A Small African Island Leading the Way in Sustainability

Príncipe is alive with the sounds of birds. With two-thirds of its area designated as a national park, this island, located 150 miles off the coast of Gabon in West Africa, boasts a lush rainforest that sings with the calls of its avian inhabitants. High above, a pair of African grey parrots caw energetically while my guide, Wilbuir Tavares, highlights a Dohrn’s thrush-babbler, an endemic species whose delicate chirping resonates through the oca trees.

We ascend the lower slopes of Pico do Príncipe, a volcanic tower that rises 680 meters above the dense forest. This majestic peak, like the island itself, was shaped by volcanic forces over 30 million years ago. As we navigate through the foliage, the untouched beauty of Príncipe unfolds before me, with jungle enveloping the landscape down to the shoreline.

Through a break in the trees, the striking peaks of João Dias Filho (Son) and João Dias Pãe (Father) rise majestically, reminiscent of a scene from a Jurassic Park film. Another opening reveals the rusty roof of an abandoned palm-oil plantation, seemingly the only clear spot on the island. "It’s fascinating to consider how different things could have been," Wilbuir remarks, gesturing toward the structure. "I often ponder the impact if HBD had never arrived here. What would happen if they left?"

In February, I journeyed to the smaller part of São Tomé & Príncipe with Far & Wild to discover an island in the Gulf of Guinea. Remote and secluded, Príncipe is home to some of the most diverse rainforests and reefs on the planet. Yet, as Wilbuir points out, the circumstances could have turned out quite differently.

São Tomé & Príncipe is classified as one of the Least Developed Countries by the United Nations. In 2010, the national government nearly approved the clearing of 1,000 hectares (2,474 acres) for palm-oil cultivation. Enter Mark Shuttleworth, the South African tech mogul who made his fortune in internet security. Seeking a getaway between Cape Town and his home on the Isle of Man, he fell in love with Príncipe and, as billionaires do, chose to invest. In 2010, he established HBD Príncipe (HBD), a sustainable ecotourism and agroforestry initiative dedicated to preserving the island’s biodiversity and positioning Príncipe as a model for sustainable development.

I begin my visit at Roça Sundy, located in the island's northwest, once the second-largest cacao plantation on Príncipe and now home to one of three hotels developed by Shuttleworth under concessions from the regional government. When the Portuguese arrived on Príncipe around 1470, the island was uninhabited. They set up plantations for sugar (briefly), coffee, and cacao, employing slaves from West Africa and indentured workers from Cape Verde, Mozambique, and Angola. Their descendants still work on the grounds of Roça Sundy, where men harvest cacao while women carefully sort the beans in large dryers for HBD’s chocolate production. However, plans are underway to ensure a more equitable distribution of wealth.

“Our goal is to enhance social inclusion on the plantation,” Jon McLea, HBD’s agricultural director, shares with me as we survey the rows of cacao trees from the terrace of Roça Sandy. He elaborates on a new initiative they plan to launch at the end of the year, which will subdivide the company’s Paciência plantation into five-hectare plots, each allocated to a local family. HBD will purchase the cacao and pepper produced, while families will keep any yams, sweet potatoes, or bananas they grow for their own use.

Protecting Nature

The following day, I embarked on a bumpy journey across the island to Praia Grande, an expansive beach on the northeast coast of Príncipe. This area is crucial for the nesting of green, leatherback, and hawksbill turtles, and by February, their eggs are beginning to hatch. At the far end of the beach, Halton Carvalho is ready to guide us to Nest 288. He is part of ProTetuga, the turtle conservation branch of Fundação Príncipe, a local nonprofit founded by HBD in 2015. Recent activity has stirred the sand, and we soon witness green turtle hatchlings making their way to the ocean. Though only 1 in 1,000 will survive to adulthood, those that do will return to this same beach in 25 years to lay their own eggs.

Halton proudly identifies himself as “the Turtle Protector” and explains how he safeguards the beach, monitors the nests, and guides visitors through Kaxí Tetuga, a marine-life museum established by the residents of Praia Grande Norte. Revenue from turtle-watching tours and museum visits is directed back to the local community.

Turtle-watching at Praia Grande is part of HBD's immersive experience program for guests. Many of these adventures invite travelers to explore the untamed beauty of Príncipe, showcasing its rich biodiversity through climbs up Pico do Papagaio, hikes to secluded waterfalls, and boat trips to Baía das Agulhas, where snorkeling unveils a vibrant array of coral-reef fish.

Community Engagement

Other excursions highlight HBD’s collaboration with local communities. At the workshop of the Cooperativa de Valorização dos Resíduos Ilha do Príncipe, located on the outskirts of Santo Antonio, the island’s small capital, Zinha Gomes demonstrates how she crafts jewelry from glass bottles collected from the beach.

Transforming glass into sand takes an entire day, working in one-hour shifts. The sand is then molded and polished; Zinha learned this technique during an HBD-sponsored trip to Ghana. She founded the cooperative in 2016 alongside nine other local women who previously relied on harvesting giant land snails for income but were worried about the ecological impact on the national park. Originally, they aimed to convert the crushed glass into construction materials, but the effort proved “too much for too little,” according to Zinha. Today, a pair of earrings fetches just €6, which is a substantial amount in a country where the average income is below €1 a day.

A key goal of HBD is to demonstrate how private investors can collaborate with regional governments and local organizations for the common good. Within two years of its inception, these collective efforts led to Príncipe being designated a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve. However, there are recent concerns about environmental degradation on the island, including illegal logging and agricultural expansion into the national park.

The regional government of Príncipe is collaborating with the United Nations to establish the island as “a global reference for biodiversity conservation” by 2030. However, the UN acknowledges that the country’s capacity to sustainably manage and protect its natural resources is still quite limited.

In response, HBD has launched a “Natural Dividend” initiative aimed at translating abstract conservation benefits into tangible advantages for the local community. For instance, it will financially reward Príncipe’s residents for rewilding their lands or opting to maintain a diverse range of trees, even if it means sacrificing some agricultural income.

“It’s a blend of universal basic income and compensation for the people’s role as stewards of the Biosphere Reserve,” says Malcom Couch, HBD’s CEO. He expresses a genuine passion for making a positive impact, emphasizing the company’s commitment to social responsibility and environmental care. “We don’t want to come across as patronizing the people of Príncipe,” he clarifies, “but rather to say, ‘This is your heritage. How can we support you?’”

This philosophy encapsulates HBD's mission and its comprehensive approach to both the land and its inhabitants on this extraordinary island.

Visiting Príncipe

HBD operates three hotels on Príncipe: the restored plantation house at Roça Sundy; the flagship Sundy Praia, featuring a collection of tented villas nestled in the rainforest along the ocean; and Bom Bom, Shuttleworth’s inaugural hotel on the island, set to reopen after significant renovations in mid-2024. Far & Wild offers customized trips to Príncipe, which include half-board accommodations at Roça Sundy and Sundy Praia, one daily activity with HBD, round-trip international flights to São Tomé, and domestic flights between São Tomé and Príncipe.