Fauna and Flora International

Fauna & Flora International (FFI) is an international conservation charity and non-governmental organization dedicated to protecting the planet's threatened wildlife and habitats.

Fauna & Flora International
AbbreviationFFI
Formation1903 (1903)
TypeINGO
PurposeConservation charity
HeadquartersCambridge
Chairman
Andrew Sykes
Chief Executive
Mark Rose
Main organ
Council
Websitewww.fauna-flora.org
Formerly called
Fauna and Flora Preservation Society, Society for the Preservation of the Wild Fauna of the Empire

History

FFI was founded in 1903 as the Society for the Preservation of the Wild Fauna of the Empire by a group of British naturalists and American statesmen in Africa. It later became the Fauna Preservation Society, before being renamed Fauna and Flora Preservation Society in 1981. The goal of the society was to safeguard the future of southern Africa’s large mammal populations, which had declined alarmingly due to over-hunting and habitat encroachment. Working in tandem with landowners, government and sport hunters, the Society helped pass legislation which controlled hunting in vast stretches of East Africa and South Africa. This ultimately paved the way for the formation of National Parks, such as Kruger National Park and Serengeti National Park.

Activities

The Society's scientific journal – Oryx – The International Journal of Conservation[1] – is published on its behalf by Cambridge University Press.[2]

In 2018, The Guardian published an article that FFI was embroiled in a row with ethnic Karen people in Myanmar over plans to protect up to 800,000 acres of pristine forest from poachers, loggers and palm oil companies. The dispute was seen as part of a wider dispute, with the UN special rapporteur on the rights of indigenous peoples, Victoria Tauli-Corpuz, stating that despite “commitments by the world’s most influential conservation organisations” to respect indigenous rights, “little has changed”.[3]

In 2020, FFI called on governments worldwide to adopt a moratorium on all deep sea mining, citing its impact on marine life.[4]

Structure

Fauna & Flora International is constituted under English law as a company limited by guarantee[5] and is a registered charity with its head office in Cambridge.[6] FFI has sister organisations in the U.S. and Australia, and a subsidiary in Singapore.

The logo of the society is the Arabian oryx, after the very successful Operation Oryx, a flagship Arabian oryx captive breeding project undertaken by the society.

FFI has a long history of royal patronage dating back to Edward, Prince of Wales (later Edward VIII), who became the group's patron in 1928.[7] Queen Elizabeth II is FFI's current patron.[7][8] FFI also has a number of high-profile vice-presidents, including Sir David Attenborough,[9][8] Stephen Fry,[9][8] Charlotte Uhlenbroek,[9] and Lord Browne of Madingley.[9]

Significant landmarks
  • 1904 - First publication of the society’s journal, the precursor of Oryx - The International Journal of Conservation
  • 1962 - Operation Oryx helps rescue the Arabian oryx from extinction through a captive breeding program, with successful reintroductions into the wild in Jordan, Oman and Saudi Arabia. This was one of the world's first successful captive breeding and reintroduction efforts for an endangered species.
  • 1966 - Peter Scott, Chairman of IUCN Species Survival Commission, becomes Chairman of FFI and devises the Red Data Books, a systematic study of all endangered species.
  • 1971 - Launch of the 100% Fund (now the Flagship Species Fund), set up to support small-scale projects where urgent conservation action is needed to protect endangered species around the world.
  • 1972 - Gerald Durrell's initiative caused the society to start the World Conference on Breeding Endangered Species in Captivity as an Aid to their Survival at Jersey, the first knowledge sharing among scientists regarding ideas of captive breeding.
  • 2000 - Alexander Peal, President of the Society for the Conservation of Nature of Liberia, whose work FFI has supported since 1996, receives the Goldman Environmental Prize, one of the highest honours for a conservationist.

References
  1. "Oryx—The International Journal of Conservation". Oryx—The International Journal of Conservation. Retrieved 2019-10-04.
  2. ISSN 0030-6053
  3. Carroll, Joshua (2018-11-02). "Displaced villagers in Myanmar at odds with UK charity over land conservation". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 2020-06-19.
  4. Karen McVeigh, David Attenborough calls for ban on 'devastating' deep sea mining, The Guardian (March 12, 2020).
  5. Registered Company Number 2677068
  6. Charity Commission. Fauna and Flora International, registered charity no. 1011102.
  7. Our Patron, Fauna and Flora International (accessed March 14, 2019).
  8. The Queen and David Attenborough urged to cut ties with charity linked to Finland mining plans, The Guardian (August 17, 2016).
  9. Vaughan, Adam (2009-11-13). "Stephen Fry brings spit, wit and tweets to conservation group". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 2019-10-04.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.