The Guardians of the Earth Foundation
We protect ancient life to inspire the future.
Protection that begins with animals, their own rhythms and the environments they live in. The Ethical Sanctuary is our first project.
A new model of protection
Protecting life. Respecting its nature.
We believe in protection founded on respect, knowledge and harmony with nature. Our experience with Mediterranean tortoises is the starting point for a wider commitment to animals, biodiversity and habitats.
More than a safe space: a project of care that asks, every day, how it can improve.
Why the Sanctuary began
Who will care for them
tomorrow?
A tortoise may accompany us through a very long part of our lives. It may also outlive the person who cares for it. Thinking about its tomorrow is an act of love that begins today.
“Who will I entrust it to when I can no longer care for it?” This question is one of the deepest reasons behind the Sanctuary: creating places and shared responsibilities that can sustain care beyond what any one person can provide.
There is also a need for space: roads and changes in land use can fragment habitats and make them harder to live in. Our project brings together continuity of care and protected environments, with vegetation, shelters and water considered from the animals’ perspective. Discover how we want them to live.
The Pilot Sanctuary is our starting point. We want it to grow so that respect for animals can become a lasting, shared and practical commitment.
The Pilot Sanctuary
The Ethical Sanctuary: we are building a new model of protection.
Our first Sanctuary is where we nurture this vision: attention to the soil, vegetation, shelters and observation. Practical experience to develop responsibly.
The art of caring for every detail
Protecting life, with respect.
Care takes shape in everyday choices. Observing, maintaining spaces and refining what we do: improvement is not a slogan, but a responsibility we renew each day.
The Foundation
A vision that takes responsibility.
The Guardians of the Earth Foundation ETS was established on 31 March 2026 and is registered in RUNTS, entry 174420. The Ethical Sanctuary is our first project, not the limit of our mission.
Project status
Protecting life, with respect.
Growth begins with solid foundations.
Over 40 years of direct experience with land tortoises
Around 200 animals in the Pilot Sanctuary
Around 500 m² in the current Pilot Sanctuary
Around 10,000 m² of land purchased by the founder for development
We have cared for land tortoises for over forty years. From that experience, which began long before the Foundation, comes our wish to offer them more space, more possibilities and protection that can last.
We are studying the expansion of our Pilot Sanctuary, currently around 500 m², onto an area of approximately 10,000 m², already purchased by the founder and to be made available for the Foundation’s use. This is how we intend to give full form to our first Ethical Sanctuary dedicated to these animals.
We envisage a place that is as self-sufficient as possible, where care for habitats goes hand in hand with rainwater recovery and growing some of the animals’ food. Options under study include a possible water basin and protected hydroponic cultivation: technologies to assess carefully, in the service of life and respect for the environment.
Knowledge that becomes responsibility
Three paths. One culture of respect.
The Foundation leads the mission and its projects. Tartarughe di Terra and Tartarughe d’Acqua develop its educational purpose, with distinct journeys for different animals and environments.
Tartarughe di Terra
Observe, learn about and understand land tortoises and their relationship with their habitat. The editorial website is in preparation.
Tartarughe d’Acqua
An editorial space dedicated to aquatic turtles, with questions and contexts of their own.
Belonging · responsibility · continuity
Protecting life, with respect.
Become a Guardian.
A protected life needs a commitment that continues. You can be part of it through a contribution, relevant skills or helping to share a culture of respect. Every act of participation begins with a free choice.
Do you have a question or proposal?
We listen to people, institutions and organisations that share this vision.
A CONNECTION THAT CONTINUES
Let’s stay in touch.
Let’s protect the future.
A question, a skill or an idea can open a conversation. Write to us to learn about the project, propose a collaboration or discuss your support for the Foundation.