Flora

Plants are the building blocks of most ecosystems, certainly most land-based ecosystems. Yet they often get overlooked. By performing photosynthesis, they not only transform the sun’s energy into something other living creature can live off of (i.e. roots, leaves and stems), but they also capture carbon.

That’s why 20 per cent of global greenhouse gas emissions come from habitat loss. By protecting trees and other carbon-rich plants, we are not only saving the complexity of an ecosystem but we are helping to stop climate change.

FFI runs several programmes that focus on plants. The Global Trees Campaign is the world’s only initiative that strives to save trees threatened with extinction. Many of our habitat protection programmes also work to protect plants. For example, our Iberian lynx programme leads us to conserve cork oak trees , which are vital components of the cat’s Portuguese montada habitat.

We also work to save South Africa’s fynbos habitat, one of the world’s unique floral kingdoms. Many of its plants can only be found there and are under threat from vineyards and other habitat loss.