Wildlife Works | Protect Forests & Nature

“All the work we do is to protect the animals in the forest,” - Lombe IIungu, ranger at the Mai Ndombe REDD+ project. This project in the Democratic Republic of the Congo protects habitat for critically endangered species such as forest elephants, bonobos, and pangolins. Each species plays a role in maintaining the health of the forest, which in turn provides countless benefits for humanity such as creating oxygen, regulating rainfall patterns, and fighting climate change. Lombe IIungu used to have to rely on commercial bushmeat hunting to earn an income, but with funding from the Mai Ndombe REDD+ project, he is able to instead use his intimate knowledge of the forest to conserve wildlife. Lombe’s story is not unique; all over the world, REDD+ projects have created sustainable alternative livelihoods for thousands of forest community members. Stay tuned for details on an upcoming opportunity to join us in a live conversation with frontline wildlife guardians. In this webinar, you’ll have the unique opportunity to hear firsthand from those who have experienced the pressures and hardships of poaching, and what they believe the most sustainable solution is. Watch Lombe’s full story in the short film Poacher to Protector through the link in our bio. #wildlife #conservation #bonobo #WorldWildlifeDay #CarbonCreditsWork

Happy New Year! As we head into this new year we are centering our core beliefs, which have guided our mission-driven work since 1997. What are your intentions for the new year?

Right now at COP15- the world’s largest conference on the biodiversity crisis- negotiators are finalizing a global plan to help rebalance humanity’s relationship with nature. Swipe to learn more about biodiversity, the threat it is under, and how decisions made at COP15 may lessen these threats. How do you want world leaders to act on biodiversity? #COP15 #ForNature #Post2020 #wildlife #conservation #biodiversity @unfoundation @unep @redlist_of_ecosystems

Happy Mother’s Day to all the moms across the animal kingdom. 🤍🌿 In this rare camera trap footage, enjoy a quiet moment of maternal devotion from deep in the forests of Colombia. Giant anteaters only have one baby at a time, and for up to a year, the mother carries that baby like a backpack. Did you notice how the black-and-white stripe of the baby perfectly aligns with the mother’s fur? This camouflage helps them blend in, protecting them from predators like jaguars. Overall, this “backpacking” strategy helps protect the baby anteater as they navigate their dense jungle terrain. This precious glimpse of motherhood was captured through camera trap footage from a Wildlife Works REDD+ project area in Colombia, where community-led forest protection also helps protect moments like these. Learn more about how you can help play a role through the link in our bio, and send this reel to a mom you love. 💛 #MothersDay #Anteater #Columbia #Wildlife #Conservation

Ever wonder how plants breathe? Meet stomata: the tiny, mouth-like pores found on the surface of plant leaves. Derived from the Greek word for “mouth,” stomata are essential for a plant’s survival. They act as the primary gateways for gas exchange, allowing a plant to “breathe.” 🌱 Stomata perform a delicate balancing act to keep a plant alive by letting in carbon dioxide, which the plant uses to make glucose sugars for energy and growth. 🌱 Stomata also release oxygen, a byproduct of photosynthesis, and water, which helps cool a plant. 🌱 Forests breathe through millions of these tiny openings, each one part of a vast, living system that sustains all of us. 🌱 At Wildlife Works, protecting forests is about safeguarding these intricate processes that keep our planet in balance. Every protected leaf, every intact canopy, continues this ancient rhythm of breath: drawing in carbon, releasing oxygen, holding life together in ways we often overlook. 🌱 When we care for forests, we’re protecting the very systems that allow life, including our own, to thrive. 🌱 High-quality, community-led forest carbon credits can help do the job. Learn more through links in our bio. #tree #learnsomethingnew #trendingreels

Mutualism is a type of symbiosis where both species benefit. Here, oxpecker birds feed on parasites on the giraffe’s skin, providing all-natural pest control. In return, the birds get a reliable food source. The natural world is full of these mutually beneficial relationships that we’re only beginning to discover. What are some that you can think of? Comment below - we’d love to learn from you. Giraffes are one of many species protected by our Kasigau forest protection project in Kenya. Follow along for more glimpses into the intricate, often overlooked connections that shape life on our shared home. Original video @withluke 🦒 💛

Across Wildlife Works projects around the world, community-led conservation has turned project areas into safe havens where wildlife can safely return and thrive. Camera traps capture that remarkable recovery, and provide clear, compelling proof of balanced ecosystems and flourishing species, where people and wildlife coexist in harmony. In our latest blog on our website, learn more about what camera traps are, and how they’re used to support conservation efforts at Wildlife Works projects around the world. #Biodiversity #WildlifeRecovery #naturelovers #WildlifeMonitoring

