Akashinga — originally named the International Anti-Poaching Foundation (IAPF) — was founded in 2009 by Australian-born and Zimbabwean-based environmentalist Damien Mander. Since its inception, we have transformed a traditionally adversarial approach to conservation into an innovative, uplifting, and gender-diverse model to protect wildlife and habitats.
As the organisation’s mission has evolved, so too has our identity, leading to our major transition in 2023 to become Akashinga. This name, meaning ‘the Brave Ones’ in Zimbabwe’s Shona language, reflects our unique approach to conservation by acknowledging the people at the heart of our collective fight for the future of the planet. At Akashinga, we centralise social impact around the advancement of women's leadership to achieve nature conservation at scale.
The Akashinga model invests in local development to create relevant conservation pathways and nature-based economies that are then scaled to create impact at a global level. With your support, we are achieving biodiversity outcomes and spreading our operations across vast areas by working together with local and indigenous communities, placing community first, and ensuring social impact is centralised around the empowerment of women. We believe that supporting people to protect the planet in the places they call home will ultimately create a sustainable future for us all.
Akashinga is unwavering in our dedication to protecting the natural world and preserving biological diversity. Our mission centres on safeguarding migratory pathways and creating interconnected habitats to address the critical challenges of biodiversity loss, climate change, and human well-being degradation. We understand the intricate interplay of these issues and strive to cultivate resilient ecosystems where nature, wildlife, and communities flourish in harmony.
