About conservation

Durrell is a conservation organisation with a difference. With our zoological park in Jersey as our headquarters we operate a dedicated programme of species led conservation projects around the world.

With a team of dedicated conservationists we focus on highly threatened species and habitats found in isolated island or highland regions. These regions are our TopSpots and represent areas that have either high concentrations of threatened species or a high proportion of species that are found nowhere else in the world.

Durrell & Biodiversity Conservation

Durrell’s mission is to save species from extinction. Led by the visionary commitment of Gerald Durrell to create a “stationary ark”, the organisation has always focussed on the conservation of highly endangered species in the wild. As conservation tools and techniques have developed over time, so has Durrell’s approach, which now focuses on the role and place of its target species within the broader ecosystem. Thus saving a species from extinction can require a broad range of actions from ecosystem restoration to community education.

To meet these challenges Durrell has developed a core body of conservation expertise and where necessary forges partnerships with other leading organisations. Now we tackle conservation problems through three principle arms – conservation breeding and skills development at our wildlife park in Jersey, field projects located in our TopSpots around the world, and training and capacity building through our International Training Centre.

Our strategy

Our challenge is to remain focussed on delivering our mission in a world where the threats and pressures continue to develop and diversify; becoming increasingly intertwined and globalised. However we remain true to the original vision of Gerald Durrell and thus the focus of our conservation programme is to:

• Stabilise and restore threatened species evidence-based programmes of species recovery, habitat restoration and capacity building.

To meet this objective we focus on the following basic components of our programme:

• We will enhance the conservation status of species in Durrell's programme through action either in their habitat or through ex situ breeding efforts.
• We will enhance the capacity of local communities and partners to sustainably manage natural resources in the long term and to protect biodiversity and support human wellbeing.
• We will strengthen the evidence-base for restoration of species and their habitats.