What African Conservation Foundation does

The African Conservation Foundation (ACF) is a UK registered charity (Charity Number 1120705) founded in 2001 and headquartered in London, operating a community-led conservation model across at least nine African countries including Cameroon, Nigeria, Zimbabwe, Mozambique, DR Congo, Uganda, Kenya, and South Africa. Its mission is the protection and restoration of endangered wildlife and their habitats, delivered through partnerships with over 100 local NGOs, community organisations, and grassroots groups rather than through direct field operations. The organisation's programmatic portfolio spans four areas — Ecosystem Restoration, Great Apes Conservation, Wildlife Conservation, and Landscape Approaches — encompassing specific projects such as the Cross River gorilla initiative (fewer than 300 individuals remaining), the 52,000-hectare Cameroon wildlife corridor with Lush, Miombo Forest Restoration in Mozambique (45,000+ trees grown), the Kahuzi-Biega–Itombwe Wildlife Corridor in DR Congo, the Rewilding Lake Chad Basin (243.4M ha across four countries), and human-elephant conflict reduction in Zimbabwe. Underlying technology includes SMART Conservation Software for wildlife monitoring and patrol data, community-based camera trapping with distance sampling for population assessment, Global Forest Watch for forest monitoring, and research applications such as DNA metabarcoding for wild dog diet analysis.

ACF generates revenue through donations (individual contributions with UK Gift Aid, processed directly and via JustGiving), corporate cause-marketing partnerships (notably Lush's Keystone Giving initiative allocating 75% of an Elephant Jelly product line to a Cameroon corridor project), grants from foundations including the Disney Conservation Fund, Arcus Foundation, and Rufford Foundation, and programme-generated fees from volunteer projects, conservation training, and conservation safaris. Go-to-market is community-led, with local capacity building as the central engagement model and global awareness driven through a website donation platform, an active social media presence across seven platforms, email newsletters via MailChimp, and high-profile endorsement (His Holiness The Dalai Lama). The organisation is independently governed with no parent company, no subsidiaries, and no equity investors; it operates with 11–50 employees and no disclosed financial statements.

Name

African Conservation Foundation

Legal name

African Conservation Foundation

Website

https://africanconservation.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2001

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

African Conservation Foundation is a UK-registered charity founded in 2001 that protects endangered African wildlife and habitats through a community-led model, partnering with 100+ local NGOs across nine countries and funding its work via donations, foundation grants, volunteer fees, and corporate partnerships.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Wildlife Conservation Services

NAICS

Environment, Conservation and Wildlife Organizations (813312)

SIC

Forestry (800)

akta.pro primary industry

Wildlife Conservation & Species Protection (BPAGAGAB)

akta.pro secondary industries

Nature, Biodiversity & Ecosystem Conservation (BPADALAE), Forestry & Reforestation (BPAGAGAD)

Keywords

• Wildlife conservation services
• Ecosystem restoration projects
• Community-led conservation
• Conservation volunteer programs
• Habitat protection programs

Headquarters

HQ city

London

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Donations and Charitable Contributions: ACF generates revenue primarily through donations from individuals, organizations, and funding partners. They process donations, claim Gift Aid on UK donations, and receive contributions through third-party platforms like JustGiving.
2. Conservation Safaris: Revenue generated from conservation-focused safari experiences that allow participants to explore wildlife while contributing to conservation efforts and learning from experts.
3. Training Programs: Fees from training programs that provide practical skills and field experience in conservation, contributing to both revenue and mission.
4. Volunteer Projects: Fees from volunteer programs where participants contribute directly to protecting endangered species and habitats while gaining practical field experience.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

African Conservation Foundation (ACF) is a UK-registered charity that pioneers community-led conservation across Africa, protecting endangered wildlife and their habitats through field-based volunteer projects, training programs, conservation safaris, and multi-country ecosystem restoration initiatives. It delivers on-the-ground conservation programs in Cameroon, Nigeria, Zimbabwe, Mozambique, DR Congo, and other African countries in partnership with 100+ local NGOs and global supporters.

