Pairi Daiza Conservation: 48 biodiversity projects supported worldwide, nearly €2 million committed in 2024

With the support of 4,400 donors

19 June 2025

In 2024, the Pairi Daiza Foundation took a new step in its mission to protect life. With 48 conservation projects supported across five continents — including 10 new initiatives launched this year — the Foundation is strengthening its action on the ground to preserve endangered species and their habitats. Nearly €2 million was mobilized, thanks in large part to the support of 4,400 donors and with the backing of Pairi Daiza, to take meaningful action for the planet — from Wallonia to Borneo, via Nepal, Brazil, and the Congo.

📄 All details of these commitments can be found in the 2024 Activity Report.

🆕 10 New Projects Supported in 2024

The Pairi Daiza Foundation is active on all fronts: reforestation, species reintroduction, scientific research, education, and innovative technologies. Among the new flagship projects launched in 2024, several initiatives reflect Pairi Daiza's strengthened commitment to biodiversity:

In partnership with NGO Noé, the Foundation supports the protection of 107,000 km² of natural areas in Africa, spread across Congo, Niger, and Chad.
In Nicaragua, a project led by Dr. Joëlle De Weerdt — 2024 recipient of the Pairi Daiza Foundation Grant for Biodiversity and Conservation Research, researcher at Vrije Universiteit Brussel and director of the ELI-S Association — addresses a lesser-known but very real threat: collisions between humpback whales and ships off the Pacific coast of Nicaragua.
In parallel, Pairi Daiza also supports an innovative study led by KU Leuven on the gut microbiome of seals, to better assess the effects of pollution on their health.
In Wallonia, in collaboration with the University of Namur, historical and genetic research aims to trace the return of the wolf and better understand the conditions of its reappearance in the region.
In South America, the Foundation supports a major mapping project of critical manatee habitats, led by the University of British Columbia and conducted through a transnational scientific network.

“In October 2024, an international workshop was held in Icapuí, Brazil. Over four days, 23 specialists from 19 institutions and 6 countries (Brazil, Colombia, Guyana, Suriname, Venezuela, and French Guiana) validated the first distribution models together, compared results with field data, shared previously unpublished datasets, and set out conservation priorities to implement,”Catherine Vancsok

2024 Highlights: Tangible Results

The year 2024 was marked by concrete and measurable actions in support of biodiversity, thanks to the involvement of Pairi Daiza and its partners on the ground. Around the world, species were protected, ecosystems restored, and local communities involved in meaningful projects, with the following results:

🐧 813 African penguins were rescued in South Africa, with a reintroduction success rate above 80%.
🌳 75,549 trees were planted in Nepal to restore red panda habitat.
👷‍♀️ 91 green jobs were created in that same project, for a total of 1,012 days of community work.
🐦 26 black grouse were released in the High Fens, helping strengthen this emblematic species.
48 dams were built in Borneo to rehydrate peatlands and fight wildfires.
🐋 A new drone-based method for assessing walrus body condition was scientifically validated.
🦊 111 wild animals were cared for at Géraldine’s Heaven (CREAVES center) in Pairi Daiza.
🧠 2,651,270 visitors were engaged in biodiversity awareness during their visit to Pairi Daiza.

"Now more than ever, we want to highlight the extraordinary capacity of the human species to reinvent the world in which it lives. Every era has faced seemingly insurmountable challenges. But history shows that through determination and hope, humanity can build a better world,” says Antoine Lebrun, Director of the Pairi Daiza Foundation.

🤝A Growing Community

Today, the Pairi Daiza Foundation can count on a steadily growing and loyal community of donors. Over the course of one year, this community grew from 1,750 to 4,400 donors — a significant increase that reflects the public’s growing support for the Foundation’s species conservation efforts.

Every contribution helps strengthen this chain of solidarity in favor of life, making each donor a key player in our mission.