Fauna And Flora International
Fauna & Flora International (FFI), formerly the Fauna and Flora Preservation Society, is an international conservation charity and non-governmental organization.
FFI was originally founded in 1903 as the Society for the Preservation of the Wild Fauna of the Empire by a group of British naturalists and American statesmen in Africa. It was then called the Fauna Preservation Society, before being renamed Fauna and Flora Preservation Society in 1981. The goal of the society was to safeguard the future of southern Africa’s large mammal populations, which had declined alarmingly due to over-hunting and habitat encroachment. Working in tandem with landowners, government and sport hunters, the Society helped pass legislation which controlled hunting in vast stretches of East Africa and South Africa. This ultimately paved the way for the formation of National Parks, such as Kruger National Park and Serengeti National Park.
FFI has been referred to by many historians as the world's first conservation society, and the society's early work in Africa was also trend-setting in ecotourism. The organization also played a key role in establishing much of today’s global conservation infrastructure - including The World Conservation Union (IUCN), The World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF), and the Convention on the International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Flora and Fauna (CITES). FFI has members in over 80 countries.
FFI has a seven-step approach to conserving biodiversity:
- Building local capacity for conservation
- Integrating biodiversity and human needs
- Direct protection of species and habitats
- Securing land for conservation
- Emergency response to conservation needs
- Influencing policy and the practice of conservation
- Bridging the gap between business and biodiversity
The logo of the society is the Arabian Oryx, after the very successful Operation Oryx, a flagship Arabian oryx captive breeding project undertaken by the society.
Queen Elizabeth II is FFI's Patron and Princess Laurentien of the Netherlands is the President of the organization. FFI also has a number of high profile Vice Presidents including Sir David Attenborough, David Bellamy, Stephen Fry, Charlotte Uhlenbroek, Rove McManus, and Lord Browne of Madingley.
In line with their seven step approach to conservation, Fauna & Flora International have recently endorsed the Forests Now Declaration, which calls for new market based mechanisms to protect tropical forests.
Read more about Fauna And Flora International: Significant Landmarks
Famous quotes containing the words fauna and/or flora:
“The whole fauna of human fantasies, their marine vegetation, drifts and luxuriates in the dimly lit zones of human activity, as though plaiting thick tresses of darkness. Here, too, appear the lighthouses of the mind, with their outward resemblance to less pure symbols. The gateway to mystery swings open at the touch of human weakness and we have entered the realms of darkness. One false step, one slurred syllable together reveal a man’s thoughts.”
—Louis Aragon (1897–1982)
“A man’s interest in a single bluebird is worth more than a complete but dry list of the fauna and flora of a town.”
—Henry David Thoreau (1817–1862)