In January 2026, we published, with the IUCN (International Union for the Conservation of Nature) and with the support of the AFD (French Development Agency), a white paper entitled “Sport, an unexpected lever to protect, restore and promote biodiversity”.
This document offers an analysis and concrete feedback on how sport can contribute to the protection of living things.
At a time when more than 40,000 species are threatened with extinction (IUCN red list), it is essential to mobilize all sectors of society, including the sports world.
The white paper shows that sport, through its capacity for mobilization, its media power and its territorial anchorage, can become a strategic lever to raise awareness among local actors and support conservation actions.
It highlights pioneering initiatives such as Fair Play For Planet, Sports for Nature and projects supported by Play for Nature in Kenya (Big Life Foundation), Nepal (the Red Panda Network) and Niger (Saharah Conservation)
It also highlights the need to link these initiatives to measurable results, building on existing international frameworks, in order to strengthen the credibility and impact of actions taken.
Through this white paper, Play for Nature and its partners call on public decision-makers, NGOs, sports organisations and businesses to integrate biodiversity protection into their strategies.
The ambition is clear: to make the protection of life an integral value of sport.
