Fauna and Flora International logo - the Arabian Oryx

History of Fauna and Flora International

Founded in 1903, Fauna & Flora International was the world’s first international conservation organization and the pioneering work of its founders in Africa led to the creation of numerous protected areas, including Kruger and Serengeti National Parks.

Expanding beyond its African origins, Fauna & Flora International succeeded in giving conservation a voice on the international stage, drawing worldwide attention to the plight of rare and endangered species.

It was instrumental in establishing much of today’s global and local conservation infrastructure, including organizations such as the World Wide Fund for Nature, IUCN – The World Conservation Union, the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna & Flora and conservation instruments such as the Red List of endangered species.

Fauna & Flora International has always been a groundbreaker; it is renowned for its innovative, landmark programmes, many of which have come to be regarded as classic examples of conservation practice. The translocation of the Arabian oryx in 1962, and its successful reintroduction ten years later, saved this species from extinction in the wild. The mountain gorilla project launched in Rwanda in the 1970s is regarded as one of the most successful ventures of its kind. In 1986 the Society set up a project to promote sustainable harvesting and rural propagation of wild bulbs in Turkey. It remains successful to this day. In 2000 Fauna & Flora International launched a programme designed to ensure that biodiversity issues feature prominently on the agenda of the world’s blue chip companies. This was a first in conservation.

People and the environment are often trapped together in a downward spiral. Impoverished communities may consume the few natural resources available to them, which can result in greater poverty, deforestation, degraded soils, polluted water, disease and environmental crisis. A distinctive feature of Fauna & Flora International is our focus on working with local communities to help them develop the capacity to conserve their own biodiversity whilst also improving their well being – long into the future.

Fauna and Flora International’s Reason to Be: Biodiversity

Biodiversity, the variety of life on Earth, drives the life support systems on which humans and all other species rely. This biodiversity is facing myriad and escalating threats. Across the globe, ecosystems are being degraded or destroyed. Many species are being pushed to the brink of extinction.

Around 80% of the forests that originally covered the Earth have been cleared, fragmented, or degraded over the past 150 years. The best information that science can provide suggests that species are disappearing at up to 10 times the normal rate, with the prospect that 50% of all current life forms may ultimately be lost.

Fauna & Flora International is working to address the threats facing the variety of life on Earth. It’s vision is of a sustainable future for the planet, where biodiversity is effectively conserved by the people who live closest to it, supported by the global community.

Fauna and Flora International

Extremely rare Tonkin snub-nosed monkey. (Credit: Image courtesy of Fauna & Flora International)