Projects that begin with listening.

01

Seahorse

Vietnam · 1997 · £10,000

Project Lead: Dr Amanda Vincent

Vietnam's coastal waters are home to seven species of seahorse, all heavily exploited for use in traditional medicine and the aquarium trade. WildInvest supported Dr Amanda Vincent, founder of Project Seahorse and the first person to study seahorses underwater, in pioneering work to document and protect seahorse populations along the Vietnamese coast. Her work laid the groundwork for landmark international trade protections that changed the course of marine conservation.

02

Black-faced Lion Tamarin

Brazil · 1998–2011 · £40,000

Project Lead: Dr Claudio Valladares-Padua

One of the world's rarest primates, the black-faced lion tamarin exists in a sliver of Brazil's Atlantic Forest so fragmented that the entire known population once numbered fewer than 400 individuals. WildInvest supported Dr Claudio Valladares-Padua and his team at the Institute for Ecological Research in their long-term programme of research, community engagement, and habitat restoration. WildInvest is formally acknowledged in the scientific literature as a funder of the population survey work that underpinned the species' conservation strategy. This was one of the charity's longest and most sustained commitments, spanning thirteen years.

03

Pygmy Hippopotamus

Liberia · 1999 · £10,000

Project Lead: Alexander Peal

The pygmy hippopotamus is a secretive, largely nocturnal animal found only in the forests of West Africa, and one of the most rarely observed large mammals on the planet. WildInvest's early support for Alexander Peal's conservation work in Liberia helped establish the foundations of what became a much larger, internationally funded programme. WildInvest's funding acted as a testament to the catalytic power of early-stage conservation investment. This project went on to be fully funded by Conservation International in the US.

04

Queen Alexandra's Birdwing Butterfly

Papua New Guinea · 2000 · £10,000

Project Lead: Lester Seri

The Queen Alexandra's Birdwing is the largest butterfly on Earth and one of the most endangered, found only in a small area of lowland rainforest in Oro Province, Papua New Guinea. Threatened by logging, volcanic activity, and collection for the illegal wildlife trade, its survival depends entirely on the preservation of its forest habitat. WildInvest supported local conservationist Lester Seri in community-based efforts to protect this extraordinary species and the ecosystems it depends upon.

05

Painted Hunting Dog

Zimbabwe · 2001 · £20,000

Project Lead: Greg Rasmussen

Once ranging across the whole of sub-Saharan Africa in populations of half a million, the African painted dog had been reduced to fewer than three thousand individuals by the time WildInvest supported Greg Rasmussen's work in Zimbabwe's Hwange National Park. Rasmussen has conducted one of the longest studies of the species ever undertaken, and his work has proven successful with Zimbabwe's national pack size doubling as a direct result. WildInvest's support came at a critical early stage of what became a landmark conservation programme.

06

La Plata Dolphin

Argentina · 2002 · £15,000

Project Lead: Dr Pablo Bordino

The Franciscana, or La Plata Dolphin, is the most threatened dolphin in the South Atlantic. A small, shy creature found only in the coastal waters of Argentina, Uruguay, and Brazil, where it dies in its thousands as bycatch in fishing nets. WildInvest supported Dr Pablo Bordino in his pioneering research into the scale of bycatch mortality and the development of practical mitigation measures by working directly with local fishing communities. His work brought international attention to one of the least known and most vulnerable cetaceans in the world.

07

Iberian Lynx

Portugal · 2003 · £10,000

Project Lead: Filipa Lacerda

At the turn of the millennium the Iberian lynx was the most endangered wild cat on the planet. Fewer than one hundred individuals remained across the Iberian Peninsula. WildInvest supported Filipa Lacerda's conservation work in Portugal at one of the most critical moments in the species' survival. Today the population numbers in the hundreds, a recovery that began with the early, targeted investment WildInvest provided.

08

Saiga Antelope

Kazakhstan & Uzbekistan · 2006–2011 · £20,000

Project Lead: Elena Bykova

The Saiga antelope is an extraordinary prehistoric survivor. It once roamed alongside woolly mammoths, yet it came to face its most existential crisis in the modern era. Populations collapsed by over 95% in the 1990s following the Soviet Union's collapse and a surge in poaching. WildInvest provided sustained support to Elena Bykova over five years as she worked to monitor populations, engage local communities, and build the foundations of a recovery that has since seen Saiga numbers begin to climb again. As of 2025 the Saiga antelope numbers close to 4 million, up from around 120,000 in the 1990s.

09

Sacred Forest Groves

NW Ghats, India · 2007 · £10,000

Project Lead: Archana Godbole

In the biodiverse hills of India's Western Ghats, communities have protected sacred forest groves, known as devrai, for generations, treating them as living temples too holy to be cut or disturbed. These ancient traditions have inadvertently created some of the most biodiverse forest fragments in the region. WildInvest supported Archana Godbole in documenting and strengthening these community conservation practices, a philosophy that directly foreshadows WildInvest's renewed mission today.

10

Olive Ridley Sea Turtle

Colombia · 2008 · £10,000

Project Lead: Diego Amarocho

The Olive Ridley is the world's most abundant sea turtle, yet its nesting beaches in Colombia face relentless pressure from poaching, coastal development, and fishing bycatch. WildInvest supported Diego Amarocho in protecting key nesting sites on Colombia's Pacific coast, working with local communities to shift from exploitation to stewardship. This project exemplified WildInvest's approach of working with the people closest to the land and sea.

11

Asian Elephant

Sri Lanka · 2009 · £10,000

Project Lead: Ravi Corea

Sri Lanka holds one of the highest densities of Asian elephants anywhere in the world, but the island's growing human population and expanding agricultural land has brought people and elephants into increasingly deadly conflict. WildInvest supported Ravi Corea, founder of the Sri Lanka Wildlife Conservation Society, in efforts to reduce human-elephant conflict, protect elephant corridors, and build coexistence between farming communities and one of Asia's most iconic species.

12

Montane Ecosystem Biodiversity

Cameroon · 2010 · £30,000

Project Lead: Louis Nkembi

The montane forests of western Cameroon are among the most biodiverse ecosystems in Africa, harbouring species found nowhere else on Earth. WildInvest supported Louis Nkembi and his organisation ERuDeF in protecting these extraordinary highlands, which face pressure from agricultural encroachment and illegal logging. This was one of WildInvest's largest grants, reflecting the scale of the ecosystem at stake and the strength of Nkembi's community-based approach to conservation.

13

Golden Stream Watershed Biodiversity

Belize · 2011 · £10,000

Project Lead: Valentino Shal

The Golden Stream Corridor in southern Belize is a vital biological bridge connecting two of Central America's most important protected areas, sheltering jaguars, tapirs, scarlet macaws, and hundreds of species found nowhere else. WildInvest supported Valentino Shal in protecting and restoring this corridor, combining scientific research with deep engagement with the Maya communities whose traditional land stewardship had long sustained these ecosystems.