Introduction
Play for Nature is a French endowment fund dedicated to protecting endangered species and their natural ecosystems. Established in 2013, it provides technical and financial support to conservation organisations operating in France and internationally. It is recognised as an organisation of general and humanitarian interest and is a member of the International Union for Conservation of Nature.
The organisation combines wildlife conservation, scientific research, environmental education and sport-based community engagement. Its work is organised around three pillars:
- Biodiv’Monde: International conservation and scientific studies
- Biodiv’Sport: Projects combining sport and biodiversity protection
- Biodiv’Educ: Environmental education for children and young people
Play for Nature is not a commercial enterprise foundation or a privately owned company. It is legally structured as a French fonds de dotation, or endowment fund, which collects donations and distributes resources for public-benefit purposes.
History and Background
Establishment in 2013
Play for Nature was founded in 2013 by former international rugby player Julien Pierre and Pascal Damois, President of the Parc Animalier d’Auvergne. The organisation was created to mobilise businesses, sports communities and the public around the protection of threatened wildlife.
Its official registration information includes SIREN number 817 943 533. Under French law, its endowment-fund status allows it to receive donations and legacies, while eligible individual and corporate donors may benefit from tax advantages.
Expansion of its activities
The organisation initially concentrated on in-situ wildlife conservation, meaning the protection of species within their natural habitats. It later expanded into scientific research, public awareness and sport-based environmental engagement.
In 2018, Play for Nature created Biodiv’Educ to introduce children and young people to biodiversity through educational workshops, games and digital technologies. Since then, education has become one of its three principal areas of work.
The organisation has also developed expertise in assessing and monitoring international conservation programs, including their relationships with Indigenous peoples and local communities.
Mission and Purpose
Protecting endangered species
Play for Nature’s main mission is to protect threatened species and the ecosystems on which they depend.
It supports activities such as:
- Wildlife population monitoring
- Habitat restoration
- Reforestation
- Scientific field studies
- Installation of camera traps and GPS collars
- Reduction of human–wildlife conflict
- Community environmental education
- Development of sustainable local livelihoods
The organisation gives particular attention to projects involving species classified as Vulnerable, Endangered or Critically Endangered on the IUCN Red List.
Connecting communities with conservation
Play for Nature recognises that successful biodiversity protection depends on the participation of local communities. Its selection process therefore considers both ecological outcomes and the relationship between a project and the people living near the relevant ecosystem.
Community activities may include:
- Environmental workshops
- Sustainable agriculture
- Wildlife-friendly livelihood development
- Sporting events
- School education
- Community monitoring
- Human–wildlife conflict prevention
Using sport for environmental action
One of Play for Nature’s distinctive features is its use of sport as a conservation tool. Football, volleyball, traditional wrestling, running, martial arts and other activities are used to bring communities together and communicate environmental messages.
The organisation believes that sport can encourage participation, strengthen social connections and promote lasting behavioural change.
Governance and Structure
Legal structure and ownership
Play for Nature operates as a French endowment fund rather than a conventional charitable foundation, commercial business or membership association.
It has no shareholders or private ownership. Funds and assets must be used to support its biodiversity mission.
The close relationship with Parc Animalier d’Auvergne is a founding and financial partnership. It does not mean that Play for Nature functions as a commercial subsidiary of the animal park.
Board of Directors
The organisation’s current board includes:
- Julien Pierre: President and Co-founder
- Pascal Damois: Treasurer and Co-founder
- Natacha de Saint-Vincent: Vice-President
- Valérie Mas: Vice-President
The board is responsible for strategic direction, financial oversight, fundraising priorities and approval of conservation support.
Operational team
The current operational team includes:
- Anne Meadeb: Director
- Fleur Visser: Head of Conservation
- Cécile Saba: Director of Biodiv’Educ
- Educational and program staff supporting workshops, administration and communications
Ethical and Scientific Committee
An independent Ethical and Scientific Committee supports project assessment and advises the organisation on conservation quality, environmental ethics and program impact.
Committee members serve three-year terms and bring experience in areas such as:
- Conservation biology
- Environmental research
- Sport management
- Corporate social responsibility
- Finance
- Education
- Philanthropy
- Wildlife behaviour
This structure helps Play for Nature assess whether proposed projects are scientifically credible and ethically responsible.
Funding and Grants
Main funding mechanisms
Play for Nature receives basic and program-specific funding from several sources:
- Individual donations
- Animal sponsorships
- Corporate philanthropy
- Private foundations
- Public grants
- Fundraising events
- Visitor contributions
- International conservation partnerships
- Contributions linked to Parc Animalier d’Auvergne
The organisation also raises funds through charity events, payment-terminal donations, virtual-reality experiences and the Euro Nature mechanism, under which part of selected park-admission revenue is directed towards conservation.
Financial position in 2025
Play for Nature’s latest activity report recorded approximately:
- €439,132 in income
- €425,502 in expenditure
- 77% of its budget directed towards field missions
Its 2025 resources included public donations, corporate and private-foundation philanthropy, public subsidies and international program funding. The report identifies Parc Animalier d’Auvergne as a central financial and operational partner.
Biodiv’Sport Grant Program 2026
The current Biodiv’Sport call supports conservation projects that use sport to protect biodiversity and mobilise local communities.
Key details include:
- Application period: 15 July–16 August 2026
- Maximum initial grant: €5,000
- Project implementation: 2027
- Expected decisions: End of October 2026
- Location: Open to eligible organisations internationally
For 2026, all grants are dedicated to projects combining sport and conservation. Projects focused only on scientific research or conservation without a sport component are not eligible under this particular round.
