OUR FOUNDING STORY
The Flight of the Osprey expedition took place between August to December 2022. The team travelled from Scotland to Guinea, where they followed 4 tracked Ospreys. Along the way they documented threats faced by the Osprey – 38 in total. They spoke with 100’s of individuals and organisations along the way and discussed how to make positive change. The expedition will now be turned into a documentary to continue to raise awareness.
Flight of the Swans expedition – a 7000km migration across the arctic tundra to connect wildlife, wetlands, and people. Between 1995 and 2010, swan numbers making the migration from arctic Russia to northern Europe plummeted by more than a third – from 29,000 to just 18,000.Joining them on their journey allowed Sacha to discover first-hand what was causing such a decline and what conservation action was required to fix the problem. Sacha realised that inviting engagement while crossing both political and geographical borders was the key to promoting action towards climate change.
Inspired by this model, Sacha Dench and Emma White co-founded Conservation without Borders in 2019.
OUR WORK
We create networks to connect individuals, communities, businesses and government with frontline conservation and climate action, attracting resources and support. We plan and execute expeditions which follow the paths of migratory species, crossing the lines of both geographical and political borders. By displaying the flyway from air, land, and sea in a multimedia format, we hope to highlight the importance of collective action in the fight against climate change and biodiversity collapse.
2019: Our founders began planning the Flight of the Osprey expedition. Scheduled to take place in 2020, the expedition was postponed due to the COVID-19 Pandemic.
2020: Australia faced catastrophic bush fires which burned down Sacha’s family home. Despite working within conservation throughout her career, Sacha realised how close to home the effects of climate change had become and how urgently we need action.
2021: The CWB team completed the Round Britain Climate Challenge – an expedition focussed on showcasing the inspiring and pioneering work taking place throughout Britain related to climate action. CWB became a platform for over 100 stories from every corner of the country, all while engaging with businesses, education professionals, school pupils, and government bodies. The expedition ended with an AVE of £11.6 million and a promotional film showcased at COP26.
2022: Planning has begun again for the Flight of the Osprey expedition, set to take off in August 2022. The flight element will be removed due to a major incident on the Round Britain Climate Challenge, but drones and contributions from local projects will enable the delivery of our signature visuals from ‘air, land and sea’.
OUR SUPPORTERS
“This expedition is marvellously imaginative and adventurous. Peter Scott did similar in his day and inspired the world.”
Sir David Attenborough
"Conservation without Borders has found a new way to shift the narrative on climate and biodiversity issues, and their campaigns are the perfect hybrid of high profile communication platform leading to real, on the ground action. We, the High Level Champions, support their initiative fully and would highly recommend them to any organisation wishing to make an important contribution to the global climate crisis."
Nigel Topping
“I couldn’t be more enthusiastic about this - I think it is admirable & what a fantastic example at this time, when we are all so concerned about climate change, that Sacha is yet again drawing attention to its consequence.”
Dame Judi Dench
“I am excited to support Sacha Dench. I’m confident that she will do her utmost to fulfil her ambitions with great skill and panache. This is not the first time we have supported Sacha and I’m sure it won’t be the last. Her projects have a flair that draws attention to her cause. She is highly effective in championing important conservation issues and her influence spans continents. For any supporter the association with her is both a pleasure and a reason to be proud.”
Sir Ranulph Fiennes
Sacha Dench’s adventures are stories you can only dream of - facing down all barriers and blessed with the courage of a lioness she literally soars into history books, and inspires everyone who has the luck to follow her phenomenal challenges. Sacha is clawing attention towards the greatest crisis mankind has faced in recorded time.”
