ROUND UP REPORT 2025

The story of 2025

“A year of taking stock and reflecting.”

In 2025, Tofauti strengthened its impact as a delivery-focused conservation organisation working at the intersection of wildlife protection, community resilience, and sustainable livelihoods. The year was characterised by effective implementation, strategic consolidation, and organisational strengthening, ensuring that field impact was matched by robust operational foundations.

A central pillar of Tofauti’s work in 2025 was the continued rollout and refinement of the 10% Fence Plan, a community-led approach to mitigating human–wildlife conflict. By supporting the installation and maintenance of targeted electric fencing, Tofauti helped reduce crop loss and livestock predation while maintaining open landscapes for wildlife movement. These interventions directly improved household security and reinforced positive community attitudes toward conservation. Investment in community conservation infrastructure remained a priority. Water-security initiatives, including sand-dam and water-access projects, continued to support rural livelihoods while easing pressure on surrounding ecosystems. By addressing essential needs, Tofauti enabled communities to remain active partners in conservation rather than being driven toward environmentally damaging alternatives.

In 2025, Tofauti continued to expand its biodiversity portfolio through the Crabs Alive project, extending its conservation model to marine ecosystems. The project promotes sustainable crab harvesting practices, and partners directly with local out growers to enable economic stability. This initiative reflects Tofauti’s commitment to holistic conservation, linking environmental protection with resilient coastal livelihoods. Eco-tourism and nature-based enterprise development continued to progress, with a focus on generating sustainable income, local employment, and long-term conservation incentives for host communities. These projects reinforce the principle that conservation outcomes are strongest when they deliver tangible, shared benefits.

Alongside field delivery, 2025 was a year of organisational strengthening. While Tofauti invested in governance, fundraising in today's climate is tough and there is a requirement to make strides in this area for 2026. We are confident that with our able team of volunteers, we will continue to expand our project portfolio and ultimately impact.

Overall, 2025 marked a year of measured progress, strategic clarity, and strengthened delivery, reinforcing Tofauti’s role as a trusted partner in community-led conservation.

A message from Crista

2025 has been a year of focus, consolidation, and purpose for Tofauti. It has been a year in which we have deliberately strengthened our foundations while continuing to deliver practical, community-led conservation on the ground.

From its inception, Tofauti was established to support conservation that works with people, not around them. In 2025, this principle has guided every decision we have made. Our continued investment in initiatives that reduce human–wildlife conflict, strengthen livelihoods, and improve access to essential infrastructure has reinforced the importance of solutions that are locally relevant and sustainably delivered. Projects such as the refinement and expansion of the 10% Fence Plan and water-security initiatives have once again shown that conservation outcomes are strongest when communities see tangible benefits.

This year also marked an important step forward in the evolution of our work. The consolidation of the Crabs Alive project expanded Tofauti’s conservation footprint into marine ecosystems, reflecting our belief that biodiversity protection must be holistic. By working with fishing communities to promote sustainable harvesting practices and protect breeding stock, the project aligns environmental stewardship with economic resilience — a balance that sits at the heart of Tofauti’s mission. Alongside project delivery, 2025 was a year of organisational strengthening, and trying to make ourselves robust. This however does not come without its challenges and fundraising in this climate is one of those we continue as a volunteer-based team resolute in finding a way to continue our good work and diversify our project portfolio.

I am deeply grateful to our partners, donors, advisors, and community collaborators whose commitment and belief in our work make this impact possible. Your support allows Tofauti to remain agile, principled, and focused on what truly matters.

As we look ahead, we do so with clarity and confidence. We will continue to build on what works, listen closely to those on the ground, and scale solutions that deliver lasting benefits for both people and the natural world.

Thank you for being part of the Tofauti journey.

Crista Cullen MBE | Founder

A message from the Chair of Trustees

I will start my message, as always, with a heartfelt thank you. Not only to our fantastic donors, but also to our charity partners, our trustees - who are truly remarkable - and our curious and supportive followers on social media. Without all of you, there would be no Tofauti.

This year has been one of both success and challenge. We have continued our fieldwork with established projects: our 10% Fence Plan initiative is delivering outstanding, sustainable results; our eco-lodge in the Kamungi Conservancy is now open for business; and our Saving the Roan project in Kenya continues to make meaningful progress. We have also branched out with our mangrove crab project in partnership with Crabs Alive Kenya. This initiative focuses on farming crabs for consumptive demand, allowing wild mud crab populations to recover. It is a strong example of our dual objective - wildlife conservation alongside community self-sufficiency - and we are extremely proud of its early progress. Meanwhile, our ever-reliable Tofauti Tractor continues its fine work in support of Tsavo Trust.

On the challenge side, we have witnessed a level of geopolitical unrest globally not seen for decades. This has meant that overseas wildlife and community conservancies are competing with many other worthy causes, and understandably, people are focusing closer to home in times of crisis. While this is entirely natural, it has made fundraising more difficult in 2025. In response, we have focused on ensuring that every activity we do undertake is executed to the highest possible standard. We now look ahead with optimism to a fresh year of campaigning and fundraising with our amazing supporters, as we continue to build on the Tofauti vision.

Thank you all for your ongoing support.

Andrew Lewis | Chair of Tofauti Trustee Board