VAST Impact
The VAST Impact framework highlights how each destination connects travel with purpose through conservation and community partnerships across Africa. Some initiatives are recognised by independent organisations such as The Long Run and Fair Trade Tourism, while others are member-led and reviewed by VAST to ensure information shared remains accurate and transparent.
The Four IMPACT Metrics
The framework offers travellers a simple way to understand how each destination contributes to conservation and community wellbeing through four core metrics. These indicators are designed as a reference, not a rating system, giving context to the diverse ways our members engage with people and place across Africa.
Sustainability Levy
Every VAST member applies a conservation or community contribution to each guest stay, through either a nightly sustainability levy or mandatory park or conservancy fees.
These funds contribute to education, healthcare and skills training, as well as conservation initiatives such as anti-poaching, habitat restoration and wildlife monitoring. Contributions are managed by member foundations, partner organisations or conservation authorities, with outcomes reported publicly where available.
Impact of Presence
Our VAST members help protect wilderness areas together with local communities, conservation teams and landowners.
This metric explores each property’s role in caring for habitats and managing land, and how nearby initiatives work together within a shared conservation landscape. Some members act as regional anchors, joining forces with neighbouring projects that contribute to long-term ecosystem care. Across Africa, their combined presence helps keep wild corridors intact and fosters shared stewardship between people and wildlife.
Direct Responsibility
This metric considers how different management models influence conservation delivery. Properties under private management have greater control over their conservation strategies, allowing them to align actions closely with their management objectives.
Those operating within shared concessions work within national, regional or community frameworks that balance multiple management priorities. The scale and focus of conservation activities, such as wildlife monitoring, anti-poaching support and sustainable land use, vary according to each setting. Many privately managed properties pilot new approaches tailored to their environments, and their hands-on involvement helps align daily operations with long-term conservation goals.
Fragility of Environment
Our VAST members operate in some of Africa’s most delicate ecosystems, from island atolls and desert reserves to high-altitude plains. These places hold rare biodiversity and deep cultural heritage, yet their balance is easily disrupted. Recognising this, our members design experiences around restraint, using small-scale lodges, limited guest numbers and carefully managed access to keep tourism compatible with protection. Working with conservation authorities and local custodians, they help safeguard both the environment and the livelihoods it supports.
