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ABOUT

Chief at the Mai Ndombe REDD+ project in the DRC

CHIEF NSOKA
MAI NDOMBE, DRC

"We have always had the tradition of protecting

the forest. Since the logging company left and we began partnering with Wildlife Works, we have seen the forest regenerate."

GILDARDO CALDERÓN
PUTUMAYO, COLOMBIA

"We depend on Mother Earth in order to have the products we need for our families. That's why it is our duty to keep the territory healthy."

Ranger at the Mai Ndombe REDD+ project in the DRC

LOMBE ILLUNGU
ECO-GUARD, MAI NDOMBE DRC

"The world relies upon the life of the forest."

Community at the Mai Ndombe REDD+ project in the DRC

JR BWANGOY BANKANZA
WW COUNTRY DIRECTOR, DRC

"The forest is our mother.

When we protect Her,

She protects us in return."

CHIEF BASABO
MAI NDOMBE, DRC

"The forest is our source of life, bequeathed by the ancestors.

My role is to transmit our culture, so we can protect the forest, which is our wealth."

LAURA YAWANAWA
BRAZIL

"Our way of living is part of the solution to the climate crisis."

Wildlife Works was founded in 1997 on the idea that if we want wildlife in our world, conservation efforts must work for local communities who share their environment.

OUR VALUES

WE VALUE

DIVERSITY

Of species

Of race and culture

Of gender and sexual orientation

Of opinion

EQUITY & FREEDOM

To live your life without the oppression of others

To have your moral and ethical customs respected

To self-determine your own future

To speak your mind, as long as the speech doesn't promote violence or deny others' freedoms

Every person has a story to tell, which deserves the opportunity to be heard and recognized.

WE VALUE

rangers at the Kasigau Corridor REDD+ Project in Kenya

WE VALUE

woman making soap at the Kasigau Corridor REDD+ project in Kenya

man making eco-charcoal at the Kasigau Corridor REDD+ project in Kenya

biodiversity scientists in the forest in democratic republic of the congo

ACCOUNTABILITY

Individual and collective

INTEGRITY & TRANSPARENCY

Transparency is essential to building trust. There is nothing more important than trust for reinventing our societies.

PASSION & COMMITMENT

Tempered by humility, respect and kindness.

INNOVATIVE THINKING

The climate crisis requires many solutions, and we believe the perfect should not be the enemy of the good.

ADAPTABILITY

And holistic thinking in this ever-changing, complex world.

WE BELIEVE

We believe that all species have an intrinsic right to exist on Earth.

We believe that all people have a right to feel safe and secure in their traditional homes, to raise and educate their children and to aspire to a better life or cherish the life they already have.

We believe that increasingly, these two principles conflict as human communities expand into wilderness in search of a new home or income, and begin to compete with wildlife for water, food and the use of natural resources.

We believe that we have no right to preach to those at the sharp edge of human-wildlife conflict in the developing world.

We believe in non-violent solutions, and that guns escalate violence, so our Wildlife Rangers are unarmed (but tough and unafraid).

We believe that those of us whose standard of living has been supported through the extraction of natural resources from far away wildernesses have been key drivers of this accelerating conflict.

We believe that we now know the impact of our actions, and that we now have a choice to be part of the solution, to provide those who live in wilderness with a sustainable, wildlife friendly way to thrive.

We believe that the sheer scale of the marketplace dwarfs charitable donations, so charity cannot repair what the marketplace continues to destroy.

We believe the marketplace is not inherently evil; it is you and us, and we can choose responsible commerce and direct the power of the marketplace to helping solve problems rather than creating them.

We believe that job and market based solutions like ours should be provided by self-sustaining businesses in the marketplace, so we are not constrained by a narrow NGO charter, and can take a holistic, systems approach to meeting a forest community’s needs while protecting wildlife at the same time.

We believe in radical transparency, so you can hold us accountable for our actions, celebrate our successes and appreciate our struggles.