What edgeofexistence does

EDGE of Existence is a charitable conservation programme operated by the Zoological Society of London (ZSL), headquartered in London, United Kingdom, and established in 2007. Its mission is to protect Evolutionarily Distinct and Globally Endangered (EDGE) species — animals, fungi, and plants that represent large amounts of unique evolutionary history and are at high risk of extinction — by combining a scientific prioritisation framework with a field-based fellowship programme in lower- and middle-income countries.

The programme's intellectual core is the EDGE Metric, a proprietary framework that scores every species on Evolutionary Distinctiveness (ED, based on its position in the evolutionary tree) and Global Endangerment (GE, derived from IUCN Red List categories), and combines them into a single EDGE score. EDGE scores have been calculated for over 70,000 vertebrate species and more than 340,000 plant species. The programme operationalises this framework through a suite of core products: the EDGE Lists (downloadable prioritised species lists across amphibians, birds, mammals, ray-finned fish, reptiles, sharks and rays, freshwater crayfish, conifers and cycads, and flowering plants), EDGE Zones (spatial conservation prioritisation for terrestrial vertebrates), a searchable Species Database, an interactive country-level species map, and peer-reviewed research publications. The EDGE Fellowship, a 28-month programme for early-career conservationists, provides training, mentorship, and a GBP 15,000 grant per Fellow, with a 2027 commitment to at least 14 Fellows per annual cohort from countries outside the G12, EU, New Zealand, and South Korea.

EDGE of Existence operates as a non-profit and does not charge for its products or services. Funding flows through ZSL's institutional donation platform and grants. Its primary "beneficiaries" or end-users are early-career conservationists implementing locally led EDGE species projects, while its outputs (species lists, scientific papers, indicators) are distributed free of charge to the global conservation community. The programme has institutional partnerships with ZSL (parent organisation), IUCN (Red List data), IPBES and the UN Convention on Biological Diversity (adopted indicators), BirdLife International (bird taxonomy), and OneZoom.org (Tree of Life visualisation), and its Fellows have operated across more than 40 countries.

Name

edgeofexistence

Legal name

EDGE of Existence Programme

Website

https://edgeofexistence.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2007

Operating status

Operating

Short description

EDGE of Existence is a ZSL-run non-profit conservation programme, founded 2007, that uses its proprietary EDGE Metric to prioritise Evolutionarily Distinct and Globally Endangered species and supports early-career conservationists worldwide through a 28-month fellowship.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

London

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Donations: The programme accepts donations through ZSL's donation platform to support EDGE conservation work, EDGE Fellows, and species protection initiatives.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

EDGE of Existence is a nonprofit conservation programme that identifies Evolutionarily Distinct and Globally Endangered (EDGE) species and supports their protection through a 28-month fellowship programme for early-career conservationists in lower- and middle-income countries. The programme maintains the proprietary EDGE Metric scoring framework, EDGE Lists of priority species across multiple taxonomic groups, EDGE Zones identifying irreplaceable geographic areas, and a Species Database with an Interactive Map.

Product overview

EDGE of Existence is a conservation programme operated by the Zoological Society of London (ZSL) that focuses on protecting Evolutionarily Distinct and Globally Endangered (EDGE) species. The programme operates as a platform centred on its scientific EDGE Metric framework, which scores species based on evolutionary uniqueness and extinction risk. The core offerings include the EDGE Fellowship (a 28-month capacity-sharing programme for early-career conservationists), EDGE Lists (downloadable priority species spreadsheets), EDGE Zones (spatial conservation prioritisation), and a Species Database with an interactive map. Additional offerings include a blog/news platform and research publications. The ecosystem connects conservation data, fellow-led fieldwork, and global conservation leadership development.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• EDGE Fellowship A 28-month fellowship programme for early-career conservationists from lower- and middle-income countries, providing training, mentorship, funding (GBP 15,000 grant), and technical support to develop and deliver locally-led conservation projects for EDGE species. Each annual cohort includes at least 14 EDGE Fellows (from 2027).
• EDGE Lists Downloadable priority species lists covering amphibians, birds, mammals, ray-finned fish, reptiles, sharks and rays, and gymnosperms, updated periodically and based on the EDGE scoring methodology.

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 550 mammal EDGE species and over 900 amphibian EDGE species identified
• +2 more outcomes

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core, major and supporting.

• ZSL (Zoological Society of London)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe EDGE of Existence programme is administered by the Zoological Society of London (ZSL). ZSL provides institutional support, infrastructure, and acts as the parent organization for the programme.
• IUCN (International Union for Conservation of Nature)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerEDGE scores use IUCN Red List assessments for Global Endangerment scoring. Species are classified as EDGE based on IUCN categories (Critically Endangered, Endangered, Vulnerable).
• Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Phylogenetic Diversity indicator and EDGE Index developed by EDGE are used by IPBES to monitor progress towards halting extinctions and maintaining benefits from nature.
• United Nations Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe EDGE indicators are used by the UN CBD to monitor progress towards biodiversity targets under the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework.
• BirdLife InternationalsupportingTechnology or IntegrationFor birds, EDGE follows BirdLife International taxonomy for species classification and EDGE score calculations.
• OneZoom.orgsupportingTechnology or IntegrationThe Tree of Life visualization used on the EDGE website is credited to OneZoom.org, which provides the evolutionary tree representation.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves2 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Fauna & Flora International: UK-based conservation NGO focused on threatened species and habitats globally, with strong capacity-building and fieldwork programmes similar to EDGE's fellow-led model. Highly comparable in mission, geographic scope, and operational approach.
• Re:wild: Global conservation organisation focused on protecting endangered species and their habitats through science-driven prioritisation, partnering with local conservationists. Comparable in species-centric mission, scientific framework, and field-project delivery.
• BirdLife International: Global partnership of national bird conservation organisations, with taxonomic authority and Red List assessments underpinning avian EDGE scoring. Already a partner; comparable as a species-prioritisation authority using IUCN-aligned data.
• Durrell Wildlife Conservation Trust: UK-headquartered conservation charity focused on threatened species recovery through field programmes and capacity building. Closely comparable in mission, geographic footprint, and emphasis on local conservation leader development.

Broad incumbents

• IUCN (International Union for Conservation of Nature): Global authority on species extinction risk, providing the Red List that underpins EDGE's Global Endangerment scoring. Highly comparable as the upstream scientific reference for threatened-species prioritisation and policy influence.
• Wildlife Conservation Society: Large global conservation NGO operating field programmes across dozens of countries for threatened species and ecosystems. Comparable in species-focused mission and global footprint, though broader in scope and well-resourced.
• Conservation International: Global conservation organisation working on biodiversity hotspots, species, and ecosystem services with significant policy and field presence. Comparable in scope and science-driven prioritisation methodology.

Emerging players

• Rainforest Trust: Species- and habitat-focused conservation NGO that funds land protection for endangered species. Comparable in threatened-species focus, though operates primarily through protected-area acquisition rather than fellow-led field projects.
• Synchronicity Earth: Smaller UK-based charity funding overlooked and lesser-known species and ecosystems, with an explicit focus on evolutionary distinctiveness. Mission-adjacent and comparable in prioritising overlooked species with high evolutionary value.
• The Mohamed bin Zayed Species Conservation Fund: Grant-making fund providing small project grants for species conservation globally, often supporting individual field conservationists. Comparable as a downstream funder of fellow-equivalent frontline conservation work for threatened species.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/EDGEofExistence
• Facebookfacebook.com/zsledgeofexistence
• Instagraminstagram.com/zsledgeofexistence

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 records

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 →

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