Product overview

The African Conservation Foundation operates as a community-led conservation organization offering a portfolio of programs and field projects rather than a unified software product. Core offerings include Volunteer Projects, Training, and Conservation Safaris that enable public participation in African wildlife protection. The organization runs four main programmatic areas: Ecosystem Restoration, Great Apes Conservation, Wildlife Conservation, and Landscape Approaches, which encompass specific projects like Protecting African Forest Elephants in Cameroon, Miombo Forest Restoration in Mozambique, the Kahuzi-Biega-Itombwe Wildlife Corridor in DR Congo, Rewilding Lake Chad Basin, and Living Borders in Zimbabwe. These initiatives are delivered through partnerships with local NGOs, community organizations, and global conservation bodies, supporting the UN Sustainable Development Goals.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Volunteer Projects

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 5 million hectares of endangered ecosystems protected
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration2 records

AI capability2 records

Feature2 records

Partnerships

14 partnerships are on record, tiered core, supporting and strategic.

• Working For The WildcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerKey partner in the Keystone Giving initiative with Lush, working on restoration of 52,000 hectares in Cameroon to connect habitats for African forest elephants and reduce human-wildlife conflict.
• ERuDeF (Environment and Rural Development Foundation)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLong-term local partner in Cameroon, collaborating on multiple projects including Cross River gorilla conservation, community forests, and forest elephant protection.
• Environment and Rural Development FoundationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-facilitator of conservation workshops, joint implementer of community forest initiatives in Cameroon.
• CEPOW CamerooncoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in Cross River gorilla conservation workshops and community-led conservation efforts.
• Trees4MozcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLocal project partner in Mozambique leading Miombo Forest Restoration and Nhamacoa Forest rewilding efforts.
• Global Forest WatchsupportingTechnology or IntegrationPartner providing forest monitoring and mapping technology support.
• IUCNstrategicStrategic or Co-development PartnerGlobal partnership for conservation standards and coordination.
• WRI (World Resources Institute)strategicStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner supporting forest and landscape restoration initiatives.
• Lilongwe Wildlife TrustsupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerConservation partner organisation in Africa.
• SANCCOBsupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerConservation partner for seabird and wildlife rescue.
• Uganda Wildlife AuthoritysupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerGovernment conservation authority partner in Uganda.
• Kenya Wildlife ServicesupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerGovernment conservation authority partner in Kenya.
• Rewilding AcademysupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in rewilding education and training.
• UN Decade on Ecosystem RestorationstrategicStrategic or Co-development PartnerGlobal initiative partner for ecosystem restoration.

Scale indicators9 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• World Wildlife Fund (WWF): Largest global conservation organization with extensive African operations. Operates as a broader incumbent with overlapping wildlife and habitat programs but with vastly larger scale and resources.
• Conservation International: Global conservation organization working on biodiversity protection, ecosystem restoration, and community partnerships, with overlapping program areas in Africa.
• Wildlife Conservation Society: Major international conservation organization with significant African field programs focused on wildlife and wild places, comparable mission but operating at much larger scale.
• The Nature Conservancy: Global environmental organization with significant land and water conservation programs, including Africa-focused initiatives. Comparable mission but with US-centric origins and far larger resources.

Direct peers

• Fauna & Flora International: UK-based international conservation charity founded in 1903, operating across Africa, Asia-Pacific, and the Americas with a similar species-and-habitat protection mandate and partnership-based delivery model.
• African Wildlife Foundation: Africa-focused conservation organization working on wildlife protection, habitat conservation, and community partnerships across the continent - directly comparable geographic and programmatic focus to ACF.
• World Land Trust: UK-registered conservation charity focused on land purchase and habitat protection through local partner organizations - comparable partnership-based model and habitat focus to ACF.
• Born Free Foundation: UK-based wildlife charity focused on species protection and conservation, with similar geographic and programmatic overlap with ACF's endangered species work.

Others

• IUCN: International Union for Conservation of Nature, a strategic partner of ACF that sets global conservation standards and coordinates conservation action across member organizations.

Emerging players

• Save the Elephants: Kenya-based NGO dedicated to elephant conservation through research, community engagement, and anti-poaching - directly comparable model to ACF's elephant-focused projects.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks4 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/AfricanConserve
• YouTubeyoutube.com/c/AfricanConservationFoundation
• Facebookfacebook.com/africanconservation
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/african-conservation-foundation
• Instagraminstagram.com/africanconservationfoundation

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about African Conservation Foundation