Guardians of the Wild: Top 12 NGOs Fighting for Endangered Species Survival

Each species is an important component of the weaving of life on the planet. Biodiversity is the keystone to a healthy planet, whether it be the giant African elephant which forms its own ecosystem or the minute bee that pollinates our crops. However, we are currently experiencing a species extinction at an alarming rate like never before, what scientists are calling the Sixth Mass Extinction. In contrast to all the extinctions caused by natural disasters in the past, this one is dominated by humans: the destruction of habitats, climate change, poaching, and illegal trade of wildlife.

With the crisis of this scale, they are not giving up hope. On the frontline are a global network of committed Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs), who can be described as the protectors of the voiceless. These groups integrate a combination of revolutionary science, indefatigable advocacy, on-the-ground organizing, and fervent education to drag species out of the doldrums. The article is an in-depth look at the 12 best NGOs working towards the protection of endangered species, their missions, their successful moments and how you can contribute to their vital work.

Understanding the Battle: Why Endangered Species Matter

It is important to know what is at stake before we get to know the champions. Animal endangered species are not objects of, but also the expressions of health of our planet. The indicator of the destabilized ecosystem that may lead to the lack of water, epidemics, and food is their decline. They possess genetic blueprints which have the potential to provide medical advances and which are invaluable components of our natural inheritance and cultural identity. In a way, the activities of these NGOs that work to protect endangered species are a struggle to protect our future.

The Top 12 NGOs on the Front Lines

1. World Wildlife Fund (WWF)

The Global Giant with Local Impact

Being one of the biggest conservation organizations in the world and one of the most recognized ones, the World Wildlife Fund is present in almost 100 countries. It has the iconic panda logo that represents hope to endangered species across the world.

• Mission: To ensure the natural environment of the planet is not destroyed but a future is developed in which there will be coexistence between man and nature.
• The major Focus WWF covers a wide range of issues, such as protection of iconic species, such as tigers, rhinos, pandas, and marine turtles; protection of important forests and oceans; and global issues, such as climate change.
• Success Story: The giant panda that is now in the Vulnerable category rather than an Endangered species owes most of its success to decades of co-operative efforts of WWF in conserving and preserving their habitats by planting additional trees.
• What to avoid: Do not become a symbolic animal, do not make a donation, do not come to the campaigns, e.g. Earth Hour, do not purchase the products with WWF-approved label, etc.

2. Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS)

Science-Based Protection in the Wildest Places

WCS operates a network of city wildlife parks in New York City, such as the Bronx Zoo, but its biggest strength is its field work. WCS implements long-term conservation initiatives in the final wild places on Earth by using the science developed through its zoos to conserve species in their natural environments.

• Purpose: Use science, conservation action, people education, and helping people fall in love with nature to save wild animals and wild places around the planet.
• Strengths: WCS has been working on conservation on a very large scale in Africa, Asia, and the Americas to conserve other species like gorillas, jaguars, sharks, and elephants.
• Success Story: They have become in one country in Central Africa, Gabon, an active leader in the development of national parks, as well as in the protection of forest elephants against poaching.
• Help:Either visit their zoos and aquariums, or subsidize their field work, or write about their work.

3. International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN)

The Architect of the Red List

Although the actual work is done by many non-governmental organizations, the IUCN offers the all-important structure. It is a trade union of both the government and the civil society organizations. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species is the most significant project of IUCN, the largest inventory worldwide of the conservation status of biological species.

• Mission: To shape, inspire and support societies across the globe to protect the wholeness and variety of nature.
• Main Focus: Critical data provision (through the Red List), conservation policy making and protected area management.
• Significant Achievement: Red List is accepted as the ultimate measure of conservation level, which directs the work of organizations and non-governmental organizations that protect the life of endangered species all over the world.
• How to Help: Special communities of professionals can help experts become members; RedList information can be used and shared by civilians to make and influence decisions.

