Meet our team
We're a globe-spanning league of local conservation professionals and leaders protecting threatened carnivore species and their habitats, and investing in the human communities that live beside them.
Over the past 20 years, S.P.E.C.I.E.S. has achieved on-the-ground conservation outcomes in 21 countries, benefiting 70+ threatened carnivore species around the world. Our multi-award-winning family has changed the planet for good.
Who we are: Wildlife conservation, done differently
Target species: Carnivores
Our work
The S.P.E.C.I.E.S. Difference:
How We Work
We're building a new, guided bottom-up model of conservation that integrates:
community leadership
scientific expertise
social entrepreneurship
innovations in technology & systems design
measurable outcomes for wildlife & biodiversity
get involved
Donate as little as $20/month to make a measurable difference for people, planet, and biodiversity.
Your donations:
pay salaries to keep our invaluable team members working in the field
allow us to bring you stories of our work and impact
supply teams with equipment necessary to do good science
achieve measurable impact in the protection of wildlife around the world
support human-carnivore coexistence
create jobs that support the expansion of innovative programs
fund community-led conservation initiatives that empower raise awareness & empower local people
increase capacity of local students & partners
conduct research that fills critical knowledge and action gaps
Seed
$20+/month
You'll get:
Program updates: An annual report sharing how your monthly funding contributed to our work in the field.
Field Notes: Stories from our program leaders doing the work out in the field
Keeper
$50+/month
You'll get everything in the Seed program, plus:
Exclusive annual ‘Inside the Work’ fireside chat (virtual): a 1 hour fireside chat and Q&A with one of our team members from the field. We invite your kids and friends!
Family-friendly engagement: Annual “Conservation Challenges”.
Special rates to travel with our teams: 5% off trip opportunities with us.
Guardian
$100+/month
You'll get everything in the Seed & Keeper programs, plus:
Experiential opportunities: Priority “first invitation” access to field trips with our team.
Legacy & long-term giving pathways: Want to turn your impact into a legacy? With SPECIES, your investment can scale to become meaningful ongoing impact. Our partnerships team will be on hand to talk to you about the right path forward for your goals.
Legacy & Endowments
With Species Stewards, your stewardship opens doors to planet-changing investments, unique experiential opportunities, and tangible impacts for wildlife & people alike.
Corporate partnerships
We've been the trusted partners of companies large and small who want to make a better impact. Forge a powerful new partnership that changes the world for good.
Travel with us
Looking to travel with purpose? Get exclusive access to our conservation destinations. You'll meet our team and become immersed in the work we're doing.
Volunteer
Are you looking for a meaningful way to apply your skills, experience, and passion? We're always looking for capable volunteers across diverse industries to help further our mission.
our target species
Meet the species we're devoted to protecting.
Our conservation attention is often focused on neglected geographical regions and underserved species.
why carnivores
What is a carnivore?
Carnivores are the wild cats, canids (dogs), bears, hyenas, otters, mongooses, and weasels, among others that live with us on planet Earth.
They serve an essential role in maintaining the health of our planet's ecosystems, but are often the first species to become threatened.
Many carnivores are keystone species that help maintain ecosystem health
Many carnivores are keystone species. This means that healthy carnivore populations are critical to the functioning and maintenance of healthy ecosystems.
Compared to other species, many carnivore populations are already small
Due to their importance high in the food web, carnivores occur at low population densities relative to many other species. Because of human activities, a high proportion of carnivore species are now threatened and endangered.
They're often the first to feel the impacts of disappearing habitats
Because they have vast territories, they require more room to roam, and thus more habitat than other species. Not surprisingly, carnivore populations are therefore among the first species to crash.
By helping carnivores, we help thousands of other species that live among them
Long-term conservation strategies aimed at conserving and restoring carnivore populations must target large, diverse, and often ecologically important areas, all of which are home to many other species.
As human development expands, carnivores are under threat
As agriculture, urban areas, and roads compromise more habitat, conflict between carnivores and people is increasing. And, poachers are finding it easier to kill and sell carnivores on the black market.
Carnivores are usually elusive, and most are understudied
Because of their wide-ranging behavior and cryptic nature, carnivores are generally difficult to survey and observe. The ecology and behavior of some species, like the sun bear, are still largely unknown, even as they become endangered.
