vision:

animals and people thriving together.

mission:

fresh thinking and bold action for animals, people and the place we call home.

At IFAW we believe every individual animal matters and we create impact by operating at the nexus of animal welfare and conservation.

IFAW’s work to help animals and people to thrive together goes on, whatever the challenge. In FY22 we faced disasters, conflicts, the ever-increasing impact of global warming and COVID-19 risks, restrictions and lockdowns. And yet we continued to work together on the ground with partners around the world to find solutions and create lasting impact for both people and animals. In fact, IFAW’s rescue and conservation programs feel more urgent and important than ever.

As millions of refugees—many of them with pets—fled the war in Ukraine that started in February 2022, IFAW began implementing a comprehensive, multiyear rescue and recovery plan in and around Ukraine. In the first 100 days of the crisis, IFAW directly helped more than 42,000 animals and supported the incredible families and caretakers of those animals. The reality is that if we want to save people’s lives, we need to save the animals they love.

Undeniably, the scale of human suffering makes it easy to overlook animals caught in the crossfire. But as we’ve learned in nearly every war and natural disaster, this is a mistake with dire long-term consequences. According to researchers who analyzed decades of wildlife population trends across Africa, “the single most important predictor” of whether species such as elephants and large predators prosper or perish isn’t poaching, or deforestation or even climate change. It’s human conflict. IFAW is in this for the long-term.

IFAW’s commitment to a long-term vision is especially evident in our Room to Roam initiative, a visionary approach to conservation in Africa. Backed by over 20 years of science and fieldwork, Room to Roam aims to ensure viable, stable, resilient elephant populations long into the future. Through connectivity and secure habitats, we envision safe passages for elephants and other wildlife to move freely within their home ranges of East and Southern Africa. This brings greater biodiversity, a natural resilience to climate change and a future where animals and communities can not only coexist but thrive together.

We continue to believe that what’s good for animals is good for people, the economy and our planet. Two months after IFAW spearheaded a full-page advertisement in the New York Times calling on the Biden Administration to create a National Biodiversity Strategy, President Biden signed an Earth Day Executive Order implementing many of our requests including, for the first time, valuing nature as part of the U.S.’s economic health.

The problems we’re up against are urgent and complicated. To solve them, IFAW matches fresh thinking with bold action.