The Role of Delegated PPPs in Wildlife and Ecosystem Conservation: A Systematic Review of International Evidence

Delegated Public-Private Partnerships (DPPPs) which are collaborative agreements between government entities and private sector companies to finance, build, and operate projects that serve the public by leveraging the strengths of both sectors to deliver public services or infrastructure more efficiently and effectively. Key features include risk sharing (allocating risks to the party best able to manage them), long-term contracts (typically spanning 20-30 years), private sector investment (reducing immediate financial burden on the public sector), performance-based payments (ensuring accountability and quality), and innovation and efficiency through private sector involvement. The model has emerged as a transformational model for the management of protected areas (PAs), particularly in sub-Saharan Africa, where conservation institutions are confronted with persistent budget constraints and governance issues. Drawing on eleven papers and institutional reports that were published between the years 1990 and 2023 and subjected to peer review, this systematic review provides a synthesis of the evidence regarding the effectiveness of DPPP. In accordance with the guidelines established by PRISMA, the review is centered on four primary result areas: the preservation of biodiversity, the benefits to communities, the financial sustainability, and the dynamics of governance. Despite the fact that DPPPs, such as the African Parks Network (APN), provide substantial improvements in conservation and operational efficiency, the findings reveal that considerable limits still exist in terms of equitable benefit-sharing, participatory governance, and long-term socio-political sustainability. Additionally, the analysis reveals persisting methodological inadequacies, including a paucity of longitudinal and mixed-methods research, as well as a limited focus on underrepresented regions and populations. In its final paragraph, the paper makes a rallying cry for modifications to the DPPP model that are rights-based, inclusive, and sensitive to the context.