Partnerships with purpose

Funding conservation action where it matters most.

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Why partner with us

Species and biodiversity conservation cannot be achieved by single initiatives or organisations. The scale of action required to save a species or safeguard an ecosystem requires pooling of data, expertise, knowledge – and most critically – finance. 

IUCN Save Our Species partners with a broad range of public, private, philanthropic, academic and practitioner organisations – including civil society, national institutions and Indigenous People’s organisations – to design and implement people-centred conservation action that delivers measurable benefits for species, habitats and communities.

© Marcus Westberg, African Parks

Impact oriented

Harnessing the IUCN union’s network of experts, including its scientific Commissions, we design and manage investments to ensure the highest possible impacts for species, habitats and people.

Leveraging IUCN’s best-in-class monitoring and evaluation framework, we comprehensively track the results and learnings of each project to help shape and scale up effective solutions for saving species.

Read about the impact we have achieved.

© Karine Aigner WWF US

Local to global reach

Thanks to IUCN’s network of experts and practitioners, our initiatives have a uniquely deep and extensive reach to local civil society and Indigenous People’s organisations at the forefront of biodiversity conservation efforts. With decades of experience working in landscapes with local actors, we are led by local needs and challenges: bringing the resources and expertise to support locally-led action.

© UCRT, Tanzania

Turning local action into global impact 

Our investments create a virtuous cycle between practice and policy. Locally led conservation action delivers measurable results for species and ecosystems, which we rigorously monitor and evaluate. This evidence strengthens the case for ambitious biodiversity policy, informs national implementation, and supports progress against global commitments. By linking site-level impact with international frameworks, IUCN Save Our Species helps ensure that local action drives change at scale.

Read how our projects are contributing to the SDGs and Global Biodiversity Framework.

©IUCN/Andrew McConnell/Workers Photos

Our commitment to safeguarding people, nature and resources

We apply IUCN’s Environmental and Social Management System (ESMS) and rigorous due-diligence processes across all our partnerships to safeguard people, nature and donor investments. This includes robust assessment of environmental and social risks, partner capacity, governance and financial management.

Thanks to IUCN’s global network and operation capacity, we are uniquely positioned to channel funding responsibly to a diverse range of partners — from small, locally rooted civil society and Indigenous Peoples’ organisations, to established national and international organisations — enabling inclusive, accountable conservation action in even the most challenging contexts.

© Ny Tanintsika, Madagascar

Strategic partnerships for lasting impact

We see our donors as strategic partners on a shared journey to halt biodiversity loss. By investing through IUCN Save Our Species, donors support not only individual projects or sites, but also the networks, communities and knowledge systems that underpin lasting conservation success. Every project and partner benefits from IUCN’s unparalleled expert network — including the Species Survival Commission — ensuring that action on the ground is informed by the best available science and practice.

The evidence and solutions generated through our work are then amplified through IUCN’s convening power, reaching policymakers, practitioners and decision-makers at all levels. In this way, our partnerships maximise the impact of every contribution, delivering lasting benefits for threatened species, ecosystems and the communities who steward them.

© Himalayan Nature

Our partners