4. Sea Shepherd Conservation Society

The Direct-Action Navy of the Seas

Sea Shepherd does not spare the direct-interventionists. The founder of this organization is Captain Paul Watson which uses new techniques of direct action to investigate, report and take action against the unlawful killing of marine animals.

• Vision: To save and preserve the ecosystem and species by stopping the destruction of the habitat and killing of the wildlife in the worlds oceans.
• Major Focus: Disturbing the illegal whaling, endangered fish species and shark finning in the marine reserves.
• Market Success: Their vigorous campaigns have helped them to stamp out and reduce illegal whaling activities in the South Ocean.
• What you can do: You can contribute to fund their ships, join the crew or purchase merchandise to keep them going.

5. The Nature Conservancy (TNC)

Protecting the Lands and Waters They Depend On

TNC is non-confrontational and focused on actual results. They collaborate with communities, businesses and governments to preserve large parcels of land and water by purchasing, using conservation easements, and managing them as scientifically.

• Mission: To preserve the lands and waters upon which every life must depend.
• One of the priorities: Purchasing and management of precious habitats, sustainable settlement, and climate change with natural solutions.
• Market Success: TNC has saved more than 125 million acreages and thousands of miles of rivers in the entire world.
• Donate: Participation: How to give: Donate: Leave a legacy in planned giving: Contribute to local chapter activities.

6. African Wildlife Foundation (AWF)

African Solutions for African Challenges

Being the largest global conservation project dealing exclusively with Africa, the AWF recognizes the view that conservation should be of benefit both to the wildlife and the people. They collaborate with local communities so that wildlife is perceived as an asset, rather than a liability.

Vision: To have wildlife and wild lands flourish in contemporary Africa.

Priority Areas: Saving iconic African wildlife like elephants, rhinos, lions and mountain gorillas; building conservation-friendly businesses to the people.

Achieved to a considerable extent: AWF has done much to help the population of the mountain gorillas in Virunga Massif recover.

How to Help: Sponsor an animal, contribute to their program Room to Roam or raise money on their behalf.

7. TRAFFIC

The Wildlife Trade Monitoring Network

You cannot save a species without knowing which market is threatening the species. TRAFFIC is a partnership between WWF and IUCN that functions as a powerful NGO that protects endangered species through monitoring the global market of wild animals and plants.

• Mission: To make it so that trade in wild animals and plants does not threaten the conservation of nature.
• Key Areas of interest: Researching and providing statistics on the patterns of the wildlife trade, supporting the governments in the implementation of the law regarding the wildlife trade (CITES), and reducing the demand of the illegal goods by consumers.
• Striking Victory: Their intelligence reports have resulted in some of the biggest capture of illegal ivory, pangolin scales, and rosewood.
• What You Can Do: Report suspected illegal trade in wildlife via their channels, and become a responsible consumer by not purchasing illegal wildlife products.

8. Panthera

The Feline-Specific Specialists

Although there are various organisations that deal with big cats, Panthera is the only organization in the world that deals with their conservation. They have unmatched scientific experience in their specialization: the 40 species of wild cats, including the enormous tiger and the elusive snow leopard.

• Mission: To save the future of wild cats by scientific leadership and conservation worldwide.
• Key Focus: Conservation of the seven big cat species: tiger, lion, jaguar, snow leopard, cheetah, leopard and puma.
• Notable Success: They have a program in Mexico called their Jaguar Corridor Initiative that is supposed to maintain the population of jaguars in Mexico and to unite them with Argentina.
• How To Help: Donate to help a certain species, become a Puma Patriot / Leo League member or share their educational materials.

9. David Shepherd Wildlife Foundation (DSWF)

Art, Action, and Conservation

Through unstoppable effort to merge art, awareness and targeted funds, the world-renowned artist and conservationist, David Shepherd, founded the UK based charity to save endangered species in Africa and Asia.

