We consider sustainable development and the defence of biodiversity two of the great challenges of our time.
There is a global imperative both to address poverty, and to ensure that these economic gains are sustainable for biodiversity and future generations.
Our mission is to challenge what's possible in this regard.
HBD Príncipe is a sustainable development organisation focused on São Tomé & Príncipe, a twin island nation considered the 'African Galápagos' due to its rich and unique biodiversity.
Founded by technology entrepreneur Mark Shuttleworth, our goal is to conserve the natural heritage of the island, deliver meaningful economic improvement in the lives of Principeans and find new solutions to global environmental challenges in biodiversity, conservation and development.
Príncipe is a vulnerable and fragile treasure.
Development along traditional lines would quickly overwhelm the small island and destroy both its future prospects and ecologically unique ecosystems.
We support the island community in charting a course with better outcomes.
Our goal is to achieve a model in Príncipe which provides food, housing and meaningful, rewarding work for Principeans, while protecting its natural heritage for future generations.
We aim to do this by combining ecotourism and agroforestry with a new economic approach to conservation which rewards the people of Príncipe for their stewardship of globally significant biodiversity and natural beauty.
HBD has invested in Príncipe for twelve years, with notable achievements including a popular consensus to decline large-scale palm oil operations on the island, and the opening of two hotels: one of which, Sundy Praia Lodge, is a five-star hotel listed in the Unique Lodges of the World by National Geographic.
It has not been smooth sailing, we have our share of mistakes and waste to learn from.
We now wish to expand our focus to conservation and agroforestry in order to establish a long-term, sustainable approach to land management.
As a pioneering initiative in conservation we wish to give every Príncipean an economic incentive to arrange their affairs in ecologically sustainable ways.
We call this a 'Natural Dividend' for Príncipe.
This proposal fuses the concepts of payments for ecosystem services and universal basic income.
The whole of Príncipe was granted UNESCO Biosphere Reserve status in 2012.
The natural dividend will be administered by its own organisation, but the links with HBD are expected to be close.
We believe that agroforestry offers the lowest-impact path to broad-based employment for both men and women.
As a small and isolated island, Principe cannot be competitive with industrialised agriculture.
Our focus is on premium canopy-dependent products that achieve the best returns for Príncipe with the lowest impact on biodiversity and natural beauty.
This team develops and implements HBD strategy:
- Developing group objectives, strategies and two-year action plans
- Implementing policies, procedures and processes in support of the two-year programmes
- Generating innovative ideas to meet our strategic objectives
- Reporting to the Board on achievement of project timelines and objectives
- Taking corrective action to resolve any variance to plan and budget
- Building relationships to strengthen business and the awareness of HBD
These are full-time roles based on Príncipe, a beautiful but poor and remote island.
It has limited public services or social infrastructure.
Logistics are difficult, which makes Príncipe a model of rural operational reality but also rules out easy answers to obvious problems.
We believe these challenges are surmountable but are looking for truly exceptional individuals in shaping this team.
Colleagues must have the intellect, energy, tenacity, leadership flair and passion to deliver results in such circumstances.
They must collectively bring insights that will enable us to address very difficult challenges in hospitality, agriculture, sociology, ecology, leadership, technology, business and economics in a way that can serve the global need for innovation in effective sustainable development.