Wildlife Works

Wildlife Works is a community-centered wildlife conservation company that leverages market-based solutions to protect endangered wildlife and threatened wilderness areas. The company operates on the principle that conservation efforts must benefit the local communities that share their environment with wildlife. By channeling financial resources directly to forest communities, the company supports economic development while preventing millions of tons of carbon dioxide emissions from entering the atmosphere each year. Headquartered in Mill Valley, California, the company also maintains North Carolina and Vermont offices. Internationally, the company has established a presence in Cambodia, Colombia, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Indonesia, Kenya, Panama, Tanzania, and the United Kingdom. Wildlife Works offers economic solutions for environmental conservation, financing community-led efforts in some of the world's most threatened habitats. They support their projects by providing nature-based carbon credits and other tradable conservation financing units. Key initiatives include the Mai Ndombe REDD+ Project in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, which protects 300,000 hectares of rainforest, and the Kasigau Corridor REDD+ Project in Kenya, which safeguards 200,000 hectares of dry-land forest. Its pilot initiative, the Kasigau Corridor REDD+ Project, supports an ecosystem home to 14,000 endangered elephants and other threatened species such as leopards, cheetahs, lions, and the African wild dog. With over 1,000 employees worldwide, Wildlife Works is a global leader in using REDD+ to combat environmental degradation and reduce deforestation-related emissions. The company directs millions of dollars to indigenous populations in critical forests, ensuring that communities benefit from preserving local landscapes and promoting wildlife-friendly development. These payments include direct revenue for self-determined development plans and investments in infrastructure, education, medical care, social programs, and job creation. Wildlife Works was founded in 1997 by Mike Korchinsky, a Canadian-born entrepreneur now based in the U.S. He established the company to protect wildlife-rich forests by providing alternatives to slash-and-burn agriculture and poaching. The company's operations began with an eco-factory in Kasigau, Kenya, which utilized financing from selling organic, fair-trade apparel to support local sustainable development and wilderness conservation. By 2008, Korchinsky and they were pioneering efforts to reduce emissions from deforestation through the United Nations' REDD+ initiative, promoting the role of carbon markets in financing global forest conservation. Today, the company continues to expand its portfolio of REDD+-funded projects, positioning itself as a leading organization in this field. From the Mai Ndombe REDD+ Project in the Democratic Republic of the Congo to the Kasigau Corridor REDD+ Project in Kenya, the company actively promotes conservation. It protects endangered species by compensating forest communities for their efforts. The company has received numerous awards for its community-centered conservation efforts, including Telly Awards for its educational films and recognition from the Climate, Community & Biodiversity Alliance for its work in biodiversity protection and climate change mitigation. Wildlife Works' current projects include large-scale initiatives such as the Mai-Ndombe REDD+ Project, which protects 300,000 hectares of critical habitat for bonobos and forest elephants, and the Kasigau Corridor REDD+ Project, which safeguards over 200,000 hectares of natural habitat vital for endangered elephants and other wildlife. In Kenya, they have partnered with over 100,000 community members, creating jobs and supporting sustainable economic development. The Kasigau project now employs over 450 people, with more than 90% from the local community and one-third being women. In addition to its existing projects, Wildlife Works is developing new initiatives on South America's Pacific Coast, the Amazon rainforest, and other regions worldwide. Learn more at WildlifeWorks.com/REDD-Projects.