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South African technology entrepreneur Mark Shuttleworth is rolling out a cash stipend for thousands of residents on a small island nation off Africa’s west coast, betting that direct payments can help safeguard one of the world’s richest ecological zones.
Beginning next week, adults living on Principe Island in Sao Tome and Principe will receive up to 20,000 dobras a year, roughly R15,000, paid in quarterly instalments. The money will go to about 3,000 people, representing around 60 percent of the island’s adult population, according to Faya, the nonprofit set up to manage the programme.
Jorge Alcobia, Faya’s chief executive, described the initiative as a natural dividend designed to reward residents who help protect the island’s fragile biodiversity.
“We are going to give the adult population of Principe who work with us to preserve the biodiversity of the island what we call a natural dividend,” Alcobia said in an earlier interview. He added that there is no enforcement mechanism beyond participation itself. Residents who engage in activities deemed harmful to the environment risk losing the payment.
The programme is believed to be the first conservation effort of its kind funded by a single private individual. Principe, the smaller of the two main islands that make up São Tomé and Principe, has been designated by UNESCO as a biosphere reserve. The island and its surrounding waters are home to a remarkable concentration of endemic species found nowhere else on Earth.
Shuttleworth, 52, built his fortune during the early days of the internet. He founded Thawte Consulting from his parents’ garage in Cape Town, developing security systems that helped secure online credit card transactions. In 2000, he sold the company to VeriSign for 652 million dollars in stock, cementing his status as one of Africa’s most successful tech entrepreneurs.
He later turned his attention to Principe, purchasing the Bom Bom resort in 2012. Through his company HBD Principe, he now owns four hotels on the island. Guests at those properties pay an additional 25 euros per night, about 30 dollars, earmarked for conservation and community development.
Alcobia said the broader ambition is to demonstrate that economic progress does not have to come at the expense of natural ecosystems.
Shuttleworth aims to show that communities can improve living standards while preserving the environment that sustains them. Although Shuttleworth was not available for direct comment, the foundation said he also plans to channel funds into housing, education and other local projects.
Adults who have lived on Principe for at least eight years are eligible to apply. In return, participants are expected to avoid actions that damage forests, wildlife or marine life.
Faya said the initial phase will run for three years at an estimated cost of 15 million euros to test whether the model is financially sustainable and adaptable elsewhere. The government of São Tomé and Principe has signed onto the agreement.
The initiative follows growing global concern over biodiversity loss. The World Wildlife Fund estimates that wildlife populations worldwide have fallen by nearly three-quarters since 1970, highlighting the urgency of innovative conservation strategies such as this one.
