Overview
United for Wildlife was created in 2013 by Prince William and The Royal Foundation. It works with a unique worldwide reach to ensure that wildlife, people, and biodiversity can flourish in harmony. By convening powerful coalitions, the organisation tackles environmental crime and the illegal wildlife trade across continents, supporting nature’s protectors ranging from rangers in Africa and Scotland to Indigenous Peoples in South America.
Mission and focus areas
Its primary focus is driving global action for wildlife, people, and the planet by ending the illegal wildlife trade. The organisation focuses on disrupting the criminal networks behind wildlife trafficking by engaging international businesses—specifically in the financial and transport sectors—and law enforcement agencies. Key focus areas include protecting iconic species like rhinos and elephants, supporting female rangers, and addressing environmental crimes as a significant business risk.
Structure and governance
The organisation is an initiative of The Royal Foundation of The Prince and Princess of Wales. It operates through a global network of staff across Africa, Asia, the Americas, and Europe who coordinate taskforces and regional chapters. Its governance involves a global network of over 400 partners, including banks, airlines, and philanthropies, with specific taskforces led by co-chairs and steering committees in regional chapters like Hong Kong and West Africa.
Programs and offerings
United for Wildlife operates through several key programs including the Financial Taskforce and the Transport Taskforce. It maintains regional chapters in West Africa, Southern Africa, East Africa, Middle East & North Africa (MENA), Southeast Asia and Australasia, Hong Kong, North America, Latin America and the Caribbean, and India. Offerings include training for employees to detect wildlife crime (over 150,000 people trained), supporting investigations, providing resources on environmental crime as a business risk, and fostering public-private partnerships through declarations like the Buckingham Palace Declaration.
