A Few Words About Us
Our Story & Journey
From Ancestral Stewardship to Scalable Conservation Solutions
Species Saviour Initiative (SSI) was established in February 2020 by Abdirisak Abdulkadir Ibrahim, a conservationist from Indigenous frankincense-harvesting communities in northeastern Somalia. The organization emerged from lived experience—walking ancestral forest paths and witnessing, year after year, the quiet decline of frankincense trees under the combined pressures of unsustainable harvesting, economic hardship, and the erosion of traditional stewardship systems that had protected these landscapes for centuries.
What was disappearing was not only a species, but a way of life. The forests that once anchored cultural identity, livelihoods, and ecological balance were becoming increasingly fragile, while the community institutions that once governed their use were being pushed aside. SSI began as a community response to this local crisis, grounded in a simple but powerful belief – conservation is most durable when it is led by the people who have lived with, depended on, and cared for the land across generations. From the outset, SSI chose to work not as an external actor, but as a facilitator—supporting communities to restore stewardship authority, revive traditional knowledge, and rebuild conservation systems rooted in local governance and long-term responsibility
Our Story in Numbers
2020
- Founded in February 2020 by Abdirisak Ibrahim, an Indigenous conservationist from frankincense communities in Somalia
Focused on protecting ancestral frankincense forests through community stewardship
2020–2022
- Partnered with 15 frankincense sites across the Golis Mountains (Bari, Sanaag, Gardafu)
Began community-led conservation centered on Boswellia sacra and Boswellia frereana
Prioritized trust-building and local governance systems
2020–2023
- Documented centuries-old Traditional Ecological Knowledge (TEK) of frankincense governance.
- Preserved oral knowledge passed down for generations by elders and harvesters
2023
- Expanded partnerships to additional community-governed frankincense sites
- Redesigned SSI’s approach around four integrated conservation pillars
- Identified priority landscapes to guide long-term, landscape-scale action
2023–2025
- Partnered with 80 additional frankincense sites, reaching 95 total fields
- Worked through Custodian Committees governing communal lands
- Growth driven by community demand and readiness, not external timelines
2024–2025
- Piloted three pillars—Community Governance, Habitat & Species Revival, and Regenerous Livelihoods
- Tested across 20 partner sites to refine methods and strengthen accountability
2025
- Expanded into the Cal Madow Montane Forests of the Golis Range (Sanaag region), a globally significant Afromontane system
- Supported conservation across mountain-to-coast ecological corridors, linking:
- Afro-montane forests (highlands)
- Inland scrub and rangelands
- Coastal scrub and mangroves
- Recognized Cal Madow and Cal Miskat as biological bridges, where fog and seasonal rains sustain highland forests while enabling species movement, water flow, and genetic exchange between uplands, lowlands, and coastal ecosystems
- Extended work into pastoral rangelands of the Nugaal Plateau and Valley, addressing environmental degradation and human–wildlife conflict
2025
- Established SSI’s country office in Kenya
- Strengthened regional learning, partnerships, and cross-border conservation engagement across the Horn of Africa
Building Trust and Foundations (2020–2022)
Between 2020 and 2022, SSI began its work by partnering with 15 frankincense sites across the Golis Mountain ranges in the Bari, Sanaag, and Gardafu regions of Puntland. These landscapes are home to Boswellia sacra and Boswellia frereana—species that hold deep ecological, cultural, and economic significance for local communities. In these early years, progress was measured less by scale and more by relationships. The focus was on listening before acting—spending time in the forests, walking harvest routes with elders, and engaging in long conversations about how stewardship had once worked, and why it was beginning to fail. Trust had to be rebuilt, not assumed.
From 2020 to 2023, SSI worked closely with elders and experienced harvesters to document centuries-old Traditional Ecological Knowledge (TEK) that had been passed down orally for generations. This knowledge—covering harvesting practices, seasonal cycles, tree health indicators, and customary governance—was at risk of being lost as younger generations moved away from traditional systems. By carefully recording and validating this knowledge alongside contemporary ecological understanding, SSI helped ensure it remained a living resource rather than a fading memory. This period did more than preserve tradition; it reconnected communities to their role as stewards and provided the cultural and ecological foundation upon which SSI’s conservation model would later be built.
