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Environment Programme

Safeguarding our future by restoring our connection to nature

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    Environment Programme / Partner story

    Training the next generation of conservation leaders

    The Effective Conservation Cooperative aims to increase the number of team leaders working in conservation who have the skills to manage the social, political and historical complexities associated with contemporary conservation practices. 

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    Environment Programme / Partner story

    From crisis to opportunity: the case for funding clean air

    We believe that investing in air quality saves lives, supports sustainable economic growth, and facilitates the critical transition away from fossil fuels toward greener, less polluting energy sources.   

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    Environment Programme / Partner story

    One step closer to consigning coal to history

    On 30 September 2024, the last coal-fired power plant in the UK shut its doors for the last time. In the nation that was the birthplace of the Industrial Revolution, it’s time for a new clean energy revolution. 

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    Environment Programme / Partner story

    Gorongosa: A beacon of hope in one of Africa’s last great wild places

    The Gorongosa Restoration Project has revitalised Mozambique’s national park, creating a thriving landscape where both communities and wildlife flourish. 

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    Environment Programme / Partner story

    Celebrating 21 years of leadership in ocean conservation: Andrew Sharpless

    This summer, we said goodbye to Andrew Sharpless, who retired from Oceana after a long career. Oak has supported Oceana since 2001 

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    Environment Programme / Partner story

    Living Landscapes: rethinking biodiversity in Southern Africa

    Den Staat Farm is home for many communities who depend solely on the natural resources of the landscape to survive. Their vision of conservation recognises people as stewards of the land. 

Overview

Our strategy places people at the heart of our grant-making to safeguard our future and restore our connection to nature. The Environment Programme has three sub-programmes: Marine foods systems and livelihoods, Nature and people, and Regenerative landscapes. We take a systems change approach by aiming to address the sources of the challenges we face as a society to improve the health and strength of communities and our natural environment. This approach allows us to see inter-connections and envision solutions across sectors to achieve multiple social and biodiversity benefits. 

For more information, read the document about our people-centred approach.


What we fund

We support efforts that protect the food security of coastal and Indigenous communities while ensuring the health of marine ecosystems. This includes enhancing the governance of small-scale fisheries, building resilience to climate change, empowering communities, conserving fish stocks and habitats, and increasing transparency and labour rights in fisheries. We support efforts in Africa, Asia, and Latin America, especially if there is a regional or global impact.

We support efforts that promote a “living landscapes” approach that safeguards biodiversity while considering the livelihoods and wellbeing of people and communities. We also support efforts that protect wildlife from illegal trade and ensure its safe and sustainable future. We support initiatives in Southern Africa, Southeast Asia, and Europe.

We support efforts that focus on: regenerative agriculture (i.e., promoting a farming system that’s good for people and good for nature); and rewilding (i.e., restoring land and biodiverse spaces that have been modified by human activities). We focus on buffer zones outside protected land and areas that include communal lands in Southern Africa.

Read our partner stories

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    Environment Programme / Partner story

    Working with communities and the land in Zimbabwe

    Oak grantees in Southern Africa are using regenerative agriculture for the benefit of both people and wildlife….

  •  
     
    Environment Programme / Partner story

    Training the next generation of conservation leaders

    The Effective Conservation Cooperative aims to increase the number of team leaders working in conservation who have the skills to manage the social, political and historical complexities associated wi…

  •  
     
    Environment Programme / Partner story

    From crisis to opportunity: the case for funding clean air

    We believe that investing in air quality saves lives, supports sustainable economic growth, and facilitates the critical transition away from fossil fuels toward greener, less polluting energy sources…

  •  
     
    Environment Programme / Partner story

    One step closer to consigning coal to history

    On 30 September 2024, the last coal-fired power plant in the UK shut its doors for the last time. In the nation that was the birthplace of the Industrial Revolution, it’s time for a new clean energy…

  •  
     
    Environment Programme / Partner story

    Gorongosa: A beacon of hope in one of Africa’s last great wild places

    The Gorongosa Restoration Project has revitalised Mozambique’s national park, creating a thriving landscape where both communities and wildlife flourish….

  •  
     
    Environment Programme / Partner story

    Celebrating 21 years of leadership in ocean conservation: Andrew Sharpless

    This summer, we said goodbye to Andrew Sharpless, who retired from Oceana after a long career. Oak has supported Oceana since 2001…

Would you like to read more stories like this? Please visit our “Stories” page.


Empowering communities can help create climate resilience. That is why the work of the Climate Justice Resilience Fund (CJRF) – an organisation devoted to building voice and power in communities hit first by climate change – helps empower women in India and Inuit in the artic maritime region through knowledge and skills.

Oceana is an international not-for-profit organisation dedicated to protecting and restoring the world’s oceans on a global scale. Operational for 17 years, Oceana has been supported by Oak since the start. Led by CEO Andrew Sharpless, it has an innovative way of working that has proved both efficient and effective, garnering plenty of success over the years.

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