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Who We Are
Conserve Africa is a non-governmental organisation that aims to promote and implement sustainable development practices, policies and strategies in Africa through dissemination of information, training, education, research, advocacy and campaigning.
The organisation is registered in the UK as a charitable company that aims:
- To promote sustainable development for the benefit of the public by:
- the preservation, conservation and protection of the environment, and the prudent use of natural resources;
- the relief of poverty and the environment of the conditions of life in socially and economically disadvantaged communities;
- the promotion of sustainable means of achieving economic growth and regeneration.
- 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;
- To increase the knowledge base within the public and local civil society organisations about environment and sustainable development issues;
- 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;
- To provide a platform that broadly represents African environmental NGOs interests and perspectives at regional and international fora in the area of environment and sustainable development.
At the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development (UNCED) in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil in June 1992, over 179 countries endorsed a global plan of action for sustainable development. AGENDA 21 as it is known emphasizes the importance of environmentally sound technologies, education, public awareness and training in achieving the goals of sustainable development. It also recognizes the importance of capacity building especially and environmental education in developing countries in order that strategies for sustainable development could be implemented.
It is within this context that Conserve Africa Foundation was established. The planning, consultation and preparations toward the establishment of the organisation started in Nairobi, Kenya by a group of African delegates who where, at the time, participating in the fifth Conference of the Parties (COP-5) to the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) in Nairobi, Kenya.
They joined and interacted with representatives of other regions i.e. North America and Europe as well as representatives of international, intergovernmental and donor agencies in discussing environmental priorities in Africa. They found that there was a need to set up a regional organisation to initiate a networking process to inform and discuss about the diverse interests in African environmental issues and to provide a place for information sharing and exchange of ideas and experiences in the field. The African delegates agreed to serve as the focal points for networking and awareness raising and to ultimately merge as one organisation for the African continent. As a result a network called Conserve Africa Group (CAG) was borne.
The Group was established as a result of the desire of civil society organizations (CSOs) to take advantage of mutual interests, distinct geographic situations and diverse skills in the area of environment and sustainable development.
At the sixth meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity (COP 6), the same group met again to consider the achievements of the Conserve Africa Group since it was started.
The ultimate objective of the organisation was redefined as to promote the organisation and coordination of activities within the African NGO community, promote environmental education and capacity building and, consequently, foster a more influential environmental civil society in the continent. As an important catalyst in this process, the organisation was also set up to promote networking and cooperation among African environmental NGOs to share information, raise their capacity to participate in international and regional work relating to sustainable development.
In 2002, CAG was registered in England and Wales as Conserve Africa Foundation. It was founded to fill the gap that exists in the provision and exchange of information, capacity building, training and networking on environmental issues and on the advocacy work that needs to be strengthened within the African local non-governmental organisations.