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.

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:
Assess – Plan – Act
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.


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.
Our Team

Ana Nieto
Head; Species Conservation Action

Dr Sugoto Roy
Coordinator; Integrated Tiger Habitat Conservation Programme

Remco van Merm
Species Conservation
Grant Coordinator

Maud LEGAGNEUR
Communications & Business Engagement Manager

Muyang Achah
Programme Officer

Anne Mugo
Programme Officer

Milica Miskovic
Programme Officer

Camilla Lude
Programme Assistant

Agustin Guinea
Communications Associate

Elisa Facchini
Programme Officer

Laure Montchamp
Programme Officer