About Us
Conserve Africa is a non-governmental organization that aims to promote and implement sustainable development practices, policies and strategies through knowledge management and dissemination, training, education, research, advocacy and campaigning. The organization’s charitable objectives are:
I. To promote sustainable development in Africa for the benefit of the public by preserving, conserving and protecting the environment, including the prudent use of natural resources;
II. Relief of poverty and the environment of the conditions of life in socially and economically disadvantaged communities;
III. The promotion of sustainable means of achieving economic growth and regeneration;
IV. To advance the education of the public in subjects related to sustainable development and the protection, enhancement and rehabilitation of the environment and to promote study and research in such subjects;
V. To increase the knowledge base within the public and local civil society organizations about environment and sustainable development issues;
VI. To influence regional and international response to the environment and poverty linkages and to the root causes of the current state of the environment in Africa
Vision and Strategic Action
Conserve Africa (CA) recognises that sustainable development, which balances economic development, social cohesion and environment protection, is fundamental to the objective of lasting poverty reduction.
CA aims to improve the living conditions of African people by enhancing sustainable development and use of natural resources in a participatory, rational, equitable and ethical way for the benefit of local communities.
CA is dedicated to advocating for the protection of Africa from environmental degradation; the preservation of natural resources as well as empowering citizens to have an influential voice in decisions affecting the quality of their environment and lives.
CA pursues this vision through the implementation of capacity building and related activities, and programmes that involve training, environmental education, advocacy, information and knowledge dissemination.
Conserve Africa work with an active local network of community-based environmental groups that can help raise environmental awareness, conduct environmental education, engage in environmental advocacy and serve as a local environmental watchdog.
CA maintains a long-term vision of the advancement of the environment and natural resources in Africa within the framework of global efforts to promote environmentally sustainable development.
The following key elements constitute our strategic action:
- Developing and supporting projects that alleviate poverty in rural communities by improving the sustainable management of natural resources, increase rural production and productivity and strengthen community organizations to help design their own long term initiatives and strategies.
- Supporting the development of capacity in Africa to respond to environmental issues through environmental education and training activities.
- Strengthening African NGOs and associations to become more organised and active in addressing sustainable development issues by facilitating and encouraging collective voice and action, networking, information exchange, research and development initiatives;
- Building the capacity of local NGOs and associations and sensitizing the public to manage and protect the environment in a manner that ensures both national and global benefits;
- Promoting community action in the field of sustainable development and environmental conservation by supporting small and medium scale projects which empower local communities to develop their own solutions to their environmental and development challenges.
- Designing and implementing community cost-effective projects for environmental and natural resources that improve household food security and levels of income and health conditions of the local communities;
- Organising “people-focused” activities that protect and enhance their local environment, ecosystems and the productivity of natural resources.
- Fundraising for support of projects that alleviate poverty in rural communities by improving the sustainable management of natural resources, increasing rural production and productivity and strengthening community organizations to help design their own long term initiatives and strategies.
Conserve Africa’s approaches
- Recognizing that conserving and managing natural resources is essential in the fight against poverty and that the poor are heavily dependent on natural resources and particularly vulnerable to environmental change
- Building concrete environmental sustainability solutions through a combination of field-based projects, advocacy, action research, information and knowledge dissemination, education and awareness work
- Empowering people to protect their environment by supporting them to take action and control over access to natural resources through sound long‐term resource management
- Involving local communities, civil society organisations and indigenous peoples in the planning and execution of field programmes taking into account their knowledge, skills as well as cultural and socio‐economic needs
- Ensuring that community development projects are planned and carried out in cooperation with the partner organisations in order to guarantee that they respond to local demands and aims as defined by the target groups
- Striving to build partnerships with other organisations, governments, business and local communities to enhance impact and effectiveness in its interventions
- Organising “people-focused” activities that protect and enhance their local environment, ecosystems and productivity based on natural resources.
- Campaigning to the international community so that Africa’s environmental challenges are addressed while at the same time combating poverty and promoting socio‐economic development.
