Conservation of the natural world has long been practised by those who live closest to it. Local communities and organisations hold indispensable knowledge of the landscapes, species and unique characteristics of their environment, making conservation initiatives near impossible without their input. Fauna & Flora International (FFI) has worked in partnership with local conservation organisations worldwide for over a century. In the last year alone, we contributed to the conservation of almost 49 million hectares of land, 282 protected habitat sites in 45 countries and the establishment of 25 environment and conservation laws – all achieved by working with and through local partners.
FFI’s Our One Home campaign calls on governments worldwide to commit $500 billion towards the protection and restoration of the natural world, with that amount increasing every year. It is vital that these funds are directed towards the local organisations who work closest to nature, who know best where and how to deploy resources, and who can implement real change.
Too often, local voices are ignored or marginalised in top-level decision making. Now, those voices are more important than ever. As part of the Our One Home campaign, our partners on the front line of conservation joined our call for the protection of nature to become a global priority.