We are fortunate to live in a world that is rich in natural resources and can support multiple forms of life. But we cannot take this for granted. Our planet is in urgent need of action to reverse the effects of over-exploitation of its resources. We must each play our part to ensure we and future generations live in a sustainable way. This includes respecting biodiversity and allowing wildlife to flourish and develop. Let’s enjoy being part of our natural world rather than destroy it!
Individuals can all too easily feel powerless to stop the pollution of our environment and reverse climate change. But every little helps. Together there is so much we can do to help, not only in the UK and Belgium but also elsewhere around the globe. Helping to protect and restore wildlife and nature is vital for the future of our planet. It is also good for our own wellbeing and mindfulness.
Society often places emphasis on measuring progress and success in terms of a country’s gross domestic product or an individual’s financial wealth. But if this is done at the expense of our environment, it can be to the detriment of communities and our individual health and happiness. We would like to see greater emphasis on measuring progress and success according to nature conservation efforts and people’s levels of health and happiness.
We provide information below on some of the nature and wildlife charities and good causes we support. As well as being able to donate to any of them directly should you decide to do so, some of them have online shops (for which we have included links) which you may find useful, e.g. for birthday or Christmas presents.
Durrell Wildlife Conservation Trust
Durrell is an international charity, headquartered at Jersey Zoo in the Channel Islands. It is working to save species from extinction. It was established in 1959 by author and conservationist Gerald Durrell.
Durrell’s aim is for more diverse, beautiful and resilient natural landscapes in which species can thrive and people can enjoy a deeper connection with nature. It is actively involved in a wide variety of conservation projects around the world (including Brazil, the Galapagos, India, Madagascar, Mauritius, Montserrat, Saint Lucia, Indonesia and the United Kingdom).
The ROB Trust has contributed to Durrell’s conservation projects in Madagascar (some of which John and Beverley were able to visit in person in 2022). We have helped fund Durrell’s work in Montserrat (in the Caribbean) and elsewhere around the world to try to save frogs from the deadly fungal disease chytridiomycosis (chytrid). We are delighted that Durrell recently began a 100-year project to rewild an estate at Dalnacardoch in the Cairngorms National Park which we are also supporting (and were able to visit in 2024).
Durrell’s website provides more information on how you can get involved. You can also find some great gift ideas (animal adoptions, books, clothing, etc.) in their online shop.
Trees for Life
Established in 1993, Trees for Life is a charity which aims to rewild the Scottish Highlands by enabling the restoration of the globally unique Caledonian Forest which once covered much of Scotland. Its vision is of a revitalised wild forest in the Highlands, providing space for wildlife to flourish and communities to thrive. It is a member of the Scottish Rewilding Alliance which is calling on the Scottish Government to declare Scotland the world’s first “Rewilding Nation”. Trees for Life is Rewilding Europe’s preferential partner in the Affric Highlands landscape (considered further below).
The ROB Trust has contributed to a number of Trees for Life’s fundraising appeals, including:
- to construct the wildlife trails at their flagship Dundreggan Rewilding Centre (which opened in April 2023),
- to expand the reintroduction of red squirrels in the Scottish Highlands,
- to support the Tree Seed Collection Project, a collaborative three-year project with Woodland Trust Scotland to enhance the availability of native trees from western Scotland, and
- to maintain the meadows and grassland areas at Dundreggan by developing a management regime that focuses on optimising these areas for wildflowers and other meadow biodiversity (including waxcap fungi, invertebrates, a multitude of moths and other insects).
The Trees for Life website provides information on how you can support them. Why not sponsor a beaver or a red squirrel, dedicate a tree gift certificate or purchase some merchandise by visiting their online shop?
Rewilding Europe
Rewilding Europe (established in 2011) is an independent not-for-profit foundation based in the Netherlands. As a pan-European initiative, it operates at the frontline of rewilding across Europe. It is a member of the IUCN (International Union for Conservation of Nature – the global authority on the status of the natural world and the measures needed to safeguard it) and the Global Rewilding Alliance (which involves over 100 members working on some of the world’s largest ecosystem conservation and restoration projects). You can find information about Rewilding Europe’s supervisory board and other members of its management and central team here. It has made considerable progress over the years, as can be seen from its Annual Reviews and regular reports. It works together with numerous partners at a European, national and local level, including the 10 large rewilding landscapes which we consider separately below. Rewilding Europe has commissioned a series of short films showcasing some of this work.
