History
Founded in 2013 by Julien Pierre and Pascal Damois, Play for Nature Foundation is dedicated to the preservation of endangered species and their ecosystems in France and around the world.
Play for Nature has become an expert in researching and evaluating in situ conservation programs. The programs followed and supported by Play for Nature have always included wildlife and biodiversity in the natural environment, without ever forgetting the human aspect. Thus, it is the natural ecosystem as a whole as well as the relations of the programs with the indigenous populations that are taken into account when choosing.
Through its network, Play for Nature has the ability to research, select, support and track any type of in situ conservation programs.
As an endowment fund, Play for Nature has a general interest recognition and therefore has the possibility to benefit from donations and bequests, and donors (individuals and companies) can benefit from tax advantages.
Play for Nature’s actions are divided into three themes: Biodiv'Monde, Biodiv'Educ and Biodiv'Sport.
Expertise
As a member of IUCN (International Union for Conservation of Nature), Play for Nature is part of the world's largest network dedicated to nature conservation. This enables us to assert our positions in discussions concerning the protection of the environment and natural resources, both nationally in the French Committee and internationally.
Play for Nature also participates in the selection of biodiversity conservation programs as part of calls for projects under the IUCN French Committee's Small Initiatives Program.
Executive Board
The Board is based on a ten-member Ethics and Scientific Committee, which represents the expression of the philosophical and moral values that drive Play for Nature and guarantee independence and impartiality.
Julien PIERRE
Pascal DAMOIS
Natacha De Saint Vincent
Amélie Romain
the team
The operational team of Play for Nature is surrounded throughout the year by interns and civic service who support them in the various missions entrusted to them.
Cécile JOLY
Cécile SABA
Romane Forrestier
Biodiv'Sport
Play for Nature has developed expertise in supporting programs that use sport as a lever for raising awareness and protecting biodiversity. This can take the form of financial support, but also of technical and operational assistance in the organization of sporting events around the world.
Play for Nature encourages the use of sport as a means of raising awareness of environmental issues.
Biodiv'Educ
Play for Nature created in 2018 the association Biodiv'Educ, which aims to raise awareness of the protection of biodiversity among children aged 6 to 18. Biodiv'Educ is implementing innovative educational workshops that use play and new technologies as environmental education tools.
Supported since 2019 by the ERDF, the association also receives funding from the Michelin Business Foundation, the Terre d'initiatives Solidaires Foundation and the Nature and Discoveries Foundation.
Biodiv'Monde
Over the years, Play for Nature has acquired a solid expertise in the research, selection and monitoring of in situ conservation programs (in the natural environment) across the 5 continents.
Each year, financial support is provided to about 15 associations to support their biodiversity conservation programs and natural science studies.
Zoom on Biodiv’Sport
The first two programs supported by Biodiv’Sport in 2022 are Maasai Olympic Games in Kenya (powered by Big Life) and Copa Del Oso in Peru.
Big life foundation
Ten years ago, Big Life started to organize a sporting event with local populations in Kenya: the Maasai Olympic Games.
This event has been created with the Maasai’s dean as an alternative to traditional lion hunt, a rite of transition to adulthood of warriors, to avoid retaliation from farmers for predation of their livestock.
This tournament can help raising local population awareness (around 6 500 Maassai) on the importance of predators into their local envrionment. It is also a good way to promote the warriors’ bravery.
Red Panda Network
With less than 2500 individuals in the wild, the red panda is one of the species listed as endangered by the IUCN. The association recruits and trains forest guards who patrol the territory to fight poaching and fires.
On the occasion of Panda Roux Day, the Red Panda Network, supported by Play for Nature since 2015, will organize a marathon in September 2024 in eastern Nepal. The aim is to raise awareness and involve local people in protecting the red panda and its ecosystem. A time to discuss the importance of protecting the red panda and its ecosystem will take place before departure. The aim is to involve and raise awareness among local populations.
