Our story
Beauval Nature has achieved international status in the world of conservation. The association’s expertise in selecting, supporting, and managing conservation and research programmes throughout the world is renowned. Let’s take a look back at its history.
A history that begins well before 2009!
The non-profit association Beauval Nature was created in 2009 to give more financial and human resources to the conservation and research actions that were already being carried out by the ZooParc de Beauval . After all, conservation, protection, raising awareness, and inspiring passion, were the keywords championed by Françoise Delord, the founder of the ZooParc de Beauval, since the creation of the two-hectare ornithological park in 1980. 17,000 visitors came to the park in 1980. And Beauval’s popularity has skyrocketed since! In 2022, 2 million people walked the ZooParc’s pathways. The previous year, in 2021, despite being closed for 5 months, Beauval continued to support Beauval Nature’s conservation and research programmes with no decrease in the amount of its donations.
The ZooParc de Beauval’s total contribution to the Beauval Nature association was more than €1.2 million in 2022.
In 2022, the association financed 58 conservation programmes and conservation funds to the tune of more than €1.3 million, and 16 research projects amounting to more than €300,000.
These figures are published in Beauval Nature’s 2022 Activity Report.
The success and year-on-year development of the ZooParc de Beauval and its hotels sparked a virtuous circle that led to the creation of Beauval Nature in 2009, and most importantly, provided the association with the resources required to achieve its ambitions. 15 years later, Beauval Nature has increased its budget tenfold, financed more than 140 programmes and gained genuine international stature. The association’s expertise in selecting, supporting, and managing scientific conservation and research programmes are recognised all over the world.
For instance, Beauval Nature has become a member of the IUCN (International Union for Conservation of Nature) and sponsors its Species Survival Commission, one of the IUCN’s 7 expert commissions.
16 members and 15 employees
Beauval Nature has 16 members, 6 of whom are on the Board of Directors: Rodolphe Delord, Delphine Delord, Sophie Delord, Laure Pelletier, Sylvie Chouquet, and Cécile Erny. The association employs 15 people in total (1 patronage and communications coordinator, 1 conservation/local biodiversity coordinator, 1 researcher/Doctor of Philosophy (PhD), 4 researchers currently working on their PhD thesis, 7 people at the Care Centre, and 1 general manager).
Successful reintroductions
Reintroductions have also been a part of Beauval Nature’s success story. The most notable of which were the release of 14 Javan langurs in 2017, including 2 females born at Beauval, and the release of western lowland gorillas in Gabon in 2019, including Kuimba and Mayombé, who were also born at the ZooParc de Beauval. Not to mention Pachamama, a female condor born at Beauval, who, along with 6 other individuals, was part of the largest condor release ever organised in Argentina in 2021.
Beauval Nature, 15 years of action!
Help Congo and LPO, two major milestones
In 2021, Beauval Nature embarked on two extraordinary adventures.
The first was international, with Beauval Nature taking charge of the Help Congo association. The original objective of Help Congo was to protect, care for, rescue, and reintroduce chimpanzees into the wild. The scope of this conservation programme, based in the Conkouati-Douli National Park in the Congo, has since been developed to cover all aspects of biodiversity protection.
The second was local, with Beauval becoming a ‘Refuge LPO’ (League for the Protection of Birds Refuge). This accreditation formalised the work carried out by Beauval to survey and protect the local fauna in and around the park.
The first issue of Beauval Nature Mag in June 2019
With a print run of 4,000 copies, the first issue of Beauval Nature Mag was released in June 2019. A fitting event for the Beauval Nature association’s 10th anniversary! "As soon as we could, we gave our material and financial support to help the animal cause. Beauval Nature and the ZooParc de Beauval are linked because certain projects, especially research projects, are carried out with the help of the ZooParc’s vets. Observations and studies are also possible thanks to the great diversity of species housed in the park", wrote Françoise Delord in the editorial of the first issue of Beauval Nature.
Discover our Beauval Nature magazine!
Discover our Beauval Nature magazine!
Enjoy flicking through the pages… and finding out more about Beauval Nature!
4 Beauval Nature Prizes to mark the association’s 10th anniversary
To mark its tenth anniversary in 2019, the association awarded the Beauval Nature Prizes to thank the dedicated people who work on the conservation and research programmes it supports and to highlight their outstanding work.
With 4 awards up for grabs, the winners of two of the prizes were chosen by a jury of conservation and research specialists, the winner of the third prize was chosen by the association’s sponsors and patrons. The winner of the fourth prize was decided by the public with almost 6,000 people voting over a two-month period.