Eligibility requirements
Applicants must generally:
- Be legally established civil society organisations
- Have biodiversity conservation as their primary mission
- Have operated legally for at least three years
- Address at least one threatened IUCN Red List species
- Include community awareness and sport activities
- Request no more than 50% of the organisation’s annual budget
- Request an amount representing at least 10% of the total project cost
- Implement the project directly rather than regranting funds
- Operate outside active armed-conflict zones
- Submit financial statements, budgets, activity reports and project-team information
Long-term partnership model
Play for Nature organises its funding relationships into three levels:
- Starter: First grant of up to €5,000
- Consolidation: Renewed support after demonstrated results
- Development: Larger or multi-year support for established partners
Continued funding depends on communication, activity reporting and documented conservation impact.
Scientific research funding
Play for Nature supports applied scientific research through Biodiv’Monde, particularly where research contributes directly to the conservation of endangered species.
Eligible research-related activities may include:
- Wildlife-population surveys
- Camera-trap monitoring
- GPS tracking
- Habitat assessment
- Behavioural studies
- Biodiversity mapping
- Human–wildlife conflict research
It is not a general source of unrestricted basic research funding. Research grants must normally be linked to practical species or habitat conservation.
Major Programs and Initiatives
Biodiv’Monde
Biodiv’Monde provides financial support to approximately 15 international biodiversity organisations undertaking field conservation and scientific studies.
Supported activities include:
- Monitoring endangered species
- Restoring natural habitats
- Working with local communities
- Developing sustainable economic alternatives
- Delivering environmental education
- Installing research and monitoring equipment
Its current and past partners include organisations working on snow leopards, red pandas, sloths, manta rays, cheetahs, marine wildlife, primates and threatened forest ecosystems.
Biodiv’Sport
Biodiv’Sport supports organisations using sporting activities to raise awareness and produce measurable biodiversity outcomes.
Examples of supported formats include:
- Football tournaments for wildlife awareness
- Volleyball events promoting marine-turtle protection
- Traditional wrestling connected with desert conservation
- Running events supporting red-panda conservation
- Boat races promoting sustainable fishing
- Martial-arts events linked to environmental education
The program allows companies and foundations to finance specific conservation grants while receiving support from Play for Nature in identifying and assessing suitable projects.
Biodiv’Educ
Biodiv’Educ provides environmental education for children aged approximately 3 to 18.
Its workshops use:
- Digital games
- Tablets and computers
- Virtual reality
- Scientific journalism
- Environmental simulations
- Forest and wetland escape games
- Ecosystem-building activities
The workshops are designed to complement the French national education curriculum while also improving children’s access to digital learning tools.
Fundraising and awareness events
Play for Nature organises public events that combine environmental awareness with fundraising.
These include:
- Endangered Species Days
- Head in the Stars overnight experiences
- Wildlife raffles
- Educational events
- Animal-sponsorship campaigns
- Virtual-reality conservation experiences
Funds generated through these events are directed towards conservation organisations and environmental education.
Impact and Examples of Work Funded
Overall impact
By the end of 2025, Play for Nature reported:
- More than €1.15 million redistributed
- Around 80 biodiversity organisations supported
- More than 20,000 children reached through Biodiv’Educ since 2020
During 2025 alone, the organisation reported:
- €157,500 distributed
- 28 conservation organisations supported
- 4,000 children reached through education programs
Sahara Conservation in Niger
Play for Nature supported a project using traditional wrestling, football and plant-identification races to engage communities in protecting Saharan wildlife and flora, including the North African ostrich.
Uhai Lake Forum in Kenya
Communities around Lake Kanyaboli participated in boat races, football tournaments and environmental workshops promoting sustainable fishing and aquatic biodiversity conservation.
TACCEI in Tanzania
Football and netball tournaments were used to educate communities in the Tarangire–Manyara ecosystem about human–wildlife conflict. The project also trained residents to construct strengthened enclosures protecting livestock from large carnivores.
Bio Conservation Society in Sri Lanka
The organisation used volleyball to engage coastal communities in protecting five marine-turtle species and important habitats, including coral reefs, seagrass beds and mangroves.
Additional conservation examples
Play for Nature has also supported:
- Reforestation and habitat restoration in Borneo
- Community equipment for peaceful wildlife deterrence
- Bonobo conservation through community sport
- Coral-reef education and scientific diving
- Chimpanzee education in Sierra Leone
- Community biodiversity mapping and planting of 1,000 seedlings in Benin
Conclusion
Play for Nature is a French biodiversity endowment fund that combines grantmaking, environmental education, scientific research and community mobilisation.
Its foundation details show that it is independently governed and has no commercial shareholders or conventional ownership. It should not be classified as an enterprise foundation, even though businesses, private foundations and Parc Animalier d’Auvergne provide important financial support.
Its principal programs are:
- Biodiv’Monde
- Biodiv’Sport
- Biodiv’Educ
- Public environmental-awareness events
- Animal sponsorship and fundraising campaigns
For interns and early-career professionals, Play for Nature offers useful insight into:
- Biodiversity grantmaking
- Conservation-project assessment
- Environmental education
- Corporate philanthropy
- Scientific monitoring
- Fundraising
- Community engagement
- Sport for development
- Communications
- Monitoring and evaluation
- International partnerships
- Nonprofit governance
Play for Nature’s distinctive contribution is its ability to connect sport, science, education and philanthropy with practical efforts to protect endangered species and their ecosystems.
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