Guinea Gulf island pays residents to protect environment
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On Príncipe Island, part of São Tomé and Príncipe in the Gulf of Guinea, businessman Mark Shuttleworth is giving residents a financial incentive to protect the island’s natural environment.
Shuttleworth, founder of Ubuntu and the first African space tourist, has developed a luxury ecotourism business on the remote island. Starting in February 2026, his Faya Foundation began distributing a “natural dividend” to residents who agree to abide by a charter prohibiting environmentally damaging activities like unregulated logging or sand extraction.
The program aims to support the approximately 10,000 islanders and ensure the preservation of Príncipe’s exceptional biodiversity, which is crucial to Shuttleworth’s tourism venture. Residents can receive up to 6,250 dobras (250 euros) per quarter, roughly doubling the average local income of 285 euros every 90 days, though payments depend on ongoing environmental monitoring. While some praise the initiative, others, like National Assembly member Conceição Moreno, worry it overlooks the island’s deeper economic and social problems.
She declined to participate, fearing the program would create power imbalances and believing it should instead collaborate with the government on broader development projects. The Faya Foundation emphasizes it intends to supplement, not replace, government services and hopes to replicate the program elsewhere.