In addition, Rewilding Europe has established a European Rewilding Network (ERN) that aims to strengthen links between many different rewilding initiatives across Europe. It supports and empowers each network member with the information and tools to be more successful in their rewilding endeavours. The ERN involves about 90 initiatives across 29 countries (covering about 5 million hectares in total), as shown on their interactive map; these include 17 initiatives around the UK and Ireland, and 13 across the Benelux. Try to visit some of the ones near you. You can also learn more about some of the projects by listening to the Rewild podcast.
Rewilding Europe also helps its members promote the benefits of rewilding, raise awareness of European wild nature, and develop nature-based tourism. Some Rewilding Europe members offer excursions and trips to the rewilding landscapes considered below (and you may find sustainable travel opportunities to visit these and other rewilding areas through operators such as Exodus Travel).
Greater Côa Valley (Portugal)
Main habitats: Oak forests, shrublands, montado, serra, rivers, canyons with cliffs (120,000 ha).
Focal species: Vultures (griffon, cinerous, Egyptian), eagle (Spanish imperial, Bonelli’s), Iberian wolf, rabbit, red deer, Spanish ibex, Sorraia wild horses (introduced 2021), tauros (introduced 2023), Iberian lynx (absent for time being).
More information: The Côa River flows northwards from the east of the Malcata mountains (by a 200km walking/cycling trail passing through the towns of Sabugal, Almeida, Pinhel and Vila Nova de Foz Côa) until it joins the Douro River. In addition to the information on Rewilding Europe’s Greater Côa Valley page, you can learn much more about the area by visiting the links below for its local partner organisation, Rewilding Portugal. You can also find an article here on how the decline in human population in the Greater Côa Valley has facilitated these rewilding efforts. Rewilding Portugal has produced a useful map of the area. Thousands of open-air Paleolithic stone carvings were discovered in the Côa Valley in the 1980s and 1990s. This rock art attracted worldwide attention when plans to build a hydroelectric dam across the Côa Valley threatened to submerge them; outcry from locals, the scientific community and the media led to construction being halted in 1995. You can now visit the Côa Valley Museum and Archaeological Park which was declared a protected UNESCO world heritage site in 1998. Rewilding Portugal is engaged in a broad range of initiatives, including the EU-funded LIFE WolFlux project working to promote the conditions needed to support a viable sub-population of Iberian wolves south of the Douro river that can play its functional role as a top predator. It operates a rewilding centre in Vale de Madeira (near Pinhel). It has also set up the Wild Côa Network, an association of like-minded enterprises in the Greater Côa Valley (tour operators, accommodation, restaurants, local products, etc.) who share a vision for a wilder and more sustainable future. The goal of this network is to promote a nature-based economy in the region, promoting rewilding and offering benefits to local communities. You can buy a small selection of some of their products from Rewilding Portugal’s online shop.
Personal comment: In April 2023 John visited the Greater Côa Valley on a trip organised by Rewilding Europe Travel, with guide Marco Ferraz whose business Ambieduca is a member of the Wild Côa Network. In addition to walking in various habitats and seeing the wildlife (including Sorraia horses, vultures and other birdlife), we enjoyed time with some other members of the Wild Côa Network, including chef Miguel Viega and Cantinho Café. John and Beverley returned to the Greater Côa Valley in September 2023, staying at Côa Honeycomb and Casas de Villar and visiting the Penascosa rock art site.
Southern Carpathians (Romania)
Main habitats: Temperate forest, sub-alpine grasslands, cliffs, steep river valleys (100,000 ha).
Focal species: Brown bear, European bison, red deer (red), wolf, European lynx, griffon vulture.
More information: Rewilding Europe and WWF-Romania have been working together in the Southern Carpathians since 2013. This has included the reintroduction of the European bison (or wisent) in the Țarcu Mountains. A 9-minute documentary “Zimbrul” (2020) tells the story of the return of the bison (“zimbrul” in Romanian) to the wildness of the Southern Carpathians. In addition to the information on Rewilding Europe’s Southern Carpathians page, you can visit the link below for its local partner organisation, Rewilding Romania. You can also learn more by exploring the website of WWF Romania’s WeWilder initiative through which local businesses offer nature discovery experiences and accommodation.
