African Violet Conservation Fund

Supporting conservation research on the African violet in Africa

All African violets are descended from the wild populations of African violets that grow in Kenya and Tanzania.  These populations are severely threatened by habitat loss and mining.  The African Violet Conservation Fund, based at the Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical Garden, has been established by the Plant Research Division of CREW to support conservation of the African violet in the wild.  Each year funds are sent to support projects that will help conserve the remaining populations of Saintpaulia (African violet) in Africa. 

Recent support from the AVCF has been provided for the Magoroto Mlinga Community Ecotourism Project (MAMCEP), a Finnish-Tanzanian partnership that is working to conserve the forests in which the wild African violet species grow.

You can support the AVCF by doing the following:

• Buy these very special African Violet notecards, made from scans of pressed flowers of species and varieties of African violets. 

• Buy an African Violet test tube plant.  These are species violets, all instructions included.

• Make a donation to the African Violet Conservation Fund.  Receive the free booklet, the Story of the African Violet, with a donation of $20 or more.