Wildlife

Wildlife recovery starts here

Every single plant, animal, and fungus species—from the two-inch-long Bee Hummingbird to the 82-foot-long Blue Whale, from the smallest mushroom on Earth to the towering tropical Kapok trees—is a fundamental building block of a healthy ecosystem. Sometimes we may not understand the extent of the role a single species may play, and sometimes it’s clear how species can engineer entire ecosystems:

  • Tasmanian Devils

    Tasmanian Devils—apex predators—released to the wild on mainland Australia for the first time in 3,000 years, are expected to restore an ecosystem that has seen the planet’s worst rate of mammal extinctions.

  • Tapirs

    Tapirs and other large fruit-eating mammals in the Amazon maintain between $5.91 and $13.65 trillion worth of carbon credits. They disperse seeds and trigger seed germination for tree species that store the most carbon.

  • Swinhoe's Giant Softshell

    The softshell, lake-dwelling turtles play the critical role of scavengers, helping to decompose waste, keeping their waterways clean and disease free for all of the wildlife that share their ecosystem.

  • Whether it is the tapir that disperses seeds, butterflies that pollinate flowers, scavengers that prevent the spread of disease, or fungi that cycle critical nutrients throughout the soil, our ecosystems exist only because of the complex interplay between the diverse communities of life within them. They are the products of billions of years of species evolving together. 

    Protect, restore, rewild

    Re:wild focuses on protecting some of the rarest and most threatened species in the world, and also on restoring species on the brink of extinction as part of our strategy to recover entire ecosystems. Healthy ecosystems are the life support of our planet. They are critical to our own wellbeing as they regulate climate, provide clean air and water, and reduce the risk of fires and pandemics.

    These are just a few of our focal species:

    Protecting and restoring threatened species is no small task. Today’s extinction rate is thousands of times higher than the natural historical extinction rate as a direct result of human activity. We help implement tailored strategies for each of the more than 95 species around the world we focus on, including: 

    • preventing wildlife crime 

    • supporting conservation breeding programs

    • creating and managing protected areas 

    Through our extensive international partnerships and by supporting local partners—including small nonprofits, individual species champions, wildlife rangers and Indigenous peoples—to do their work more effectively, we are able to protect and restore wildlife species, even populations that are down to just a few individuals. These efforts benefit an additional 2,300 threatened species.

    Wild Facts

    • We are in the midst of the Sixth Great Extinction.

    • Scientists predict Earth is home to around 10 million species.

    • An estimated 1 million species are at risk of extinction.

    Explore our wild and wonderful wildlife work and discover how you can make a difference:

    Solutions

    There is no one-size-fits-all solution to the interrelated crises of wildlife extinctions, climate change and pandemics. Re:wild works with local and Indigenous communities, conservation partners, governments and others to solve some of the world’s most pressing environmental challenges. Our wildlife approaches include any combination of the following solutions:

    Science-based Decision-making

    Conducting scientific research, synthesizing data and using that information to prioritize our conservation efforts and enable a deeper understanding of global biodiversity, its status and how best to conserve it.

    protected area management

    We work to improve management of protected and conserved areas to ensure a safe and equitable future for biodiversity and local communities.

    Ecosystem Restoration

    Supporting extensive native habitat restoration, such as reforestation, that assists in the recovery of ecosystems that have been degraded or destroyed, but that can rebound and rewild with a little help.

    Wildlife crime prevention

    Developing community-led and owned prevention strategies that take into account the societal and cultural drivers of wildlife crime, and implementing systems and technology to stop poachers before a crime is even committed.

    Read more
    conservation breeding, translocations and reintroductions

    Creating insurance populations to prevent extinction and active management of wildlife populations to help restore them to healthy and self-sustainable numbers across their natural range.

    Read more
    Partnering with Indigenous Peoples

    Incorporating Indigenous knowledge, practices and values to support Indigenous peoples in protecting and managing their lands and natural resources.

    Protected Area Creation

    We identify and prioritize wild places in need of increased protection and work to establish new conservation areas through our local partners.

    Advocating for Earth

    Building a team of engaged global citizens by inspiring changes in daily habits and promoting individual and collective actions that drive real and lasting change. We harness our platforms and reach to generate international attention around imminent threats to wildlife and wildlands and the communities who rely on them, usually from extractive industries, to positively influence decision-makers and other stakeholders.

    Cultivating Conservation Leaders

    Partnering with the next generation, passionate leaders, communities and organizations all over the world to ensure they have the enabling conditions, resources and expertise they need to most effectively protect and manage wildlife and wildlands.

    Exploration

    Exploring some of the most remote corners of our planet to discover how and where we can have the biggest impact on imperiled species and places.

    action funds

    Re:wild’s funds are designed to address gaps in financing, kickstart careers, and leverage impact — to provide resources of all sizes to where they are most needed. As host to over 15 different funds, our goal is to enable the conservation community to protect and restore the wild in the most powerful ways possible.

    Related News and Other Stories

    Building Bridges for the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta

    By Global Wildlife Conservation on December 13, 2019

    Building Bridges for the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta

    READ MORE
    Grupos de conservación locales e internacionales condenan la decisión de la corte ecuatoriana de permitir la minería de cobre en los bosques nublados del Valle de Intag

    By on March 23, 2022

    Grupos de conservación locales e internacionales condenan la decisión de la corte ecuatoriana de permitir la minería de cobre en los bosques nublados del Valle de Intag

    READ MORE