Velebit Mountains (Croatia)
Main habitats: Temperate and Mediterranean forest, sub-alpine grasslands, coastal marine, cliffs, canyons (220,000 ha).
Focal species: Grey wolf, brown bear, red and roe deer, Balkan chamois, Eurasian lynx, Konik and Bosnian mountain horses, Tauros, griffon vulture, peregrine falcon, short-toed eagle, golden eagle, eagle-owl, pygmy owl, Tengmalm’s owl, white-backed woodpecker, capercaillie, ortolan bunting.
More information: In addition to the information on Rewilding Europe’s Velebit Mountains page, you can learn much more about the area by visiting the links below for its local partner organisation, Rewilding Velebit. It aims to establish a wildlife corridor to enable wild animals to move freely from the Northern Velebit National Park, through its own rewilding area in the heart of the Velebit mountains, all the way to the Paklenica National Park in the south. A 15-minute documentary, “A New Path for the Velebit Mountains” (2023), tells the story of rewilding in this beautiful part of Croatia. You can also find a useful article on how a decline in human population has facilitated these rewilding efforts, as well as a map of the area, here. Rewilding Velebit has set up the Rewilding Velebit Network, bringing together local producers and service providers operating in the area of Velebit, Lika-Senj County and beyond. The aim of this network is to support small entrepreneurs who share a love for nature, the traditions of the Velebit region and the protection of Velebit’s biodiversity. The aspiration is to develop sustainable businesses for the benefit of nature and local community members through mutual support and promotion.
Danube Delta (Ukraine, Romania and Moldova)
Main habitats: River delta, reed beds, marshes, riverine forests, coastal grasslands, dune systems, coastal lagoons, dry forest (180,000 ha).
Focal species: White and Dalmatian pelicans, red deer, tauros, wild horses, beavers, water buffalo, kulan, demoiselle cranes.
More information: The Danube Delta is the largest river delta wetland in Europe. It has become one of Europe’s finest, wildest and best-protected wildlife areas. In addition to the information on Rewilding Europe’s Danube Delta page, you can find out more by visiting the links below for its local partner, Rewilding Danube Delta. In this cross-border region, Rewilding Europe also partners with Rewilding Ukraine, Verde e Moldova, and WWF-Romania.
Central Apennines (Italy)
Main habitats: High alpine mountains, alpine grasslands and valleys, small rivers, temperate forests (100,000 ha).
Focal species: Marsican brown bears, Apennine wolves, Apennine chamois, griffon vultures, red deer, European otter, white-clawed crayfish.
More information: The Apennines stretch for hundreds of kilometres from the north to the south of Italy along the country’s main axis. In addition to the information on Rewilding Europe’s Central Apennines page, you can learn much more about the area by visiting the links below for its local partner organisation, Rewilding Apennines. The team at Rewilding Apennines is working with Rewilding Europe and local stakeholders to make “il Cuore Selvaggio dell’Italia” (Italy’s Wild Heart) a wilder place, with much more space for nature, wildlife and natural processes. The critically endangered Marsican brown bear is the flagship species. A 16-minute film, “Restoring Italy’s Wild Heart” (2021), tells the story of rewilding in this beautiful part of Italy. In bringing back the variety of life, Rewilding Apennines is exploring new ways for people to enjoy and earn a fair living from the wild. Its main strategy focuses on creating “coexistence corridors” between existing protected areas in the Central Apennines, connecting Abruzzo, Lazio e Molise National Park northwards with Sirente Velino Regional Park, westwards with Monti Simbruini Regional Park, and eastwards with Majella National Park. Rewilding Europe offers various rewilding experiences, or you can book trips via its travel partner Exodus Travel.
Rhodope Mountains (Bulgaria)
Main habitats: Mediterranean and continental temperate forests, river valleys, cliffs, grasslands, steppe (250,000 ha).
Focal species: Vultures (griffon, cinerous, Egyptian), red and fallow deer, wild horses, brown bear, bison, souslik.
