Conservation Charity XX

Conservation Charity XX
Name	Conservation Charity XX
Founded	1998
Founder	Maria Santos; David Okoye
Type	Non-profit conservation organization
Headquarters	Nairobi
Area served	Global
Mission	Conservation of biodiversity and sustainable land use

Conservation Charity XX is an international non-profit dedicated to biodiversity conservation, habitat restoration, and community-based natural resource management. Founded by conservationists from Latin America and Africa, the organization operates across multiple continents with programs focused on species protection, landscape-scale planning, and conservation finance. It combines applied science, policy engagement, and local partnership to address threats to wildlife and ecosystems.

History

Conservation Charity XX was established in 1998 by Maria Santos and David Okoye following collaborative work on Amazon basin and Sahel projects with institutions such as the Smithsonian Institution and World Wildlife Fund. Early initiatives drew on networks linked to the IUCN Red List, the Convention on Biological Diversity, and the Ramsar Convention to pilot community-managed reserves in Brazil and Kenya. In the 2000s the charity expanded through ties to the MacArthur Foundation, the Ford Foundation, and the United Nations Environment Programme to scale up landscape restoration and endemic species programs. Major milestones include a 2010 partnership with the African Wildlife Foundation and a 2015 multi-year grant from the Global Environment Facility to support transboundary corridors between national parks and indigenous territories. Organizational shifts in 2018 introduced measurable conservation finance mechanisms inspired by models from the Green Climate Fund and the World Bank’s environmental programs.

Mission and Objectives

The Charity’s mission emphasizes preservation of threatened species, restoration of degraded ecosystems, and promotion of locally led stewardship aligned with international agreements such as the Paris Agreement and the Nagoya Protocol. Objectives include (1) securing viable habitat for priority taxa listed under the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species, (2) implementing ecosystem-based adaptation strategies referenced by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, and (3) strengthening customary tenure arrangements recognized in instruments like the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples. Strategic objectives also reference standards from the Equator Principles and align project monitoring with protocols from the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora.

Programs and Projects

Conservation Charity XX runs sectoral programs in terrestrial conservation, freshwater protection, and coastal resilience. Terrestrial programs include corridor restoration modeled after the Mesoamerican Biological Corridor and species recovery similar to efforts for the Andean condor and African elephant. Freshwater initiatives draw on methods used in Chesapeake Bay and Mekong River conservation to reduce pollution, restore riparian zones, and protect endemic fish. Coastal projects adapt lessons from the Great Barrier Reef restoration trials and mangrove reforestation campaigns in the Sundarbans. Cross-cutting projects feature community forestry schemes based on precedents from the Cameroon Community Forestry Program and conservation enterprise development influenced by the Fairtrade International certification model. Several flagship efforts include a landscape-scale restoration in the Cerrado and a multi-stakeholder marine protected area initiative near the Galapagos Islands.

Governance and Funding

The Charity is governed by a board combining practitioners and academics from institutions such as University of Oxford, University of Nairobi, and Pontifical Catholic University of Peru. Executive leadership has included alumni of the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds and former program directors from the International Union for Conservation of Nature. Funding streams derive from philanthropic foundations like the Packard Foundation, bilateral donors such as agencies modeled on USAID and DFID, and multilateral grants from entities comparable to the Global Environment Facility and the Green Climate Fund. The organization also administers conservation trust funds inspired by mechanisms used by the Wildlife Conservation Society and accepts corporate partnerships within frameworks established by the UN Global Compact.

Impact and Evaluation

Independent evaluations have assessed outcomes using indicators from the Convention on Biological Diversity and monitoring frameworks similar to those of the World Resources Institute. Reported impacts include increased population indices for target species, expansion of native habitat cover, and adoption of community resource agreements modeled after examples from the Sámi Parliament’s land management and the Forestry Stewardship Council’s standards. Conservation Charity XX publishes periodic impact summaries paralleling protocols used by the International Union for Conservation of Nature and submits results to platforms in the spirit of the Open Standards for the Practice of Conservation. External audits and peer reviews by researchers affiliated with the University of British Columbia and the Smithsonian Institution have informed adaptive management and improved monitoring of ecosystem services.

Partnerships and Collaborations

The Charity maintains strategic partnerships with regional NGOs such as the African Wildlife Foundation and Conservation International as well as academic collaborators at University of Cape Town, Harvard University, and the National Autonomous University of Mexico. It engages indigenous and community organizations akin to the Rainforest Foundation and regional networks modeled on the Indigenous Peoples’ International Centre for Policy Research and Education. Collaborations with governmental agencies follow precedents set by joint programs between the Kenya Wildlife Service and international donors; multilateral cooperation has included policy dialogues with the United Nations Development Programme and technical exchanges resembling initiatives under the Convention on Migratory Species.

Category:Environmental organizations