About BirdLife International

Who is BirdLife International?

BirdLife International is a global partnership of conservation organisations (NGOs) that strives to conserve birds, their habitats and global biodiversity, working with people towards sustainability in the use of natural resources. Together we are over 100 BirdLife Partners worldwide – one per country or territory – and growing. 

We are driven by our belief that local people, working for nature in their own places but connected nationally and internationally through our global Partnership, are the key to sustaining all life on this planet. This unique local-to-global approach delivers high impact and long-term conservation for the benefit of nature and people.

BirdLife is widely recognised as the world leader in bird conservation. Rigorous science informed by practical feedback from projects on the ground in important sites and habitats enables us to implement successful conservation programmes for birds and all nature. Our actions are providing both practical and sustainable solutions significantly benefiting nature and people. 

“In our several intriguing years with BirdLife, we have been both astonished and inspired by what can be accomplished by a dedicated group with the passion, outreach, and professionalism of the BirdLife Partnerships. It is an amazing organisation.”

Margaret Atwood & Graeme Gibson, BirdLife Rare Bird Club members

How does BirdLife International work?

Each BirdLife Partner is an independent environmental or wildlife not-for-profit, non-governmental organisation (NGO). Most Partners are best known outside of the Partnership by their organisation’s name. This allows each Partner to maintain its individual national identity within the Global Partnership. Perhaps you might recognise some of the 121 BirdLife International Environmental NGOs Partners from their logos below.

BirdLife Partners work together in a collaborative, coordinated fashion across national boundaries to build a global Partnership of national conservation organisations.

The BirdLife partnership has 6 Regional BirdLife Coordination Offices throughout the world and a Global Office in Cambridge, UK – together known as “The BirdLife International Secretariat”. The Secretariat co-ordinate and facilitate the BirdLife International strategies, programmes and policies.

BirdLife International in numbers

• As the world’s largest Nature Conservation partnership BirdLife International has more than 10 million members and supporters.

• This comprises 2.72 million members and 7.2 million people who supported BirdLife Partners in 2015 without being members.

• BirdLife Partner Environmental NGOs worked with over 4,000 local groups, including action at more than 1,000 Important Bird and Biodiversity Areas; and our work involved 1.9 million young people (under 18).

• The BirdLife Partnership employs nearly 8,000 staff supported by 5,000 volunteers.

• The BirdLife partnership has a combined budget of US$ 636 million as of the end of 2014.

Our Board

Council of BirdLife International

Africa
Mark Anderson - BirdLife South Africa
Achilles Byaruhanga - Nature Uganda
Claudia Feltrup-Azafzaf - AAO-Tunisia

Americas
Rosabel Miro - Audubon Panama
Alberto Yanosky - Guyra Paraguay

Asia
Shawn Lum - NSS - Singapore
Sarath Kotagama - FOGSL -Sri Lanka

Europe
Halmos Gergö - MME -Hungary
Philippe Funcken -Natagora - Belgium
Vera Voronova - ACBK - Kazakhstan

Middle East
Yehya Khaled - RSCN -Jordan
Assad Serhal - SPNL - Lebanon

Pacific
Kevin Hague -Forest and Bird -New Zealand
Paul Sullivan - BirdLife Australia

Co-opted officials
Mike Clarke - UK
Simon Rye - Norway
Alfred D. Chandler III (US)

BirdLife International Advisory Group

 Our Executive Team

Director Partnership & Regions Julius Arinaitwe	Director of Science, Policy & Information  Melanie Heath	Director of Conservation Richard Grimmett
Chief Operating Officer Helen Bull	Director of Communications Christopher Sands

 Our Regional Directors

Regional Director for Pacific Margaret West	Regional Director for Africa Ademola Ajagbe	Regional Director for Middle East Ibrahim Al-Khader
Acting Regional Director for Europe and Central Asia Ariel Brunner	Regional Director for Asia Vinayagan Dharmarajah

See also: 

Our Partners - where do we work?

BirdLife's Honorary President

BirdLife Secretariat Finances

Next Page: Our Vision and How We Are Effective