Testing and Strengthening the Model (2024–2025)
Between 2024 and 2025, SSI focused on turning design into practice. Rather than expanding further, the organization concentrated on testing and refining its core model. Three pillars—Community-Led Governance, Habitat & Species Revival, and Regenerous Livelihoods—were actively implemented across 20 partner sites. This phase allowed SSI to move beyond theory and into learning. Field experience was used to refine methods, strengthen accountability mechanisms, and understand how different components of the model reinforced one another under real conditions. What worked was strengthened; what needed adjustment was openly addressed. By prioritizing learning over rapid replication, SSI ensured that its conservation model was not only principled, but practical—ready to support durable outcomes as the organization continued to grow
Scaling Community Partnerships (2023–2025)
From 2023 onward, SSI entered a phase of deliberate expansion. Building on the trust established during its early years, the organization partnered with an additional 80 frankincense sites, working through Custodian Committees that govern communal lands on behalf of clan owners. These partnerships were not initiated through outreach campaigns, but through community requests—reflecting growing confidence in SSI’s approach and the relevance of a community-led conservation model rooted in local governance.
As SSI’s footprint expanded, so did the need for greater structure and clarity. In 2023, the organization formally redesigned its conservation approach, organizing its work around four core pillars and identifying priority landscapes to guide strategic growth. This shift marked an important transition—from site-based engagement to a landscape-scale model capable of supporting coordination across multiple communities while remaining grounded in local decision-making. This period was defined not by speed, but by intentionality: growth followed governance readiness, ecological priorities, and community leadership.
Expanding Across Landscapes (2025)
By 2025, SSI’s work had grown beyond the frankincense forests where it began, following the ecological connections that link Somalia’s landscapes from highland ridges to lowland plains. This expansion reflected a deeper understanding that conserving a single species or site is not enough; long-term resilience depends on protecting the systems that connect habitats, water, wildlife, and people. In the Cal Madow Montane Forests of the Sanaag region, SSI began working with local communities to support stewardship of one of Somalia’s most important highland forest systems. These mountains function as a biological bridge, where seasonal fog and winter rains sustain Afromontane forests that feed water, species movement, and ecological stability across surrounding drylands. Protecting these forests strengthens natural corridors that connect upland habitats with inland scrub, rangelands, and coastal ecosystems, enabling species dispersal and long-term ecological balance. At the same time, SSI expanded into the pastoral rangelands of the Nugaal Plateau and Valley, recognizing the critical role these landscapes play in both biodiversity conservation and human livelihoods. Here, the focus shifted toward strengthening environmental protection while addressing the growing challenge of human–wildlife conflict between pastoralist communities and predatory species. By working through community governance structures, SSI supported approaches that protect ecosystems while reducing pressure on both wildlife and pastoral livelihoods. That same year, SSI established its country office in Kenya, marking an important step toward regional engagement. This expansion created space for cross-border learning, partnership building, and the exchange of conservation approaches across the Horn of Africa—supporting SSI’s long-term vision of scaling community-led, landscape-based conservation beyond national boundaries
Where We Are Now
Today, SSI operates across multiple interconnected landscapes, working alongside Indigenous and local communities to deliver conservation outcomes that extend beyond individual sites or species. Grounded in community stewardship and guided by a clear, tested conservation model, SSI has evolved from a localized response to forest decline into a landscape-based approach that integrates biodiversity conservation, climate resilience, and community wellbeing. What began as an effort to protect frankincense trees has grown into a broader practice of strengthening ecological systems and the institutions that sustain them. Across forests, rangelands, and highland ecosystems, SSI supports communities to restore degraded habitats, revive traditional governance, and align livelihoods with long-term ecological health. As SSI continues to grow, learning and adaptation remain central. Field experience informs how the organization refines its model, strengthens accountability, and prepares for responsible scaling—ensuring that conservation systems remain locally governed, ecologically sound, and resilient over time.
We see this work as a shared journey. Partnerships with donors, institutions, and collaborators play a vital role in strengthening community-led conservation and extending proven approaches to new landscapes where they are most needed.
