Programmes2024-02-14T12:52:28+00:00
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We create programmes to bolster support and funding for urgent conservation challenges.

We do not have a fixed geographical focus. We develop programmes and support partners based on our research, which identifies urgent conservation challenges where there are gaps in funding and action, and threats which are not being fully addressed.

Wherever we support and fund conservation, we always try to be mindful of the bigger picture: who else is working in this area? Who are the other stakeholders with influence?

Is there room for better coordination of action for greater impact? Are there other groups and alliances we can collaborate with?

Our programmes are born from the relationships we build with partners, developing greater understanding of the local context and recognising where a more coordinated approach, both to action on the ground and to funding, can help bring about deeper change more quickly.

Amphibians

A bright green frog with large eyes

Asian Species

person holding a baby pangolin

Biocultural Diversity

two people walking with baskets on their backs

Congo Basin

three people with decorative white face paint and yellow necklaces

Freshwater

a group of freshwater fish underwater

Ocean

large swordfish in the ocean

Why Programmes?

Since 2009, we have explored gaps in conservation action and funding in some of the most biodiverse regions on Earth. We have developed programmes and cultivated long-term relationships with multiple partners across these regions, but we recognise that the scale of the challenge means we need to pool our resources and knowledge with others to achieve greatest impact.

More – and more effective – collaboration is something we strive for throughout our work. For example, the Congo Basin is a hugely diverse region where there is an urgent need for more effective collaboration and increased funding to conserve precious natural ecosystems and help give local people more of a voice in the region’s future. By our work to connect and support grassroots organisations working in the region and our work to bring more funding to them, we increase the scope and impact of their work.

But we also amplify this impact with our pooled funding approach: by joining forces with other foundations that want to fund work in the region, Synchronicity Earth is able to reduce the administrative burden (multiple proposals, reports etc.) on local partners working in the region and more effectively share knowledge and learning with other funders. This gets funding to locally-led organisations best place to use it more efficiently, bolstering not just their impact, but the impact of multiple funders working together.

From the start, our priority has been to drive support and funding to less well-known, ‘overlooked and underfunded’ conservation challenges. Where our research identifies gaps, we develop programmes and build relationships with partners on the ground to help to plug those gaps. For example, amphibians are the most threatened vertebrate group on Earth, yet in terms of conservation attention, they have been routinely neglected, often in favour of what are deemed to be more ‘charismatic’ species. While there is a need for greater conservation funding across the board, there are some species, ecosystems and regions that are in desperate need of attention.

For example, the conservation of freshwater species and habitats has been consistently overlooked and underfunded. One of our key priorities is to ‘move the dial’ on freshwater conservation: we are doing everything we can to bring influential stakeholders, from IUCN freshwater species specialists to international bodies and local groups working on the ground, together to coordinate a more effective approach and to bring in more funding to a space that desperately needs it.

The urgency and scale of the ecological crises we are facing demands a truly collaborative response. As one small piece of the conservation puzzle, we recognise that ‘going it alone’ isn’t an option. Good conservation is built on strong relationships, whether this is with individuals, organisations or as part of broader alliances and movements.

We have always tried to avoid ‘reinventing the wheel’ or duplicating effort. Where there are opportunities to catalyse new partnerships or support existing alliances, boosting their work and helping them to grow and connect into the wider network, this is what we focus on. Working together has many challenges, but it is vital. One example of this is our support for SHOAL, as part of our Freshwater Programme. Shoal is an emerging global initiative which aims to halt the extinction and recover populations of the most threatened freshwater species in the wild. By hosting, providing infrastructure, and covering salaries for Shoal – in partnership with Re:Wild, we know that we are contributing to conserving one of the world’s most overlooked ecosystems.
Since 2009, our research team has focused on species, regions and ecosystems that are not getting the conservation attention they need. The communities of research and practice we have developed and are part of help us to anticipate emerging threats to wildlife and wild places and our dynamic network of advisers and affiliates ensures that we are well placed to identify and support effective organisations and alliances whose work we can fund and support.

If you are interested in learning more about/supporting any of our Programmes, please get in touch.

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