Restoring Gorongosa National Park

Greg Carr’s Mission to Restore Gorongosa National Park: A Story of Conservation and Community

Greg Carr’s journey from a successful technology entrepreneur to a dedicated philanthropist restoring Mozambique’s Gorongosa National Park is nothing short of remarkable. What began as a search for a meaningful way to give back has evolved into one of the most significant conservation and humanitarian projects in Africa.

Falling in Love with Africa

Carr’s story of transformation started in the 1990s when he co-founded Africa Online, a pioneering internet service provider on the continent. It was during this time that he traveled extensively across Africa, witnessing both its beauty and its struggles. One particularly defining moment came when he bungee jumped over Victoria Falls—an adventure that, while unsuccessful in impressing a woman, deepened his love for Africa.

“I fell in love with the entire continent of Africa,” Carr recalled. “And in 1998, I stopped all my for-profit businesses and started the Carr Foundation. I decided I would spend the rest of my life doing philanthropy.”

A Devastated Park and a Bold Vision

Carr’s opportunity to make a lasting impact arrived in the early 2000s when he met Joaquim Chissano, then-President of Mozambique. The country, ravaged by war, was the poorest in the world at the time, struggling to rebuild after decades of colonial rule and civil strife. Carr was invited to visit Mozambique to find ways to contribute to its development.

He soon learned about Gorongosa National Park, once considered one of Africa’s greatest wildlife sanctuaries. But years of war had decimated its wildlife—95% of large animals had been lost to conflict and starvation. Despite this devastation, Carr saw potential.

“When I looked down, what I did see was rivers and lakes and forests and grasslands,” Carr said. “And I thought, if the fundamentals of the ecosystem are in place, we can bring back animals.”

In partnership with the Mozambican government, Carr launched an ambitious plan to restore Gorongosa. The goal was not just to reintroduce wildlife but to create a sustainable development model benefiting the people living around the park.

Building a Sustainable Future

Recognizing that conservation alone would not solve the region’s challenges, Carr and his team focused on holistic development. They designated a Sustainable Development Zone around Gorongosa, where 250,000 people live. This approach involved partnerships with Mozambique’s Ministries of Environment, Education, Agriculture, and Health.

“Our contract was not just to restore the park,” Carr explained. “It was to see how this park could help the people who live next to it.”

One of the most pressing issues was education. Many children lacked schools, and young girls faced systemic barriers, including early marriage. The Gorongosa project tackled this by building schools, training teachers, and creating the After School Girls Club to empower young women.

“We intervened with families, offering support for girls to continue their education,” Carr said. “We stopped child marriage completely throughout our area.”

Restoring Wildlife and Rebuilding the Ecosystem

Carr’s team also worked tirelessly to restore Gorongosa’s ecosystem. They hired 300 local rangers to remove thousands of traps left behind from the war. They began reintroducing wildlife—including elephants, lions, and the highly endangered painted wolves—turning Gorongosa into one of the most successful conservation efforts in Africa.

“The park now has more than 100% of the equivalent biomass of animals that it had 50 years ago,” Carr noted. “National Geographic called us the most successful wildlife restoration on the continent.”

Economic and Social Transformation

Beyond conservation, the project has stimulated economic opportunities for local communities. The initiative has supported sustainable agriculture, including cashew, coffee, honey, and chili pepper farming, creating viable sources of income for thousands of families. The project is also driving tourism, offering employment in hospitality and park management.

“We started tourism, built luxury lodges, and now, local people like Benilde—who grew up in these communities—are managing them,” Carr shared. “She’s a spiritual person, and if you stay at her lodge, she’ll even recite poetry to you after dinner.”

Healthcare is another pillar of the project. Mobile health clinics now reach remote villages, serving over 100,000 people annually. Community health workers are trained to provide day-to-day medical support, while clean water initiatives and nutrition programs further improve quality of life.

Challenges and the Future

Despite its successes, the Gorongosa Project has faced formidable challenges. Climate change-induced cyclones and floods have devastated communities, forcing Carr’s team to become first responders, delivering aid to thousands. The COVID-19 pandemic also disrupted operations, but the project persevered.

Looking ahead, Carr sees Gorongosa as a model for Africa’s future. With Africa’s population expected to rise to 4 billion by the end of the century, he believes the continent’s best path forward is through sustainable, nature-based economies.

“Africa doesn’t need to be a problem for the world,” he asserted. “Africa can be a solution. Africa can feed the world. Africa can entertain the world. And Africa can provide the scientists to solve global challenges.”

His vision is already inspiring other national parks to adopt Gorongosa’s model. By combining conservation with economic and social development, Carr hopes to replicate this success across the continent.

Preserving Humanity’s Birthplace

Gorongosa’s significance extends beyond ecology and economy—it is part of the Great Rift, one of the regions where human life began. Carr’s team recently discovered thousands of fossils in the park, adding another layer to its importance.

“Maybe we are preserving and protecting the birthplace of our species,” Carr mused. “I think this is more fun than bungee jumping.”

From a devastated war zone to a beacon of hope, Gorongosa National Park is a testament to what’s possible when conservation and human development go hand in hand. Thanks to Greg Carr’s unwavering dedication, this “love story” between people and nature continues to unfold, proving that restoring the planet can also restore lives.

 

Greg Carr

Founder of Gorongosa Restoration Project 

Greg Carr received a Masters in Public Policy from Harvard in 1986. That same year he co-founded Boston Technology, an international telecommunications firm, and served as its chair until 1998.

In 1998 Carr resigned from his for-profit boards and dedicated himself to philanthropic activities. In 1999, he co-founded the Carr Center for Human Rights Policy at Harvard University. Through research and teaching, the Carr Center seeks to make human rights principles central to the formulation of good public policy in the United States and throughout the world.

In January of 2008, Carr signed a 35-year agreement with the Government of Mozambique to restore and co-manage the country’s flagship national park, Gorongosa, and to help the 250,000 people who live in the communities around the Park. Gorongosa Park had suffered in a generation of war wherein 95% of its large wildlife had been eaten. Mozambique lost one million people in the civil conflicts and the World Bank ranked Mozambique as the poorest country in the world in the 2000s. Carr signed an agreement with four government ministries: Agriculture, Education, Health, and Environment. Inside the one-million acre national park, Carr’s team has restored more than 100% of the equivalent biomass of wildlife. All of the carnivores originally present in the Park have been reintroduced and herbivore species are thriving. The Gorongosa team is restoring the rainforest on Mt. Gorongosa where they have planted several million trees. National Geographic called Gorongosa the most successful wildlife restoration in Africa. ​

In the communities around Gorongosa, Carr’s team supports 120 schools, from preschool to highschool to adult education. One after-school program called “Girls’ Club” keeps teen girls in school and out of child marriage.

The Gorongosa Project helps 20,000 farm families with “regenerative agriculture” that diversifies their crops, increases yields, and prepares the land for climate change. The Project conducts mobile health clinics in remote areas that serve more than 100,000 people per year.

Carr’s project is unique in combining the protection of nature with economic development (two activities that are sometimes seen as competitive). The Gorongosa Project created the concept of a “Nature-Based Special Economic Zone” that lifts people out of poverty with businesses reliant on a healthy ecosystem. 70 Universities are affiliated with the Gorongosa Project as it trains graduate students from around the world to replicate this model. The Gorongosa Project is the largest employer in central Mozambique with safari ecotourism, agricultural production, agricultural processing, forestry, health, education and national park employment.

The Gorongosa Project has been featured in more than a dozen long-from television programs by National Geographic, PBS, BBC, Disney and others. Carr was featured twice on the CBS News Program: “60 Minutes”.