• Mission: To combat wildlife crime, conserve wildlife and communicate with the communities that live with wildlife.
• Priority: Investment in underfunded, yet vital, projects in anti-poaching, investigation, legal advocacy and education.
• Notable Success: DSWF has funded ground based partners who have recorded major increases in the tiger population in key Indian reserves and a decrease in elephant poaching in Zambia.
• How To Join In: Buy wildlife art, donate, participate in their fundraising challenges, or wildlife lottery.

10. Rainforest Trust

Saving Land, Species by Species

Rainforest Trust is an organization that follows the following simple yet effective pattern: buy and conserve endangered tropical land to save endangered wildlife. They work with partners on the ground to create safe havens where endangered species will have a permanent residence.

• Mission: To preserve endangered animals and conserve our planet by buying and planting threatened tropical rainforests and other habitats.
• Major Priority: purchasing land to set up secured lands where endangered species can survive.
• Major Victory: They have saved over 44 million acres of habitat in Latin America, Africa and Asia-Pacific, saving thousands of species.
• How to Help: Donate--they have a 100% model in which all project expenses are subsidized by separate operating funds, so your donation directly saves land.

11. BirdLife International

A Global Partnership for Our Feathered Friends

BirdLife International, a worldwide coalition of more than 115 national conservation organizations, is the largest expert on bird and habitat status in the world. Their data is important because birds are good predictors of the health of the ecosystem.

• Mission: To protect birds, their habitat and international biodiversity, to collaborate with individuals to implement sustainability in the utilization of natural resources.
• Areas of Priority are: the designation and conservation of Important Bird and Biodiversity Areas (IBAs), the conservation of birds and the prevention of extinction, and minimization of threats to biodiversity such as the illegal bird trade and bycatch.
• Going the extra mile: They have assisted in saving the life of such species like Azores Bullfinch or Northern Bald Ibis.
• What you can do: Become a member (e.g. join Audubon Society in the US, or RSPB in the UK) and/or donate to them, attend a bird count, and/or keep your cat indoors, to conserve the birds in your neighbourhood.

12. Wildlife ACT

Hands-On Conservation and Monitoring

Wildlife ACT is based in South Africa and deals with one very important issue of conservation, which is monitoring. They post committed conservation volunteers and professionals in the sanctuaries to carry out the much-needed tracking and monitoring so that the information required to manage the sanctuaries effectively is obtained.

• Mission: To protect endangered species against extinction by devoting time to monitoring and conservation research, and also to empower the local people.
• Priority Area: To offer professional monitoring services to conservation agencies, commonly on a pro-bono or cost effective basis.
• Notable Success: Their teams can monitor the population of black rhino, African wild dogs, cheetah, and vultures in many reserves every day.
• What You Can Do: Sign up to their very selective volunteer program, give them a donation to fund a monitoring team, or become a sponsor of a tracking collar.

How You Can Become a Guardian: It’s Not Just About Donations

These amazing NGOs do not work alone and they have enormous work to do to protect endangered species. Change needs a movement around the world. This is how you can contribute other than money:

• Educate Yourself and Other People: Knowledge is Power. Study using the resources provided by these NGOs to understand the problems and disseminate that information.
• Be Sustainable: Buy sustainably manufactured products and lessen the amount of your plastic use, not to mention your carbon footprint. The choices that we make in our daily lives are international.
• Action: Fight your native authorities. Policies that defend endangered species and their environments, and fight those policies that endanger.
• Volunteer: In your time, local and abroad (with organizations with good reputations). Marketing, law or technology skills are frequently as required as are the field skills.
• Be a Conscious Tourist: Choose sustainable tour operators who also take care of the wildlife and help to preserve the local environment. Always avoid activities that enable you to ride or feed the wild animals.

The Fight Continues

The road to saving the most endangered species on our planet is not easy and is a steep hill to climb. However, the hopeful news is possible due to the hard work of these NGOs that protect endangered species. They are the laboratory scientists, the lobbyists, the guardians in the wild and the representatives of the unrepresented. By assisting them in any way we can, we are doing not only animal protection, but also building strength, loveliness and the future of our shared home. The time to act is now.