Xinjiang Conservation Fund (XCF) was established in late 2001.  It is a non-governmental organization and functions as a network of local NGOs to coordinate NGOs' input into various national and international processes and facilitates sustainable development in the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region of China. XCF aims at improving and guarding the rights of vulnerable groups (the elderly, women, children, ethnic groups) in Xinjiang , raising public awareness of environmental protection, and implementing projects of conservation in order to promote the establishment and development of a harmonious civil society in Xinjiang.