More information: In addition to the information on Rewilding Europe’s Rhodope Mountains page, you can learn more about the area by visiting the links below for its local partner organisation, Rewilding Rhodopes.
Swedish Lapland (Sweden)
Main habitats: Taiga forest, high tundra, alpine grasslands, free-flowing rivers, lakes, peat marshes (1,200,000 ha).
Focal species: Reindeer, beaver, sea trout, grayling, salmon, lamprey, whitefish, freshwater pearl mussel, deciduous trees (e.g. birch, willow, aspen).
More information: In Lapland the indigenous Sami community have co-existed for thousands of years with old-growth forests, mountains, glaciers, free-flowing rivers and extensive wetlands. In addition to the information on Rewilding Europe’s Swedish Lapland page, you can find out more by visiting the links below for its local partner, Rewilding Sweden. You can enjoy Swedish Lapland experiences offered through the Rewilding Europe Travel.
Oder Delta (Germany and Poland)
Main habitats: Baltic coast with wetlands, tidal zones, reed marshes, sand dunes, alluvial and coastal forests, peat systems, wet grasslands (250,000 ha).
Focal species: White-tailed eagle, beaver, European bison, wolf, elk, grey seal, Atlantic sturgeon, otter.
More information: At the northern end of the border between Poland and Germany lies the Oder Delta, an important stop-over site for migrating water birds. Rewetting of wet pastures in Germany and the abandonment of peat-cutting in Poland have allowed a dramatic comeback of wildlife, most spectacularly for the white-tailed eagle. It forms one of the delta’s “Big Seven” along with the beaver, bison, wolf, elk, grey seal and sturgeon. You can find an article here on how the decline in human population in this area has facilitated rewilding efforts and contributed to the recovery of animal populations. In addition to Rewilding Europe’s information on the Oder Delta, you can find out more by visiting the links below for its local partner, Rewilding Oder Delta. In 2023 it opened a new rewilding centre near the village of Rothenklempenow on the German side of the delta.
Affric Highlands (Scotland)
Main habitats: Caledonian forests, peatlands, grasslands, rivers, lakes, mountain hillsides (200,000 ha).
Focal species: Deer (red, roe), Scottish wildcat, red squirrel, pine martin, Atlantic salmon, Eurasian lynx (absent for time being), tauros (absent for time being).
More information: Glen Affric is situated in the Highlands of Scotland to the south-west of Inverness. Already home to some of Scotland’s best examples of ancient Caledonian pinewood, steps are being taken to restore a patchwork of woodland, peatland, scrub, sub-alpine grassland and wetland. Rewilding Europe and its partners have a 30-year vision to transform this part of the Highlands into a wild refuge for many iconic species, enriching the local economy with nature-based initiatives that form more resilient ecosystems and communities. You can find an indicative map of the full extent of the area here; it stretches from Loch Ness in the east across to Kintail in the west, including Glen Moriston, Glen Shiel, Glen Cannich and Glen Affric. In addition to the information on Rewilding Europe’s Affric Highlands page, you can learn more by visiting the link below to information provided by its main partner in the Affric Highlands, Trees for Life (an organisation which we describe separately above and which The ROB Trust has directly supported on a number of projects). The geographic area covered by the Affric Highlands landscape includes the following projects which form part of Rewilding Europe’s European Rewilding Network:
- Trees for Life’s rewilding of the Caledonian Forest in Glen Affric and Glen Moriston (Dundreggan); and
- Rewilding a mosaic of habitats (native woodland, peatland, pastures, plantations) on the Bunloit Estate, a project managed by Highlands Rewilding (which also has a rewilding project at the Beldorney Estate in Aberdeenshire on the east coast of Scotland).
Iberian Highlands (Spain)
Main habitats: Plateau landscape with extensive pine and juniper forest, grasslands, steppe, deep canyons with rivers, high cliffs, deciduous forest (850,000 ha).
Focal species: Vultures (cinerous, bearded, Egyptian), Iberian ibex, wild horses (including Przewalski horses since 2023), tauros, red kite, black woodpecker, Iberian wolf (absent for time being), Iberian lynx (absent for time being).
