Restoring Ecosystems

From pollution to climate change, the pressure on our planet is growing. Now, more than ever, nature needs our support. 

Driven by world-leading science, we deepen understanding and knowledge of the natural world, generating the data and insight needed to support wildlife recovery.

A healthier future for wildlife

We’re working tirelessly around the world to rebuild and protect the ecosystems that support life everywhere. From replanting mangrove forests to re-establishing oyster beds, our conservationists and scientists are focused on finding the best way to conserve the crucial ecosystems that sustain life – from forests to oceans and everything in between.

Aquatic ecosystems cover around 70 per cent of the earth’s surface. Marine habitats are essential to the health of our marine ecosystem and our conservation work in this area ranges from teaching people how to restore seagrass beds in the UK, to restoring coastal ecosystems in Mozambique.

Freshwater habitats make up a tiny fraction of the water on Earth – only 1% of the world’s water is fresh and accessible yet sustains an astonishing 10% of all known animals and 50% of all known fish species. We work to conserve and protect these essential ecosystems all the way from the River Thames in London to Lake Ossa in Cameroon. At Whipsnade Zoo we have the only aquarium in the UK dedicated to conserving threatened and extinct-in-the-wild freshwater fish.

On land, ecosystems from forests to deserts are struggling to support biodiversity in the face of climate change and degradation. From our work in Indonesia helping keep forests viable for tigers and elephants to protecting desert habitats in the Sahara, we are working towards biodiversity recovery.

Our conservation is always underpinned by science, and understanding ecosystems better allows us to do more effective conservation. Our scientists collaborated on the most comprehensive classification of the world’s ecosystems, describing every ecosystem across land, rivers and wetlands, and seas.

As the original science-driven conservation organisation, we’re working to restore wildlife in the UK and around the world. Discover more about our global conservation work.