About Fauna & Flora International

What we do

FFI acts to conserve threatened species and ecosystems worldwide, choosing solutions that are sustainable, are based on sound science and take account of human needs.

Our approach

FFI’s overriding goal is to conserve biological diversity. At the same time, however, it recognizes and respects the need to improve the livelihoods of local communities. In all that it sets out to achieve, FFI makes local partnerships a top priority. Within this context, FFI has developed a long-term strategy and action plan based on five proven steps to conserve biodiversity: 

1.       Conservation Capacity: Empowering our partners to identify, fund and achieve their conservation targets, enhancing the sustainability of conservation effort,

2.       Integrating biodiversity and human needs: Introducing effective management solutions for natural resources that meet the needs of biodiversity conservation and human development.

3.       Species and Ecosystem Security: Direct intervention for over-exploited and endangered species and habitats,

·       Securing land for conservation, through land purchase, local land stewardship, and other mechanisms for protected land management.

·       Emergency response to conservation need Responding to urgent conservation needs in areas critically threatened by, or suffering from, conflict, disaster or neglect.

4.       Influencing conservation policy and behaviour: Contributing to conservation policy, increasing knowledge and influencing conservation behaviour.

5.       Bridging business and biodiversity.  Engaging with economic systems and business activities at all levels to benefit species, ecosystems and human interests.

Our philosophy

A firm belief in the importance of conserving nature, in accordance with the Convention on Biological Diversity, underpins all FFI activities.  The underlying ethos is that conservation should be achieved through the application of scientific understanding, a genuinely participatory approach, local capacity building and long-term commitment. FFI arrives at solutions that are simple, sustainable and applicable at the local level. Success is measured in terms of lasting results beyond the life of individual projects. FFI places great emphasis on the importance of engaging and empowering communities, helping people to help themselves.

Our history

FFI was founded in 1903 as the Society for the Preservation of the Wild Fauna of the Empire – the world’s first international conservation organization. Its founders, who included President Theodore Roosevelt and the Duke and Duchess of Bedford, were instrumental in forming the Kruger and Serengeti National Parks in southern and eastern Africa. 1903 also saw publication of the first Society journal, the precursor of Oryx – The International Journal of Conservation.

Early milestones

·         1926 - Colonel Stevenson-Hamilton, Hon. Secretary, secures the conversion of Sabie Game Reserve in South Africa to the Kruger National Park.

·         1962 - Operation Oryx rescues the Arabian oryx from extinction through a captive breeding programme, culminating in the first successful reintroduction of a species into the wild.

·         1966 - Sir Peter Scott, the Chairman of FFI, devises the Red Data Books, a systematic study of the status and distribution of all endangered species.

·         1971 - Launch of the 100% Fund (the precursor of the Flagship Species Fund), to provide direct support for small-scale conservation projects.

Recent milestones

·         1991 - FFI co-founds the International Gorilla Conservation Programme to protect the mountain gorilla in Central Africa. Despite ongoing conflict in the region, gorilla numbers have since increased by over 10%.

·         1998 - Establishment of the Arcadia Fund, a land purchase mechanism that enables FFI and its partners to save vital landscapes and habitats from destruction.

·         2000 - Alexander Peal, President of the Society for the Conservation of Nature of Liberia, whose work FFI has supported since 1996, receives the Goldman Environmental Prize, conservation’s equivalent of the Nobel Peace Prize.

·         2001 - Launch of the FFI/Defra Flagship Species Fund, a dedicated resource that focuses specifically on high profile threatened animal and plant species.

·         2002 - Aerial surveys indicate further rise in elephant numbers following an increase in FFI support for Mozambique’s Niassa reserve.

·         2003 - FFI and Vodafone join forces to create wildlive!, a ground-breaking initiative designed to promote conservation awareness and an interest in wildlife among a new generation of mobile phone and internet users.