- Following a series of recent human/wildlife conflict incidents in Namibian communal lands, impassioned tour guides and tour operators came together to contribute towards improving the situation and assist with future conflict mitigation.
The TOSCO Trust was founded in early 2012 to legally generate funds and provide a communication platform for conservation in the tourism industry.
- All tourism professionals are welcome to become members of TOSCO by paying an annual registration fee and pledging to promote nature conservation and communal tourism. Members are permitted to use the TOSCO logo on all their marketing materials (website, brochures, etc) and safari vehicles.
- Tourists to Namibia as well as the general public are also welcome to support conservation of Namibia’s natural resources through donations to TOSCO. There is no minimum donation amount.
- All funds generated by the membership fees and donations will be used for funding specific projects approved by the Trust. These projects may vary from year to year depending on the needs identified and available funds. Transparent accounting and projects supported will be published by Tosco.
- Three trustees have been appointed to deal with administrative issues: Dieter Risser (accountant), David Rey (tourism expert) and Felix Vallat (permanent secretary). Positions are filled on a voluntary basis.