But as well as our support for conservation projects on the ground, advocating for species protection with governments and in international forums is just as important in changing attitudes and creating the conditions which enable change on the ground to be effectively delivered.
We work to end the trade in wildlife, focusing on our eight core species and beyond, developing robust, evidenced- based arguments showing that the trade is disastrous for wildlife populations and is putting a number of species on the path to extinction.
We especially focus our engagement on the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES), the most important global body for regulating the international trade in wildlife. We have helped achieve many significant victories at CITES, including resisting attempts to re-open the ivory trade and making crucial progress on ending the trade in live elephants, as well as other significant breakthroughs on the protection of rhinos, pangolins, and big cats.
The Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) is another key forum we focus heavily on, particularly its provisions that deal with the illegal trade in wildlife, but also more widely on issues regarding the protection of habitat and biodiversity – essential to the long-term survival of all our core species.
The issues of wildlife extinction, biodiversity loss, and climate change are inextricably linked, with the impacts of the climate crisis already proving destructive to both habitats and species. We therefore engage with international policy conventions on climate, most notably the UNFCCC climate change COPs, as well as working with our ground-based conservation partners to both help them adapt to the impacts of climate change and to encourage more sustainable practices.
The trade in endangered animals, as well as their parts and derivatives has always been complex and divisive. Find out more about DSWFs stance on trade and how this influences our conservation policy.
Through tireless dedication, DSWF has influenced policy, shifted attitudes and provided an unwavering voice for the conservation of endangered species since 1984. Find out more here.
DSWF operate in some of the countries that are likely to be hit the hardest by the climate crisis despite them doing almost nothing to cause it, and we work with communities that are amongst the most vulnerable to its impacts. Our project partners are already reporting dramatic and negative changes to the climate in areas they work in. Find out more here.
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All donations will help us continue our vital work conservation work to protect endangered species and turn the tide on extinction.
