In 1986, representatives from 15 Dutch environmental organisations met to discuss the daily reality that thousands of nature- and environmental organisations in developing countries have to cope with. utch environmental organisations created Both ENDS: Environment and Development Service. The former IUCN-ledencontact (now IUCN Netherlands) adopted Both ENDS as a project and gave it a home. The project's goal was to offer support and guidance to organisations around the world. Since 1986, Both ENDS has supported many hundreds of environmental organisations in Africa, Asia, Latin America and countries in Central- and Eastern Europe.
Both ENDS is an independent non-governmental organisation (NGO) that works towards a sustainable future for the planet. They do so by identifying and strengthening civil society organisations (CSOs), mostly in developing countries, that come up with sustainable solutions for environmental and poverty-related issues.
Both ENDS supports Southern civil society organisations and networks that are fighting against non-sustainable solutions and trying to come up with alternative approaches to sustainable water management.
Deforestation and forest degradation, the production of soy and palm oil: the challenges that are created by this as well as the strive for Social Responsibility are central focus areas for Both ENDS in its sustainable land usage programmes.
Human interaction with the environment and natural resources is often largely determined by developments and decisions made on an economic- (trade and investment) and political (macro-economic policy, budget) level. Both ENDS does it utmost to influence decision-making processes and to anticipate the processes that generate trade- and international funding.