Build An ARK Watch video

Weaving a patchwork of safe havens for Nature globally, in our gardens, schools, public spaces and beyond.

We are the Ark is a new movement of people, committed to giving at least half of their patches of this planet, their gardens, back to nature. If not half, then as much as they can manage. This is a global movement that converts gardeners into guardians and toxic forgotten land into living sanctuaries with little pieces of earth on every continent being carefully returned to their original re...

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We are the Ark is a new movement of people, committed to giving at least half of their patches of this planet, their gardens, back to nat...

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Join the communities already benefitting from starting a Build An ARK

You'll get guides and resources on how to bring this idea to life.

There is no funding available for this idea in Singapore, but these resources will still help to make your project happen!

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“In We are the Ark, Mary Reynolds gives us a much needed reason for hope. The gardener, the conservationist, the city planner and the nature lover will all be inspired for this wonderful book shows how thousands of even small wildlife friendly gar...

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Build An ARK
Jane Goodall
PhD
DBE Founder – the Jane Goodall Institute & UN Messenger of Peace

How to start a project on ChangeX

  • 1

    Create your project page

    Click the green start button to register and set up your project page. It’s quick, free and easy.

  • 2

    Complete a 30 Day Challenge

    Complete simple steps in 30 days to get your project off the ground.

  • 3

    Activate your project

    Follow the 5 Step Guide and your action plan to bring the project to life.

  • 4

    Share impact

    Share impact by posting a summary and photos and completing a survey.

Great for

  • Landowners of all sizes
  • Anyone committed to being part of the solution to the collapse of nature
  • Communities that want to create an Ark out of community land, a local park, a neighbourhood garden Ark network, or schools who want to build an Ark
  • People looking to take climate action
  • Food Growing communities that want to support biodiversity within their land.

Build An ARK project essentials

5 Step Guide

  • Make the Decision and Get Permission
  • Put Up A Sign
  • Build an ARK
  • Get together with like-minded folk
  • Add your Ark to our map

Time

Suggested: Building an Ark can take a lot of time or very little time, depending on the land in question- e.g. if there are lots of non native plants to remove then there is a lot of work to do. After that, the effort put in depends on how many layers of creature support you want to create e.g. a pond, a drystone wall or a wild hedge. Time also depends on how many layers of plant communities you want to create. Depending on your space, you can create many layers of plant community, such as a mown area, a meadow, a shrubby area, a woodland etc.

Resources

More information on how to get started and any resources shared by the Build An ARK

4 Build An ARK projects have already been started

See where

Meet the Social Innovator

The old belief is that that wildlife lives somewhere else, but there is nowhere else left. The loss of biodiversity is even more threatening than climate change because it is rapidly reducing the ability of the earth to maintain clean air and water and to provide food and habitat for all her creatures – including us. The gardening industry is contributing hugely to this, as is industrial farming and fishing so it's time to clear the books and rebuild this industry into a life supporting one. We are the ARK' is designed for anyone with access to land - at home, at work, at school or in their community. This movement aims to surround peoples spaces and places with their true nature, to restore health and bio diversity in a patchwork quilt of hope and action, patch by patch, ARK by ARK. Together we will rebuild native plant communities, healthy water systems and ourselves from the ground up.

Mary Reynolds, Founder We Are The Ark

Frequently Asked Questions

  • Why a 30 day challenge?

    The 30 Day Challenge was developed by our Team based on our experience working with communities. We’ve learned that the first weeks are critical to build momentum and get off to a good start with any community project. Teams who complete these steps within the first month are much more likely to successfully complete their project!

    The Challenge is a series of simple steps that each applicant has to complete to get their project off the ground and unlock funding, if there is funding currently available for that idea in your region. Steps include watching a video and/or reading content, having a call with a ChangeX team member, forming a team so that you have support, having your first team meeting, sharing a team photo, and sharing a project action plan.

  • What can funding be used for?

    Once funding is received it can be used to cover direct set-up costs of the new community project. For example space rental, insurance fees, seeds and planting materials, tools, training fees; pretty much any materials you might need for a project that benefits your community.

    Funds cannot be used for the costs of work that has already been carried out, costs unrelated to the setup and maintenance of the new project, payments to group members for their work on the project. Funds can’t be used for the promotion of religious causes, non-charitable activities, sponsorship or fundraising events. Please read the terms and conditions for further details.

  • How do I know if there is funding available?

    On idea pages, if there is funding available for the idea in your region you will see “Funding available” and the region listed in the turquoise box. When you first login you will also see a green banner at the top of the screen saying “live funds near you” if there is funding available in your region. The ChangeX homepage will feature those live funds near you.

    A note on the waitlist: when all the funding has been allocated to applicants, new applicants will go on a waitlist. If some applicants that are in the fund don’t successfully complete the 30 Day Challenge their funding will be released and can be then allocated to those on the waitlist. To see if you are going on a waitlist check the main fund page, ideas fully allocated will have the note “Join the waitlist” instead of “Apply to start”.

  • What is ChangeX?

    ChangeX is a platform that connects communities to proven ideas and funding.

    By empowering local changemakers with proven ideas from social innovators and accessible funding from our partners, we aim to build healthier, more inclusive and sustainable communities. Our work is aligned to the UN Sustainable Development Goals and together with our partners, we aim to impact 1 billion people globally by 2030.

    • Communities: Get the funding, resources and support you need to start impactful projects in your community.
    • Social innovators: Connect with local changemakers, access funding to scale your idea, and impact more communities globally.
    • Funders: Fund the themes and regions they care most about, with measurable impact, and at global scale.

    We believe that by bringing the best social innovations and the world’s changemakers together in a shared community, we can accelerate the spread of innovations across the world and have a bigger impact. Together we aim to unleash the potential of changemakers by enabling collaboration, by sharing knowledge and resources, by connecting changemakers across different disciplines and innovations and by opening up access to the world’s best proven social innovations to everyone.

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