The organisation was founded by
Damien Mander, He observed the problems that front-line rangers and wildlife experienced, and founded the IAPF in 2009. In 2010, the TV program
60 Minutes filmed IAPF operations in
Victoria Falls,
Zimbabwe, which focused on conservation efforts for the black rhinoceros. In 2015 the IAPF transitioned away from military tactics towards community-oriented strategies for their anti-poaching work, attempting to incentivize locals to join the conservation effort. Part of this effort was to train women to become rangers, helping both wildlife conservation and women empowerment efforts. The first program that the IAPF set up for women was
Akashinga in the Lower Zambezi Valley and Phundundu, Zimbabwe. The initial outreach for candidates focused on "victims of sexual assault or domestic violence; who were single mothers or abandoned wives; or who were Aids orphans", according to the BBC. Over its first year, the female anti-poaching unit was able to make about 70 arrests over the first year.
60 Minutes filmed for a third time in 2018, covering the Akashinga program in Zimbabwe's Lower Zambezi Valley, which is the first nature reserve in the world to be managed and protected by women.
Jane Goodall was a patron of the organization. ==Operations==