Fauna & Flora expands marine conservation portfolio by over 50 per cent in five years

As part of the expansion of its marine conservation efforts, the charity – which takes a partnership-led approach to conservation – is supporting over 20 locally-led marine conservation organisations to improve project delivery skills and establish the capacity and structure needed to sustain long-term, locally-driven conservation activity.

Most recently, in 2023, Fauna & Flora – headquartered locally in The David Attenborough Building in Pembroke St, Cambridge – kickstarted work in Belize, Barbados and the Maldives.

In Barbados, Fauna & Flora has partnered with the Wild Isle Trust (WIT) to support its Barbados Sea Turtle Project, an initiative that includes a 24-hour sea turtle hotline and a beach monitoring programme that gathers critical data on nesting sea turtles in order to reduce the likelihood of poaching events.

In Belize, Fauna & Flora supported local partner, the Turneffe Atoll Sustainability Association (TASA), through a strategic planning process.

When a timely opportunity arose it was able to help secure a critical piece of land within an MPA, essential to the effective management of the wider marine reserve. The MPA itself is a regionally important fish spawning area and home to some of the most resilient reefs in the Turneffe.

Valdemar Andrade, Executive Director, TASA, comments: “Fauna & Flora has provided critical support to assist the Turneffe Atoll Sustainability Association to develop its first ever strategic plan for the organisation.

“This will enable us to programme our future planning for the management of the Turneffe Atoll Marine Reserve based on a clear vision and mission. We are excited to evolve our partnership with Fauna & Flora into the future.

“We were humbled by the dynamic and very practical approach from their development team that yielded a guiding document from which we will deliver our vision for this critical marine reserve in Belize!”

Kristian Teleki, CEO, Fauna & Flora, said: “From the creation of new protected areas, to tackling plastic pollution, Fauna & Flora’s marine work covers a crucial range of conservation issues.

“2024 is set to be another pivotal year for our ocean’s health, and the need for marine protection and management is greater than ever. Our teams are urgently working with our partners, community members and donors to ensure we can continue to do all we can to create a positive impact for marine wildlife – for the future of our planet and its people.”

The growth of Fauna & Flora’s marine conservation activities has been underpinned by funding from Arcadia, a charitable foundation that works to protect nature, preserve cultural heritage and promote open access to knowledge.

Arcadia also supports a suite of terrestrial projects operated by Fauna & Flora through its Halcyon fund. In 2023 this included support for the creation of the first two community conserved areas in South Sudan and the testing of novel approaches to financing conservation in South Africa.

With Arcadia’s support, Fauna & Flora will continue to expand this portfolio of work, ensuring long-term effective protection and recovery of the world's remaining biodiversity-rich areas, and enabling funding to reach where it is most needed.