Our partner: Caring for Conservation

The Caring For Conservation Fund is a German-registered public benefit company dedicated to supporting and conducting international nature conservation efforts. Its primary focus, currently, is on projects in Zambia, where the organization operates its own local NGO.

C4C channels funding and support into three main areas: research, community engagement, and direct protection measures. Since its establishment in 2018, the organization has developed a substantial network of trusted partners. In Zambia, C4C actively participates in a variety of projects, contributing to the conservation and protection of the environment. The organization invests in research to deepen our understanding of ecological systems and biodiversity as well as validate the efficacy of implemented conservation measures.

Additionally, it engages with local communities to create more awareness for conservation, and ensuring mutual benefits for nature and people. C4C also plays a vital role in implementing direct protection measures, employing strategies to safeguard vulnerable ecosystems and species. Through collaborative efforts and partnerships, C4C aims to make a significant impact on global biodiversity preservation.

What is the philosophy behind Caring for Conservation?

The Caring for Conservation (C4C) gGmbH was founded in April 2018 and promotes the work of NGOs and projects around the globe that have set themselves the task of sustainably, protecting species, and strengthening local communities. Currently, the focus lies on African systems, especially those in Zambia. The C4C Fund is run by father and son, Dr. Michael Riffel and Tom Riffel. Both have a background in biology and ecology and are dedicated to sustainable and effective nature conservation. The priorities of C4C comprise of three components; research, education, and protection.

Research is a strong tool to identify adverse factors and concrete threats to endangered species, as well as to monitor the efficiency of conservation measures already implemented. Education ensures sustainability by providing training, development, acceptance, and employment opportunities for local people, who in turn become advocates for species conservation themselves. C4C believes that you can not succeed in conservation without considering and involving local communities, no matter where on earth. In addition to investigating impactors and the efficacy of conservation measures as well as working with communities, it is important to also have a direct impact by implementing concrete species or habitat conservation measures - this is what we call protection.

Protecting natural diversity is one of the most important tasks of our time. C4C extends a hand to projects that have set this task as their goal.

What programs/projects does Caring for Conservation offer?

The Caring For Conservation Fund supports a great variety of conservation organizations and projects across the globe. In addition, C4C runs its organization in Zambia called Nsanga Conservation Zambia. We believe that having a large network of partners, as well as our organization and projects, is the most efficient way to contribute to conservation work. This way we understand the situations and challenges of the conservationists on the ground which helps us to decide how best to provide funding and support.

See below a collection of C4C’s largest projects, more on our work is available on the C4C Website:

#1 Vulture Conservation Project in Zambia:

Vultures, especially those in the Old World, are one of the most threatened bird groups in the world. Zambia still has a comparably high population but persecutions are recorded evermore frequently and our knowledge of movement dynamics, population size, breeding biology, and various ecological aspects is little to non-existent. In 2021 the C4C fund started a project to research and sustainably strengthen vulture populations in Zambia. Since, C4C provided 42 tracking units as well as funded tagging sessions with various partner organizations across the country, that help us understand movement dynamics of vultures in and across Zambia.

Furthermore, C4C, together with partners, engaged with the Zambian Environmental Management Agency to revise the poor pesticide laws in the country. Furthermore, C4C organized and funded multiple community awareness initiatives, especially with schools. This included, among other actions, Kids Magazines on Vultures, Workshops for more than 1400 school children, school paintings with primary schools as well as various social media engagements and updates on our findings.

#2 Mouse Free Marion Project in South Africa:

Marion Island is an island about halfway between South Africa and Antarctica. The island provides a hugely important breeding ground for a range of sea birds including several albatross, petrel, and prion species. Many years ago, sailors accidentally introduced house mice to Marion Island which has led to devastating consequences. The mice, due to a lack of natural food resources, have specialized on feeding seabird chicks alive. Scientists state that this predatory behavior could lead to the local extinction of the majority of local seabirds which would also have global impacts on the overall population numbers and breeding grounds of some of the birds. The Mouse Free Marion Project aims to fight the invasive mice to save the Marion Island Ecosystem. The C4C Fund has been supporting the project, both financially as well as through marketing and initiatives, since 2021.

#3 Nsanga Conservation Zambia - Luambe National Park in Zambia:

The founders of the C4C Fund have been actively involved in conservation work in Luambe National Park since 2014. To improve their impact, the decision was made to form their own Zambian NGO - Nsanga Conservation Zambia Limited. Nsanga has been conducting various research projects in and around Luambe National Park, such as work on herpetology, galagos, eDNA, giraffes, camera traps… Furthermore, Nsanga values the close collaboration with the local communities and initiatives with the communities that involve alternative livelihoods through community campsites, chillis and honey production, game drives, and nature education with local schools, conservation-themed football tournaments, employment and internship opportunities. The overall goal is to protect the wildlife-rich landscapes in and around Luambe National Park and create alternative incomes and a higher standard of living around the communities through sustainable tourism and conservation work. Nsanga largely relies on funding provided by the Caring For Conservation Fund to continue their work in Zambia.

How can you get involved with Caring for Conservation?

C4C largely relies on third-party and individual funding to be able to continue and expand their work. Only this way, we can ensure continuous and reliable support to our partner projects and organizations. We greatly appreciate any form of financial support. To stay up-to-date, you can follow us on our social media - Instagram, Facebook and LinkedIn.

At the moment, the Caring For Conservation Fund does not offer volunteering or internship opportunities.

The Caring for Conservation Fund is a german-registered public-benefit company. By law, the entirety of our income must be spent into conservation work according to our statute.