More information: The Iberian Highlands lie to the east of Madrid, spanning the two autonomous communities of Castilla-La Mancha and Aragón where land abandonment and depopulation have been ongoing trends since the 1960s. In addition to the information on Rewilding Europe’s Iberian Highlands page, you can learn much more about the area by visiting the links below for its local partner organisation, Rewilding Spain (Fundación Española de Renaturalización).
World Land Trust
Founded in 1989, the WLT is an international conservation charity. The Fund’s Patrons include Sir David Attenborough.
WLT works in partnership with established and highly respected local organisations. It is helping communities to protect and restore their land, safeguarding biodiversity and the climate for the future. You can learn more about its different projects around the world using their interactive map. Its website provides ideas on how you can get involved (and also includes an online shop).
The ROB Trust has made a donation to assist with a specific WLT Life on the Edge project; this is supporting their NGO partner, Fundación EcoMinga, in purchasing land to extend its Río Anzu and Río Zúñac reserves in Ecuador’s eastern Andes. We have also made a donation to the WLT’s general Action Fund; this helps their NGO partners around the world with habitat restoration, emergency response to wildfires, urgent land purchase opportunities and essential daily work by rangers patrolling reserves and monitoring wildlife.
Born Free Foundation
The Born Free Foundation is an animal charity that focuses on wild animal welfare and compassionate conservation. It was founded in 1984 by Virginia McKenna and Will Travers (stars of the 1966 wildlife film Born Free that tells the story of Joy and George Adamson’s rescue of a lioness cub called Elsa) and their eldest son Bill Travers.
The Foundation aims to stop the exploitation and suffering of individual animals living in captivity or in the wild. It campaigns for a future where animals and people can co-exist and where threatened and endangered species are protected for generations to come.
The ROB Trust has donated to Born Free’s conservation programmes that are making a real and tangible difference to the lives of elephants in Meru, as well as the local communities that share their habitat.
Sheldrick Wildlife Trust
The Sheldrick Wildlife Trust is one of Africa’s oldest wildlife charities (founded in 1977). It is active in the conservation, preservation and protection of wildlife across Kenya. Its projects include anti-poaching, safeguarding the natural environment, enhancing community awareness, addressing animal welfare issues, providing veterinary assistance, rescuing and hand-rearing elephant and rhino orphans (along with other species). Watch this video for a good introduction to their history and their work.
The Sheldrick Wildlife Trust is based in Nairobi, Kenya, with a field headquarters bordering Tsavo East National Park. It is separately registered as a charity in the UK (the David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust) and is directly supported by Sheldrick Wildlife Trust USA (a registered 501(c)(3)). Its website provides many ideas on how you can get involved (and also includes an online shop).
The ROB Trust has donated to the Sheldrick Wildlife Trust, specifically for its habitat conservation project in Kenya’s Kibwezi Forest.
Amboseli Trust for Elephants
The Amboseli Trust for Elephants (ATE) is a not-for-profit trust registered in Kenya and the USA. Its operational focus is on Amboseli National Park and the surrounding ecosystem. It is involved in elephant conservation, management and policy-setting worldwide. Its research arm, the Amboseli Elephant Research Project (AEPR) has been studying the Amboseli elephants since 1972, making it one of the longest studied populations of free-living large mammals in the world. The African Elephant Conservation Trust (AECT) is an endowment fund established in the USA (a registered 501(c)(3)); its long-term objective is to support elephant research projects across the African continent modelled on the ATE philosophy and research methodology (including by funding the work of ATE and AERP). This involves sharing knowledge and addressing issues such as land use, wildlife education, protected area management, and the consequences of human population expansion.
The ATE website provides further information on how you can support their work.
Amboseli National Park has a special significance for The ROB Trust as it was the first place Rob visited outside Europe – while on a family holiday to Kenya in 2001 when he was just four years old. As part of a donation by the ROB Trust to ATE, one of the Amboseli elephants (born in March 2020) has been named Robin in his memory.
Orangutans and their habitats (SOCP, BOSF, RFF)
Wild orangutans live only in south-east Asia on the islands of Sumatra (in Indonesia) and Borneo (mostly in Indonesia, but also in the Malaysian states of Sabah and Sarawak). In Malay and Indonesian “orangutan” means person (“orang”) of the forest (“hutan”). Since 2017 orangutans are divided into three distinct species: the Bornean orangutan, the Sumatran orangutan and the Tapanuli orangutan; they are all on the IUCN Red List of critically endangered species.