Today (and every day) let’s show some love to our planet 🌍💚 As astronaut Victor Glover recently put it, “You guys think we’re special because we’re on a spaceship, but you all are the special ones. You’re on this amazing spaceship called Earth [...] In all of this emptiness, this thing we call the universe, you have this oasis, this beautiful place that we get to exist together on…” Every species plays a role in maintaining the functionality of our shared spaceship, and even though they may seem small, every one of our daily decisions adds up to play an important role. This Earth Day, consider going a step further by buying forest carbon credits that protect vital ecosystems by paying forest communities who are doing the essential, everyday work of protecting nature. Share this reel with someone who loves the biodiversity of our shared “spaceship” as much as you do! #EarthDay #Wildlife #Biodiversity #Nature #ViralReels

There are forests that have been growing, undisturbed, for thousands of years. They predate civilisations. 🌿 Globally, only about 21% of the original old-growth forests that once existed on Earth are still remaining. For too long, the story around reforestation has been oversimplified: cut a forest, plant a new one, call it sustainable. But a forest that took 5,000 years to become what it is cannot be replaced by saplings. Not in our lifetime. Not in our children’s lifetime. New research in Sweden shows just how vast the difference is — forests that have never been cleared hold 83% more carbon than managed ones. The soil alone in these ancient places stores as much carbon as an entire replanted forest combined. But carbon is only part of what we lose. These forests are living worlds — intricate webs of creatures, plants, fungi, and soil life that have evolved together over millennia. Species that exist nowhere else on Earth. Underground networks that took centuries to form. The biodiversity that quietly keeps our air clean, our water filtered, our food systems stable. The most urgent thing we can do right now is protect the forests we still have. Not just plant new ones. Protect the ones still standing. At Wildlife Works, this has been our belief from the beginning. And it matters to every one of us — to the air we breathe, the food on our plates, the world we’re leaving behind. Once these places are gone, they don’t come back in its full form. Not really. Not for thousands of years. Buy Forest Carbon Credits (link in bio) to pay Indigenous guardians for their essential work as nature protectors for all of humanity. If you love forests, this one’s worth sharing. The oldest ones need our voices now. 💚 #forest #tree #conservation #viral #learnsomethingnew

This Earth Day, take a stroll through a vision of what a better future looks like 🌿 For San Francisco Climate Week, we're partnering with PlanetHAUS who is building a “sustainable home of the future” you can actually walk through, showing what better everyday choices look, taste, and feel like, featuring brands such as @drbronner , @deciem , @carhartt , @caraway_home @thrivemarket , and @coyuchi A main stage will also host conversations with leaders shaping the future of climate, culture, and commerce, including our very own VP of marketing @joycehuberry . And it goes beyond the experience. PlanetHAUS is supporting forest protection through Wildlife Works forest carbon credits, funding the communities protecting some of the world's most critical ecosystems. In San Francisco? Come see it. Elsewhere? You can still be part of the impact. Find the links in our bio to: → Attend via Luma → Support forest protection through carbon credits #EarthDay #SFClimateWeek #ProtectNatureNow

ANNOUNCEMENT: Wildlife Works is now officially certified as a Public Benefit Corporation (PBC). 🐘🌱 This isn’t a shift in who we are, rather, it’s a formal recognition of who we’ve always been. Nearly three decades ago,Wildlife Works began as a conservation organization grounded in a deep commitment to protecting wildlife by creating opportunities for the communities who live alongside it. Whether we use carbon credits or other finance structures to protect nature with communities, becoming a PBC simply aligns our structure with that purpose. Today, our team includes more than 1,300 people, with 98% based in the countries where our projects operate. In the video below, you’ll hear that name spoken in many accents, from many places. “Wildlife Works” might not be the easiest name to say for everyone, but it’s one that carries voices from across the world. What matters most isn’t how you say Wildlife Works, it’s the people behind the name.� Each one is a reminder that this work is not owned by one place or perspective. It’s built collectively, by people working together to protect ecosystems and create lasting impact. #PublicBenefitCorporation #sustainabledevelopment #wildlife #conservation

Our global conservation work would not be possible without the dedication, expertise, and passion of our team members. Each month, get to know our team members and what they do through our Employee Spotlight Series. This month we’re spotlighting our Validation and Verification manager, Lawson Henderson. With over 15 years of experience in sustainable forestry, Lawson’s dedication to the forests of our planet make him an indispensable part of our team. Learn more about Lawson, his path to becoming a Validation and Verification manager, and his perspectives on the carbon market in this Q&A. #EmployeeSpotlight #Forestry #Conservation #CarbonMarket