Our work

 

The Lion's Share has supported more than 20 conservation and animal welfare organizations through programmes and projects in 15 countries. Conservation grants supports imperiled species in locations where multiple endangered and critically endangered species are present.

By investing in these crucial wildlife areas and supporting local jobs and livelihoods, The Lion’s Share helps foster sustainable growth, tackle climate change, and safeguard natural ecosystem services, such as clean water, crop pollination, and flood control.

Partnerships for Change

In 2020, The Lion’s Share launched the Partnerships for Change, a transformative long-term funding window, with the first allocation being distributed to a coalition of six organizations under the Leuser Programme.

The Leuser Ecosystem is the last remaining forest where Sumatran elephants, rhinos, tigers and orangutans roam together. Covering more than 2.6 million hectares, the Leuser rainforest is one of the most biodiverse environments left on Earth.

The Leuser Programme supports wholistic, collaborative action to ensure long-term protection and conservation of the ecosystem, and to restore it to its former richness and functionality in order to sustain its outstanding biodiversity and the wellbeing of its communities.

In the first year of implementation, the Programme has:

  • Established the first women ranger team in Aceh, Sumatra, Indonesia

 

  • Successfully conducted 9 orangutan rescue operations
  • Trained over 200 farmers in the use of organic fertilizers and pesticides

 

  • Supported 20 honey farmers and trained an additional 20 community members in honey farming 
  • Planted over 90,000 seedlings and trees                              

 

  • Broken ground on a Learning Center to support farmers and community members to develop literacy and discuss restoration

COVID-19 Response Grants

The spread of COVID-19 is a health crisis, but it is much more than that. The pandemic has had an unprecedented impact on the movement of people, devastating the tourism industry and all the conservation efforts that depend on it.

In response, The Lion’s Share launched one of the first global call for proposals for communities dependent on wildlife-based tourism, receiving over 1,600 proposals from 106 countries across Africa, Asia, Latin America and Oceania.

The Grants support communities in wildlife rich areas to become more resilient to major shocks such as pandemics and natural disasters, for the mutual benefit of people, wildlife and nature.

The Lion’s Share, jointly with the GEF-Small Grants Programme, issued an initial nine COVID-19 response grants to Bhutan, Ecuador, Mongolia, Namibia, Nepal, Sri Lanka, South Africa, Uganda, and Zambia. 

Here are some activities under implementation:

In the highly biodiverse Amazon Rainforest of Ecuador…

Funding supports twelve indigenous communities in securing sustainable livelihoods to enable their continued protection of the world’s largest carbon sink and endangered species.

In Sri Lanka's first marine turtle sanctuary…

Funding supports wildlife rangers and nest protection where 5 of 7 sea turtle species come ashore to nest.

 

In South Africa’s Greater Kruger National Park…

Funding supports the world’s first all-female anti-poaching unit to build local community resilience and reduce human-wildlife conflict through bee keeping and elephant-deterrent gardens.

Global Animal Welfare

The Lion’s Share has established a Global Animal Welfare programme to improve animal welfare at a grassroots level, reduce population growth and diseases in street dogs, and manage the domestic dog-wildlife interface.

With decades of experience in companion animal care, animal rescue and wildlife conservation, The Lion’s Share will partner with Humane Society International (HSI) for the start-up phase of the programme to deliver activities in Bhutan, Bolivia and South Korea.

Initial activities include: engaging communities to address the issue of street animals in neighborhoods with a high density of free-roaming dogs, expanding veterinary training to enhance skills for conducting high-quality, high-volume spay and neuter surgery where it is needed most, and supporting actions to address the nexus between wildlife and domesticated animals. 

Completed Grants

Australian Emergency Bushfire Response

In 2019 and early 2020, record high heatwaves and drought fueled catastrophic bushfires throughout Australia, scorching over 18 million hectares of land and killing an estimated 1 billion wildlife and 33 people. The Lion’s Share responded with two emergency grants to support wildlife protection and recovery in New South Wales and Kangaroo Island.

Critical Leuser Land Purchase

In partnership with local NGOs, The Lion’s Share co-financed the purchase of 360 ha of degraded land on the eastern boarder of the Leuser Ecosystem in Sumatra. After securing this plot of land, it is now locally managed as both a restoration site and as a social enterprise to support the local communities.

Ranger Communications Upgrade 

Niassa National Reserve is home to nearly 40% of Mozambique’s elephants, but since 2011 this area has been the site of some of the worst  elephant  poaching  in  the  world. The Lion’s Share co-financed the upgrade of communications systems for rangers, effectively reducing poaching to zero since implementation in 2019.

Global Advocacy

The Lion’s Share presents an unparalleled opportunity for the private sector to join forces to lead a global movement for safeguarding wildlife and key habitats.

It is the first-ever multi-partner global platform for wildlife conservation and animal welfare, bringing together major private sector companies, creative advertising professionals, global and national non-profit organizations, the United Nations (UN) network of organizations, and concerned individuals to catalyse a global shift towards conservation action and care of all animals.

Effective communications and advocacy are the foundations on which the success of the initiative will be built. For The Lion’s Share to grow to scale, consumer behavior and purchasing power is needed to help encourage brands to join the Fund and lead with moral purpose.

In the Spotlight

Press

The Lion's Share has been covered by:

  • Vogue
  • Marie Claire
  • Elle
  • GQ
  • The Guaridan
  • CNBC
  • The Ellen DeGeneres Show

A full list of all can be found here: https://linktr.ee/TheLionsShare 

 

Awards

The prestigious Cannes Lions SDG Grand Prix at the 2019 Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity (the "Oscars of the advertising world"), recognized the Lion's Share for its use of creativity to help address one of the world’s greatest environmental challenges.

D&AD White Pencil Award in the Environment and Sustainability category. Design and Art Direction (D&AD) is a British educational charity which exists to promote excellence in design and advertising. The White Pencil is the ultimate accolade for creative work that has the power to make significant, positive impact in the world.

2020 One Show - Sustainable Development Pencil. As one of the world's most prestigious award shows in advertising, design and digital marketing, the One Show has had a rich legacy of honoring groundbreaking ideas, created by remarkable minds in creativity.

Events

The Lion's Share has been showcased at:

  • World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland 
  • Web Summit's 2020 Virtual Collision Conference
  • The 2019 Paris Peace Forum in Paris, France
  • The 2019 Advertising Week in New York City, USA
  • Web Summit 2019 in Lisbon, Portugal 
  • The One Planet Summit in Nairobi, Kenya
  • Social Good Summit in New York City, USA
  • UN General Assembly in New York City, USA