There are a number of organisations around the world doing great things to conserve and protect orangutans and/or helping others working in Sumatra and Borneo. These include Durrell (which we also support: see above), Orangutan Appeal UK which helps fund various projects in Borneo, and the Orangutan Project (part of Wildlife Conservation International) which is supporting a number of different organisations operating in Sumatra and Borneo (including those identified here). At The ROB Trust, in 2023 at the time of International Orangutan Day (19 August) we decided to support three organisations to assist them with work they are doing locally: SOCP (in Sumatra), BOS Foundation (in Indonesian Borneo), and RFF (in Malaysian Borneo). John and Beverley were able to visit SOCP and BOS in Indonesia in 2024, including to see some of the orangutans being cared for on their sanctuary islands.
Sumatran Orangutan Conservation Programme
The SOCP (Sumatran Orangutan Conservation Programme) is a collaborative initiative between the Indonesia-based NGO Yayasan Ekosistem Lestari (YEL; Sustainable Ecosystem Foundation), the Swiss-based NGO PanEco Foundation, and the Indonesian Government’s Directorate General of Conservation of Natural Resources and Ecosystems (part of the Ministry of Environment and Forestry). The SOCP works on all aspects of conservation of the Sumatran orangutan and Tapanuli orangutan. It is run by Ian Singleton who has many years of experience working with orangutans.
For orangutans who cannot be released into the wild, the SOCP has developed an Orangutang Haven (near Medan in North Sumatra) where visitors can come and see the orangutans on large naturalistic islands surrounded by water moats. Schools and other groups will be able to benefit from a diverse range of formal and informal education programmes.
Borneo Orangutan Survival Foundation
The BOS (Borneo Orangutan Survival) Foundation was established in 1991 when it opened a modest rehabilitation centre at Wanariset in East Kalimantan to look after orangutans displaced due to the illegal pet trade. In the decades since, it has grown to become the world’s largest orangutan conservation organisation, with affiliated charities in the UK, USA, Australia, Germany, Switzerland, Denmark and Sweden. Today, BOS works together with local populations, the Indonesian government, and the greater global community, to fight extinction and conserve orangutans and their habitats in sites across Borneo, in particular in the Indonesian provinces of Central and East Kalimantan.
Although it is the goal of BOS to release every orangutan back into the wild, sometimes that simply is not possible (e.g. due to disabilities or a lack of survival skills). BOS is working to place these orangutans on forested, sanctuary islands covered in natural vegetation, allowing them freedom from cages and the opportunity to live in a safe, rainforest environment. The ROB Trust has contributed towards providing these sanctuaries for vulnerable orangutans (through a donation made via BOS UK).
Rhino and Forest Fund
The Rhino and Forest Fund e.V. is a science-oriented nature and species conservation organisation that is primarily active in the Malaysian state of Sabah on Borneo. It is a registered charity (donations are tax-deductible in Germany), with all donations going directly towards conservation action in Sabah, mainly for buying land and for reforestation. It works with other NGOs (including Zoo Leipzig and BOS’s German partner, BOS Deutschland), authorities, scientists and the local population.
RFF aims to protect rainforests in Borneo and create larger protected areas from isolated forest fragments by connecting them through forest corridors. This is done by pressing for the preservation and protection of threatened forests and buying private plantations between protected areas to reforest them. The ultimate aim is to link the Tabin Wildlife Reserve with all remaining wilderness areas in East Sabah (one of the Malaysian provinces in the north of Borneo).
Saving and connecting these forest habitats can help ensure the survival of not only the Bornean orangutan but also many other endangered species native to Borneo. These include other primates (proboscis monkeys, grey gibbons), sun bears, Bornean pygmy elephants, banteng cattle, otters (hairy-nosed otter, oriental small-clawed otter), otter civets, Bornean clouded leopards, flat-headed cats) and various rare birds (helmeted hornbill, rhinoceros hornbill, Storm’s stork, lesser adjutant stork, oriental darter).
If you share our interest in wildlife and sustainable living, you can click here for other resources you might find useful.