Fauna & Flora International (FFI), founded in 1903, is the oldest organization for nature conservation in the United Kingdom and the first in the world’s first international conservation organization. With one century of unequal experience, FFI gave conservation a voice, capturing the world’s attention to the rarest and more threatened species and ecosystems of the planet. It created models and set standards for the international conservation community.
Pioneer in the implementation of conservation actions at Africa, FFI’s work spans across the globe, with over 100 projects in nearly 40 countries, mostly in the developing world, building partnerships and bringing people and local communities to the center of nature conservation, providing sustainable solutions that simultaneously help wildlife, humans and the environment.
FFI visions a sustainable future for the planet, where biodiversity is effectively conserved by the people who live closest to it, supported by the global community. FFI’s contribute consists of supporting these people in this tough goal until they can reach it by themselves.
FFI’s mission is acting to conserve threatened species and ecosystems worldwide, choosing solutions that are sustainable, based on sound science and taking into account human needs.

Main objectives:
- Ensuring global and local communities put a tangible value on biodiversity
- Building up the conservation capacity of others to protect the natural world
- Safeguarding havens of biodiversity
- Reducing the impact of climate change
- Building livelihoods and improving community welfare
- Helping business to reduce its impacts on biodiversity

‘We are acutely aware of the challenges ahead – they are our greatest so far. We have a strong history of finding solutions to conservation problems and we’re confident that, with your support, we can continue make a lasting difference to the future of life on Earth.’ (FFI)

The mission of ICNF, I.P. is to propose, follow up and ensure the execution of nature and biodiversity conservation policies and the management of protected areas, seeking public recognition and appreciation of the natural heritage.
ICNF proceeds assignments from the Ministry of Environment and Spatial Planning, under the supervision and guardianship of its Minister.

Assignments of ICNF:
a) Exercise the functions of national authority for nature and biodiversity conservation;
b) Ensure the preservation of nature and biodiversity conservation and the sustainable management of species of wild fauna and flora and their natural habitats, promoting the development and implementation of plans, programs and activities, namely on the areas of inventory, monitoring, supervision and systems of information;
c) Propose the creation of classified areas, terrestrial and maritime, and ensure the management of those with national interest and cooperate in the management of those of regional or local scope, namely through the elaboration, evaluation and review of the planning and management plans of the protected areas and coastlines;
d) Promote the articulation and integration of the objectives of conservation and sustainable use of natural resources in the spatial planning policy and in different sectoral policies, aiming the economic and social appreciation of the natural heritage as a driving force in different economical activity sectors, namely through partnerships, with special focus on nature tourism;
e) Promote the implementation of the National Strategy for Nature and Biodiversity Conservation and the elaboration and management of the National Nature Conservation Programme;
f) Promote and develop information, visitation, education and awareness of populations, stakeholders and organizations in the area of nature and biodiversity conservation, aiming the collective consciousness for the importance of natural values;
g) Ensure, in cooperation with the responsible entities, the follow up of issues, the transposition and compliance of the international and community law in matters of nature and biodiversity conservation.

         

The LIFE Programme is the EU’s funding instrument for the environment and nature conservation projects. The general objective of LIFE is to contribute to the implementation, updating and development of EU environmental policy and legislation by co-financing pilot or demonstration projects with European added value.
Since LIFE began, in 1992, there have been three complete phases of the programme (LIFE I, LIFE II, LIFE III) and it has co-financed some 3104 projects across the EU, contributing approximately €2.2 billion to the protection of the environment. The current phase of the programme, LIFE+, runs from 2007-2013 and has a budget of €2.143 billion.
LIFE+ replaces existing financial programmes, including LIFE, grouping them under a single set of rules and decision-making procedures and allowing for more consistent targeting, thereby making the Community's work more effective.
The LIFE+ Programme has three components: LIFE+ Nature and Biodiversity, LIFE+ Environment Policy and Governance, and LIFE+ Information and Communication.
The LIFE+ Nature & Biodiversity component continues and extends the former LIFE Nature Programme. It supports projects that contribute to the implementation of the EU's Birds and Habitats Directives, in particular the Natura 2000 Network, and that contribute to the EU's goal of halting the loss of biodiversity.
The maximum EU co-financing rate for LIFE+ projects is 50 percent of the total eligible project costs. By way of exception, a co-financing rate of up to 75 percent of the total eligible costs may be granted to LIFE+ Nature proposals that focus on concrete conservation actions for priority species or habitat types of the Birds and Habitats Directives.