainability, leading pioneering initiatives at Walmart and establishing partnerships with organisations such as Conservation International. He is currently focusing his efforts on biodiversity conservation on a global scale.

In 2024, through the Rob Walton Foundation, he funded a study in partnership with the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS), African Parks, and the Frankfurt Zoological Society, which identified 162 protected areas in Africa with the potential to contribute significantly to biodiversity conservation. These areas represent about 33% of protected lands and host 71% of threatened vertebrate species. Known as “Keystone Protected Areas”, these regions are considered ecological pillars with the capacity to generate environmental and socioeconomic benefits across surrounding landscapes.

In this context, the project proposes a new way of identifying resilient areas that play a strategic role in biodiversity conservation and in providing ecosystem services. Among these areas, eight are located in Mozambique, reinforcing the country’s role in the continental conservation agenda.

During the visit to BIOFUND’s offices in Maputo, Rob Walton and his team were able to learn about the institution’s trajectory and the current state of support for Conservation Areas in Mozambique. Duko Hopman, Executive Director of the Rob Walton Foundation, stated:

“I have heard a lot about BIOFUND over the years, and I am glad to finally meet you. All these activities align with our objectives, and we are certain that BIOFUND can play an important role, especially in innovative financing mechanisms such as debt-for-nature swaps, biodiversity offsets, and environmental compensations.”

For his part, Sean Nazerali, Director of Innovative Financing at BIOFUND, stressed the importance of shared management models in Conservation Areas:

“Co-management is the right path among different actors in conservation, and there is a need to clearly communicate the value of conservation for the economy and communities. Conservation is development. If we want a sustainable economy, we must conserve.”

Rob Walton’s visit marks a significant step towards future international collaborations and reinforces BIOFUND’s role as a key actor in sustainable financing mechanisms for conservation. In close collaboration with ANAC, the entity responsible for managing conservation areas in Mozambique, this partnership strengthens the country’s institutional capacity. The Keystone Protected Areas approach may guide the next generation of strategic biodiversity investments in Africa, with Mozambique in a central position in this process.