Mission Wilderness 2022

Frankfurt Zoological Society's Annual Report

Dear readers, friends, and sponsors,

We at the Frankfurt Zoological Society look back on a successful year but also a challenging one, in view of the worsening climate and species crises. As president of the Society, it fills me with pride that in 2022 our conservation programs and projects allowed us again to help preserve a number of significant natural areas on Earth.

In the face of climate change and habitat loss, we must do all in our power to safeguard our environment. With our new conservation strategy, we at the Frankfurt Zoological Society are focusing all our efforts on this. The goal we have set for ourselves is ambitious, and our ultimate objective is clear: We want to double our impact by 2030. It is a major challenge, and one we are glad to accept in order to ensure a future for ourselves and for later generations.

On behalf of all our employees, I would like to take this opportunity to thank you for your donations, grants and project funding. We were also very moved by all the inheritances and bequests we received, which represent a significant source of support for us. Thank you for the trust placed in our work to protect nature and wildlife worldwide.

becker signature

Yours sincerely,
Klaus Becker
President of the Frankfurt Zoological Society

We need to make a difference now


Executive Director Dr. Christof Schenck

36.96

Million Euros

we invested into nature conservation

31

Projects & programs

in 18 countries

1,504

People

work for FZS worldwide

7,297

Sponsors

supported FZS in 2022

1.98

Million Euros

provided by the Help for Threatened Wildlife Foundation

4.08

Million Euros

from donors, members, and sponsors

25.8

Million Euros

from institutional and public third-party donors

EUR 36.96 Million - our investment in nature conservation

3.92
M Euro

25.24
M Euro

4.07
M Euro

1.72
M Euro

Every Euro donated had a sixfold impact!


In 2022, FZS received a total of EUR 4.08 million in donations. In addition, we were able to use funds from institutional and public donors such as KfW Development Bank, Deutsche Gesellschaft für internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ), and the German Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety (BMU) - a total of EUR 25.8 million. Every euro donated, therefore, had a sixfold impact! Thank you for your support!

Global crises require consistent action. We have doubled our nature conservation funding since 2012.

Topics & Events

26 January

2022

  • Achieving protected status for Polesia, Europe’s largest wetland wilderness

    Achieving protected status for Polesia, Europe’s largest wetland wilderness

    Following important steps taken in Belarus and Ukraine to protect peatlands at the heart of Polesia, conservationists want to see the region awarded UNESCO status.

02 February

  • New economic report indicates E40 waterway would operate at massive loss

    New economic report indicates E40 waterway would operate at massive loss

    A new economic analysis reveals that the planned E40 waterway would operate at a severe economic loss in the long-term, even under optimistic scenarios.

24 February

  • Ukraine: Project work on hold, supporting staff to get to safety

    Ukraine: Project work on hold, supporting staff to get to safety

    We are devastated by the conflict development in Ukraine. Currently our main priority is to bring our local colleagues, their families and friends to safety.

09 March

  • We will continue to support protected areas in Ukraine

    We will continue to support protected areas in Ukraine

    “Overnight a third of our European program, a place where we have been over two decades conducting on-the-ground conservation work with local staff and partners, has evaporated. What is important now is not to lose hope and not to end up in despair. Hope is what takes us into the … Read more

13 April

  • Black Rhino Rescue in Zambia

    Black Rhino Rescue in Zambia

    The FZS team in North Luangwa National Park, Zambia, successfully pulled off a complicated rhino rescue. The animal is now roaming safer areas of the National Park thanks to a helicopter and the help of dedicated partners.

10 May

  • Forest reserve in Tanzania gets needed support

    Forest reserve in Tanzania gets needed support

    Safeguarding a forest reserve twice the size of Mahale National Park can be a huge challenge. But for one reserve, a ranger post makes a big difference.

24 May

  • A new reality for Ukraine’s protected areas

    A new reality for Ukraine’s protected areas

    The Ukrainian Carpathians have become a shelter for people fleeing conflict in the east of the country. FZS and partners have been supporting the protected areas and the Internally Displaced People they are hosting in various ways.

12 July

  • A great migration returned

    A great migration returned

    Kazakhstan’s saiga antelope total more than a million!

05 Sep­tem­ber

  • FZS Executive Director Dr. Christof Schenck to receive German Environmental Award

    FZS Executive Director Dr. Christof Schenck to receive German Environmental Award

    The biologist, conservationist, and executive director of the Frankfurt Zoological Society (FZS), Dr. Christof Schenck, will be receiving this year’s German Environmental Prize. The German Federal Environmental Foundation (Deutsche Bundesstiftung Umwelt (DBU)) announced today.

29 Novem­ber

  • Frankfurt Declaration: Together for Biological Diversity

    Frankfurt Declaration: Together for Biological Diversity

    Ahead of the UN Biodiversity Conference in Montreal: A call for science, politics, business, and civil society to join forces for nature-positive corporate action.

30 Novem­ber

  • FZS Ukraine adapts

    FZS Ukraine adapts

    Our work in Ukraine has changed since February 2022 due to the uncertain situation, setbacks encountered, and safety concerns for our employees in Lviv and in the Carpathians. Despite the challenges, we have been able to make progress.

05 Decem­ber

  • COP 15: Saving biodiversity, the diversity of life.

    COP 15: Saving biodiversity, the diversity of life.

    From December 7 to 19, the UN Biodiversity Conference COP 15 will take place in Montreal, Canada. The event is all about protecting nature and halting the global loss of biodiversity. Dr. Peyton West, FZS-US Director, will be attending the conference.

05 Decem­ber

  • Quiet Islands in a World of Fear

    Quiet Islands in a World of Fear

    New Study from the Frankfurt Zoological Society shows the importance of protected areas for wolves. When given the choice, these adaptable predators avoid roads, settlements, and areas of higher human disturbance.

13 Decem­ber

  • Altyn Dala – a model of restoration

    Altyn Dala – a model of restoration

    The Altyn Dala Conservation Initiative aims to restore large steppe areas in Kazakhstan to their natural state. Today, the Initiative has been awarded a “World Restoration Flagship” by the United Nations. As one of Altyn Dala’s partners, we are proud to have contributed to the success of the project.

15 Decem­ber

  • North Luangwa National Park awarded for conservation excellence

    North Luangwa National Park awarded for conservation excellence

    At COP15 in Montreal, Canada, the IUCN announced that North Luangwa National Park is the first Park in Zambia to be part of its Green List, which recognizes protected areas that have been fairly governed, effectively managed and that respect local communities through fair and meaningful engagement.

What does it take to save our planet?

Protect wildness, preserve diversity

We thank all sponsors, friends and partners of the Frankfurt Zoological Society who supported our work in 2022.