About Fauna in Focus
What is Fauna in Focus?
Fauna in Focus is a small 501(c)3 non-profit NGO that is working to build a better world for people and wildlife in biodiversity hotspots across Earth. We do this through world-class projects in environmental education, nature discovery and wildlife media. From designing and building interactive nature discovery centers and learning facilities, to producing inspirational nature films and high-quality e-learning, digital media and wildlife science training programs, there is so much that Fauna in Focus is doing to help inspire a new generation of nature lovers and conservation leaders across the planet.
Why We Exist
Wildlife in Crisis
Across Earth, nature is in peril. To save what is left, we need to act now!
Tropical rainforests are home to 50% of all terrestrial biodiversity, despite only occupying 5% of the planet’s surface. Today, these forests are vanishing as a result of logging, agriculture and urbanization.
Marine ecosystems face ever-growing pressures from pollution, rising temperatures and over-fishing. Mangroves and coral reefs play a critical role in climate, and provide breeding grounds for the world’s fisheries. Yet a quarter of all mangroves and half of Earth’s reefs have been destroyed in just the last 50 years.
Our entire planet depends on a healthy and stable natural world. Yet despite the dire situation, conservation efforts are struggling to have significant impacts in the places where they work.
Fauna in Focus aims to support conservation by educating and inspiring the public in an effort to build widespread public and political will for real action and change!
The Missing Link
Reconnecting People with Nature
In many of the world’s most biodiverse regions, natural science education and public awareness is desperately lacking. As a result, there is little public support or engagement in conservation. This disconnect between people and nature is directly responsible for the suffering of humanity, natural places and wildlife all around Earth. Without widespread public support, conservation efforts in these critical regions will continue to struggle.
That’s where we come in!
At Fauna in Focus, we approach conservation with this in mind. We work to change the fundamental attitudes towards nature and build national discussions among the general public to build support for wildlife conservation. We believe this is a critical foundation and first step for any conservation effort. To achieve this, we leverage the power of film, video, social media, graphic design, visual learning, interpretive learning, and inquiry-based education standards to reach, educate and inspire millions. We do this through:
- High-quality, inquiry-based environmental education and wildlife science courses and workshops.
- Field experiences to bring students into nature for hands-on, outdoor learning experiences in conservation.
- Film, art, and other forms of print and visual media to engage with audiences in new and exciting ways.
- Social media and digital communications to inspire audiences beyond our classrooms.
- Digital learning and e-learning platforms that take advantage of VR, mobile gaming and online learning.
- The design of world-class interpretive learning spaces, signage and interpretive learning centers that offer experiential learning to all.
Our unique approach helps reconnect people with nature, inspires a new generation of nature lovers and conservation leaders, and reaches and educates key audiences all around the world.
Nature Discovery
Bringing People to Nature
Nature discovery is all about reconnecting people with nature through first-hand experiences. Part of this involves developing field trips and expeditions and courses that bring students or visitors out into the wild to work and learn directly alongside local conservation experts.
Bringing Nature to People
When we cannot bring people to nature, we bring nature to people. We do this through the design of world-class natural science learning facilities. In 2019, Fauna in Focus launched Cambodia’s first ever Nature Discovery Center. Since then, we have supported other conservation projects in similar efforts around the world. Experiences at centers like these help win over hearts and minds, and build more positive cultures, customs and ideas around nature and conservation.
Environmental Education
Education & Outreach
At Fauna in Focus, education is core to our work. We develop inquiry-based natural science lessons, curriculum and teaching resources for students of all ages and backgrounds. All of our lessons include special biofacts, games, interactive media, student-led challenges and other hands-on activities that help make for a fun and memorable learning experiences.
Teaching Resources & Training
At Fauna in Focus, we aim to make sure our methods, materials and resources have the greatest possible reach and impact. As such, we run advanced training and capacity development workshops for teachers, forest rangers, community leaders, conservation activists. These training programs help set new standards in environmental education for places that need it most.
Wildlife Media
Film & Video
Media offers conservation a tool to reach, educate and inspire audiences far beyond the classroom. At Fauna in Focus, we produce award-winning nature films tailored to local audiences around the world. Our use of positive storytelling can effectively inspire changes in key communities where biodiversity is most at risk.
Art & Graphic Design
Art, photography and graphic design are powerful visual aids that we use to build love and pride in biodiversity, or inspire conservation action. From info-graphics to board games, to public signage and children’s books, there is so much potential to engage the public in wildlife learning through art!
Digital Media
At Fauna in Focus, we are pushing conservation outreach into the 21st century. We develop world-class interactive touchscreen kiosk activities, digital field guides and more. We are even exploring AR & VR learning, educational video games. This approach brings natural science and conservation learning to people in many new and exciting ways.
Program Impact & Evaluations
Fauna in Focus believes that changing knowledge and attitudes is key, but can only be achieved when impacts are measurable. Every one of our programs included an accompanying system for program monitoring, evaluation or impact assessment. We tailor each assessment to the program goals and objectives, allowing us to better understand the impacts of our work, and identify precisely what works and what does not. By designing these using scientific standards and collecting quantitative and qualitative data on changes in our audiences knowledge and attitudes, Fauna in Focus can demonstrate real-world changes in our students and the general public, and identify precise areas in our programs than need improvement.
“People protect the things love, but love only what they know and understand.”
– Baba Dioum
