FFI

i only knew about it yesterday after reading an OK magazine article about Rove being the Australian ambassador for this conservation organisation



anyways, here's some info from their site http://www.fauna-flora.org
(i bold-typed the main parts if u don't wanna read the whole thing)

Fauna & Flora International was established over a century ago. Founded in 1903, it was the world’s first international conservation organization and the pioneering work of its founders in Africa led to the creation of numerous protected areas, including Kruger and Serengeti National Parks.

Expanding beyond its African origins, Fauna & Flora International succeeded in giving conservation a voice on the international stage, drawing worldwide attention to the plight of rare and endangered species.

It was instrumental in establishing much of today’s global and local conservation infrastructure, including organizations such as the World Wide Fund for Nature, IUCN - The World Conservation Union, the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna & Flora and conservation instruments such as the Red List of endangered species.

Fauna & Flora International has always been a groundbreaker; it is renowned for its innovative, landmark programmes, many of which have come to be regarded as classic examples of conservation practice. The translocation of the Arabian oryx in 1962, and its successful reintroduction ten years later, saved this species from extinction in the wild. The mountain gorilla project launched in Rwanda in the 1970s is regarded as one of the most successful ventures of its kind. In 1986 the Society set up a project to promote sustainable harvesting and rural propagation of wild bulbs in Turkey. It remains successful to this day. In 2000 Fauna & Flora International launched a programme designed to ensure that biodiversity issues feature prominently on the agenda of the world’s blue chip companies. This was a first in conservation.

People and the environment are often trapped together in a downward spiral. Impoverished communities may consume the few natural resources available to them, which can result in greater poverty, deforestation, degraded soils, polluted water, disease and environmental crisis. A distinctive feature of Fauna & Flora International is our focus on working with local communities to help them develop the capacity to conserve their own biodiversity whilst also improving their well being - long into the future.

personally FFI seems more...traditional? as in its actions cause direct change - compared to WWF (though not saying anything bad about them) who sell merchandise, run protests, etc etc which costs money, but not directly benefitting the conservation efforts.


What we do with your donations

What we do

Over 88% of FFI's income goes directly to conservation on the ground supporting over 180 projects around the world.

The rest goes towards covering the core costs that are necessary to make those projects happen, such as postage, telephone, electricity, rent and staff salaries. These may not sound glamorous but the field work couldn’t be done without them.

Core costs also include the production of our publications (Oryx, FFI magazine and our quarterly newsletter) and maintenance of this website, which are all vital for reporting back on our progress to our supporters, members and peers.

For every donation of £10 made to general funds, on average FFI raises and spends at least a further £100 on direct conservation. i.e. we lever at least ten times more impact from your original donation.

Through partnership and small grants we help smaller groups grow and develop their own strengths to carry out conservation for themselves.

What we don’t do

We do not believe that it is necessary for us to invest in expensive marketing merchandise, nor do we seek to establish offices around the globe. We do not pay above average salaries.

(like i was saying before with WWF)

so yea please donate.
it sounds a lot if you have to convert the pounds, but it's actually only around $10 a month for the most standard donation. that's like not buying a lunch and drink once a month.

and btw Sir David Attenborough is the FFI Vice President : )
just some wise words from my idol:

“I am proud to be associated with what I regard as the doyen of all conservation societies”.

“If you value the natural world, if you believe it should be conserved for its own sake as well as for humanity’s, then do please support FFI.”

"investment in the work of FFI is an investment in the future of our planet"

if you want to donate, (even if you don't usually do these sort of things) click here:
http://www.fauna-flora.org/membership.php

i feel like i've just done a speech at a conference or something