Our organisation

Our mission is to dedicate our skills and expertise to the safeguarding of endangered animal species and the ecosystems that shelter them, whilst working towards building a better future for the villagers. We place these men and women at the very centre of our actions for biodiversity. Our team members are from local communities and establish solid, trusting relationships both with groups actively concerned with the disappearance of wild animals and the destruction of their habitat, and with villagers whose daily lives suffer the negative effects of living closely with these animals.

This strong community involvement and the research and evaluation that we carry out for each programme enables us to maximise the effectiveness of our actions and make the best possible use of funding. In addition, we share our information with financial partners, donors, and other organisations working with us, combining our efforts wherever possible in order to protect wild animals and reduce poverty.

One of the defining characteristics of Awely is our “multipartner” approach. We work with local communities, certainly, but also with other associations — both within each programme and internationally. For us, collaborating with a wide range of partners ensures even greater success in achieving our goals.

Thousands of plant and animal species disappear each year, sometimes even before they have been discovered. We contribute to the protection of species that are threatened with extinction, and to the preservation of the ecosystems that shelter them.

During their frequent field missions, sometimes several days’ trek away from base, our teams work alongside villagers in the heart of our target areas, launching initiatives that help them to achieve greater financial independence and reduce pressure on natural resources.

Of the eleven projects that we currently coordinate or support, six are dedicated to safeguarding a specific animal species; this is the case for our actions for bonobos in the Democratic Republic of Congo; for gorillas in Cameroon; and for tigers in Nepal, India, Bangladesh and Vietnam.

Our other programmes focus on several different species. Their objective is to establish a peaceful coexistence between villagers and wildlife and to preserve delicate ecosystems. The elephant, unicorn rhinoceros, leopard, snow leopard and lion are among those endangered species protected by our teams.

Countering threats

Human-Wildlife Conflicts

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Bushmeat

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Fighting poaching

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Preserving natural habitats

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A community of living things

Together, all the living things in a natural space and their biotope form an ecosystem. By protecting their balance and diversity, it is possible to preserve the species that make up an ecosystem or are dependent on it, and to secure a better future for local communities who rely on its natural resources.

The environment that we depend on

If we used these resources in a responsible way, ecosystems would be able to respond to the needs of the plants and animals that form them, and to support the men and women who depend on them. Up to a certain point, natural spaces that have been damaged by human activity can go on to regenerate themselves, if we do enough to help them recover. Protecting biodiversity is our duty. Firstly, because ecosystems contain an incredible number of living things, about which we still know relatively little; and secondly, because they are the foundations for life on earth. To destroy them would be to cut off the very branch that we are sitting on.

A different approach to wildlife

In poor regions of the world, villagers often consider wild animals as their primary source of protein, as one of their only sources of income, or as pests that destroy crops and can endanger their lives.

Successful actions require the involvement of villagers

For us, safeguarding endangered species and ecosystems works in tandem with our contributions to development in local communities. Through proposing a range of alternative projects, we are able to find viable solutions for both villagers and animals. Our initiatives work to mitigate conflict between villagers and animals (community-based surveillance strategies, microenterprise training, microfinance loans, installation of sustainable infrastructure...) and to reduce pressure on natural resources by setting up economic activities that work in harmony with the environment.

Our educational initiatives play an essential role in supporting local populations as they undertake new projects, and encourage them to adopt a positive approach to the animal species with which they share their environment. We produce numerous posters, booklets and presentations in the languages and dialects spoken in our programmes. These are used during workshops provided by our teams for adult and school audiences.

The Red, Green and Blue Caps are the members of our teams in the field. They are all respected members of civil society with in-depth knowledge of their regions and problems that we work to resolve. After being trained, they are charged with coordinating the actions identified by our team in France, according to the medium- and long-term strategies for achieving our objectives.

Red, Green, Blue: what are the differences?

Green Caps

The Green Caps’ mission is to improve the situation of emblematic endangered species whose survival is threatened by human activities. Here, our key activities include setting up alternative economic activities that help limit human pressure on natural resources, and running educational and awareness-raising campaigns.

Red Caps

The Red Caps work to mitigate conflicts between villagers and wildlife. To do this, we coordinate numerous conflict-reduction initiatives with villagers, and carry out research to track changes in the number and types of conflicts over time.

Blue Caps

Finally, the team of Blue Caps, which is currently being formed, will work for the protection and regeneration of ecosystems. Here, we envisage carrying out reforestation campaigns, development initiatives to reduce human pressures on ecosystems, and awareness-raising workshops.