About Us

We support science-based conservation action that saves animals and plants from extinction.

IUCN Red List

Informed by the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species™ and in collaboration with thousands of IUCN experts and scientists worldwide, we focus our efforts where they will have the biggest impact. We prioritise the species most in need: those assessed as Vulnerable, Endangered and Critically Endangered.

By working with the IUCN Species Survival Commission (SSC), IUCN Save Our Species is able to develop and select projects in line with globally agreed conservation strategies. The SSC is the world’s largest network of species experts and a fundamental contributor to IUCN’s role as provider of the knowledge that guides nature conservation.

Members include:

Researchers
Government officials
Wildlife veterinarians
Zoo and botanical institute employees

Marine biologists
Protected Area managers
Experts on plants, birds, mammals, fish, amphibians, reptiles, and invertebrates.

Think global, act local

IUCN Save Our Species works from its base in IUCN Headquarters in Switzerland and is implemented through IUCN Regional and country offices.

We fund frontline conservation organisations across the world who have unique knowledge of their region and the local biodiversity. Our founder used to say:

Wildlife conservation is complex, involving thousands of Civil Society Organisations without whom forest patches or populations of unique species would disappear forever. These people are modern-day heroes. Very often a small grant helps them make a big difference. IUCN Save Our Species supports those people. Those who sometimes risk their lives fighting against illegal wildlife trade or opposing projects that destroy our natural heritage.

Our approach

We never look at species in isolation. We know that to save threatened species with sustainable, long-term results, we need to tackle key threats that are driving the decline of their populations. These include the lack of incentives for landowners and managers to retain natural habitats, illegal wildlife trade, abusive practices in agriculture, fisheries, and forestry, the disruption of water flow, inadequate management of waste, and increasingly, human-wildlife conflict and invasive alien species.

Manta Trust Manta Rays Sarah Lewis IDing black reef manta rays, Raja Ampat, Indonesia — Image credit: Shawn Heinrichs

Local communities do not always understand why and how they should protect wildlife as many rely on wildlife and their shared habitat to generate income. It is thus essential for any project to understand the local economy. By supporting the development of alternative livelihoods, we engage local communities in supporting the conservation work.
All of our conservation projects have a three-legged approach:

1. Species

We monitor populations and create conditions for species to increase and recolonise.

2. Habitat

We build capacity for better protected area and habitat management.

3. People

We work with local communities to reduce unsustainable dependency on natural resources through provision of alternatives.

Assess – Plan – Act

IUCN and the Species Survival Commission (SSC) approach conservation efforts by taking into account three essential steps: Assess, Plan and Act.

Assess: this step is about assessing the conservation status of species, their distribution, their population size and trends, and their main threats. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species is the main tool used in this process.

Plan: this part of the process enables the development of conservation strategies to protect species. In order to be effective, these recovery programmes must bring together a broad array of stakeholders, perspectives and expertise, from governments to local communities alongside species experts.

Act: in the last step of the process, the IUCN Save Our Species programme delivers actions on the ground that save species, and implement an array of activities that ultimately improves the lives of the local community.

Locals in Malawi appreciating a honeycomb — Image credit: Wildlife Action Group

Who is IUCN?

IUCN is the the world’s largest and most diverse environmental network. IUCN is the only environmental organization with official Observer status at the UN General Assembly.

Established in 1948, today, IUCN represents nearly 1,400 members, including most States and government agencies of our world, as well as non-governmental and indigenous peoples organizations. It has a network of 15,000 conservation scientists and academics, and most of them participate in the work of the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species™. This diversity and vast expertise makes IUCN the global authority on the status of the natural world and the measures needed to safeguard it. As the #1 conveners when it comes to biodiversity, we are able to bring together governments, the private sector and the civil society to create the science and policies needed to foster the conservation actions that will have the most positive and sustainable impact for nature.

IUCN Save Our Species is the change agent of IUCN’s and the action arm of IUCN. We transform the IUCN science into concrete actions on the ground. IUCN Save Our Species and the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species are both part of the IUCN Global Species Programme.

Learn more about IUCN