Our Focal Areas

Driving biodiversity protection through sustainable, inclusive conservation

The Conservation Heritage Foundation (CHF) exists to fund and support high-impact conservation initiatives that align ecological protection with social and economic development.

We recognise that for conservation to succeed, it must work for both nature and people. This means addressing the complex realities of the biodiversity economy — supporting landowners, rural communities, and conservation authorities to secure biodiversity in ways that are sustainable, inclusive, and resilient to socio-economic pressures.

Our Priorities

CHF focuses its funding and support across five key areas of conservation action:

1. Expanding Protected Areas Through Stewardship

We support landscape-scale provincial biodiversity stewardship programmes, South Africa’s primary pathway for achieving the Global Biodiversity Framework targets. These partnerships secure new protected areas while recognising landowner rights and responsibilities.
2. Empowering Community-Led Conservation

We fund and enable rural community biodiversity initiatives, particularly within the wildlife economy, to drive local job creation, income generation, and long-term poverty alleviation — proving that conservation and development can go hand in hand.
3. Strengthening Protected Area Management

Establishing protected areas is not enough — they must be effectively managed. CHF supports the ongoing management and ecological integrity of protected areas to ensure that biodiversity thrives long after legal protection is secured.
4. Using Offset Financing for Long-Term Impact

We explore and implement biodiversity offset mechanisms to expand conservation areas and provide post-declaration support, ensuring that ecological outcomes are not only achieved but sustained.
5. Protecting Threatened Species

From the Blue Swallow to the Cape Parrot, Rhino, Secretary Bird, and threatened plant species, CHF supports research, monitoring, and direct conservation action to prevent extinction and restore populations of South Africa’s most endangered species.