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Hatch by BirdLife: Nurturing capacity and innovation in conservation

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We believe that networks of skilled, committed and entrepreneurial individuals and organisations are the key to unlocking the transformative change needed for a sustainable future for our planet. But the resources needed to address complex conservation challenges are limited, particularly in some of the most biologically rich areas in the world.


Hatch is a BirdLife Partnership initiative that closes this resourcing gap by investing in the people and organisations that make conservation happen. 


Hatching new civil society organisations

A core focus of BirdLife’s work is establishing national conservation organisations in countries rich in biodiversity where there are none present. So far, we’ve helped to develop highly successful independent NGOs in seven countries. 


Spotlight on SAVE Brasil
Brazil is considered the second most important country for bird conservation in the world, with more than 1,800 species, over 170 of which are globally threatened. In the absence of an existing NGO suitable to become a BirdLife Partner, in 2000 BirdLife established the Brazil Country Programme, thanks to a grant from the British Birdwatching Fair. The programme had the clear purpose of protecting sites and species in need of urgent attention, as well as laying the foundations to ‘hatch’ a full BirdLife Partner. 

In 2016 SAVE Brazil became a full Partner, and now have over 20 full-time staff and 226 members. They are engaged in both national and international conservation, especially in the Atlantic Forests and the Southern cone grasslands, working on 400 species and 10 protected areas, including two privately-owned reserves. 

“The capacity development support from BirdLife has enhanced the stability of SAVE Brasil, allowing us to reform our governance system and engage with many more people. The result was that, between 2015 and 2019, our on-the-ground conservation impacts took a huge step up.”

Pedro Develey, CEO, SAVE Brasil

The Mohatini Team, Hatch, BirdLife International
The Mohatini Team

Conservation leadership as a force for change 

30 years ago, BirdLife launched the Conservation Leadership Programme (CLP), a ground-breaking training initiative which invests in some of the most promising early-career professionals in conservation. Working in partnership with Fauna & Flora International and the Wildlife Conservation Society, we provide grants, training, mentoring and internships to individuals who represent the future of conservation.  

To date, the programme has nurtured the careers of over 2,500 people in more than 100 countries, who now make up a thriving global community of conservation leaders. Collectively, these trailblazers have discovered or rediscovered 130 species, helped protect 75 globally important sites for nature and founded at least 25 civil society organisations.  

“The Conservation Leadership Programme has helped me a lot in my development as a conservationist. The most remarkable way it helped me was to improve my knowledge and empower me, which gave me the confidence I needed to act.”

Tatiana Pongiluppi, CLP graduate


Supporting local conservation groups 

We harness the knowledge, enthusiasm and potential of local conservation champions and support community and site-based organisations committed to conservation. Our 4000+ strong network of Local Conservation Groups reflects the diversity of culture, history, legislation and social norms which ensure conservation success. 


Spotlight on KENVO 
For conservation to be sustainable in the long term, it needs to run by the people living closest to the habitats under threat. Kijabe Environment Volunteers (KENVO) is a community-based organisation that perfectly embodies this sense of ownership. Community members living adjacent to the Kikuyu Escarpment Forests in Kenya formed KENVO in the 1990s, when they realised that human threats to the forest were increasing and the ecosystem was being degraded.  

With support from BirdLife, KENVO has grown from a small team into an influential force for nature, improving community livelihoods, reducing threats to biodiversity and developing youth leadership programmes.  

The impact of the organisation has been tangible. To date, KENVO has restored 500 hectares of formerly degraded forest, planted over 80,000 trees through their schools programme, and supported local community members to manage their own tree nurseries and contribute to reforestation. In addition, as a result of community patrols and improved forest management, poaching has declined to almost zero. 

KENVO Providence – Akayezu
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