Searching for conservation organizations (1)
There are many conservation organizations around the world working to protect both endangered species and their habitat. Here are a list of 10 organizations doing just that.
As with the government organization, the descriptions below are from the websites of the organizations.
1) Australian Wildlife Conservancy:
AWC acquires land, and works with other landholders, to establish
sanctuaries for the conservation of threatened wildlife and ecosystems. AWC now
owns 22 sanctuaries covering over 2.6 million ha (6.5 million acres) in places
such as north Queensland, the Kimberley, western New South Wales, Northern
Territory and the forests of south western Australia.
AWC aims to ensure that its sanctuaries act as 'catalysts'
for broader landscape scale conservation efforts. Accordingly, AWC works
closely with its neighbors to also promote conservation beyond the borders of
each AWC sanctuary.
AWC is distinguished by its extraordinary commitment to the
implementation of practical, on-ground conservation programs. Over 80% of AWC’s
staff are based in the field where they implement programs including feral
animal control, weed eradication, fire management and translocation of
threatened species. A commitment to such programs is critical if the
biodiversity on AWC sanctuaries is to be effectively protected.
2) Bird Protection Quebec (Canada):
In fulfilling its mission, Bird Protection Quebec operates
under these guiding principles and values:
•Wildlife and birds in particular, have intrinsic value.
There is value in appreciating the beauty and grace of birds, how they live and
what they are able to do
•It is of the utmost
importance to conserve bird populations and their habitats
•Knowledge of birds,
particularly scientific knowledge, constitutes an important element in the
understanding of our natural environment
•Laws should be enacted
and enforced to protect birds and their habitats
The general priorities of Bird Protection Quebec are:
•To protect bird habitats and manage our nature reserves
•To contribute money and skills to ornithological study and
research
•To promote public awareness of birds by increasing birding
knowledge, skills and enjoyment
3) Friends of Nature (China):
Friends of Nature (FON) is the oldest environmental NGO in
China. We have been working for over a decade to promote environmental
awareness about China’s most pressing environmental problems. In particular, we
have focused on protecting endangered species such as the Tibetan antelope and
the snub-nosed monkey; environmental education through camps, field trips, and
most importantly, teacher-training; and awareness-raising campaigns such as
photo exhibitions and publications.
Though we have achieved some important victories for nature,
possibly FON’s greatest achievement is helping to foster a growing network of
grassroots environmental NGOs throughout China. We firmly believe that
environmental education increases awareness, and awareness increases citizen
participation. It is through the participation of all Chinese citizens that
China can achieve the dream of an environmentally harmonious society.
Founded in 1899, NABU (NATURE AND BIODIVERSITY CONSERVATION
UNION), is one of the oldest and largest environment associations in Germany.
The association encompasses more than 450,000 members and sponsors, who commit
themselves to the conservation of threatened habitats, flora and fauna, to
climate protection and energy policy.
NABU`s main objectives are the preservation of habitats and
biodiversity, the promotion of sustainability in agriculture, forest management
and water supply and distribution, as well as to enhance the significance of
nature conservation in our society.
About 30,000 volunteers play an active role in practical
nature conservation work, with great success: this is something that is special
to NABU. These active NABU members look after more than 110,000 hectares of
valuable protected reserves in Germany. NABU also has volunteer groups working
on an international level to conserve nature and combat poverty in Africa,
Eurasia and the Caucasus. This work is supported by professionals at our
regional offices and at our national headquarters in Berlin, who take care of
public relations, project development and management and political lobbying.
NAJU, NABU’s own youth organization, has around 75,000 young
members. It is the biggest environment organization for young people in
Germany. It offers a framework for children and young adults aged 6 to 27 to
protect nature and the environment.
5) Borneo Orangutan Survival Australia (BOSA):
Orangutans are an endangered species, with an estimated
50,000 left in the wild. The greatest threat to their survival is the extensive
destruction of the rainforest. Some experts say about 6,000 orangutans are
disappearing every year and without our collective help orangutans could be
extinct in the wild within our lifetime.
We work to save the orangutan by rescuing and rehabilitating
them, with an ultimate goal of releasing them back to the forest where they
will be safe from human development, poaching and farming.
Borneo Orangutan Survival Australia (BOSA) is a volunteer
organization raising funds for rescued orangutans since 2001. We are totally
dependent on support from adoptions, sales of our merchandise and donations to
help save the orangutan and the rainforest.
As a volunteer organization, we ensure a very high
percentage of donor dollars getting to where they are most needed – to the
orangutans in Indonesia.
By supporting us, you help us to:
· rescue and
rehabilitate orangutans
· provide public awareness and
educational programs
· protect existing rainforest
habitat, and
· support and educate the people
who depend on forests to earn their living.
Originally formed to protect our native forests and birds,
our role has since grown to include protection of all native species and wild
places, – on land and in our oceans, lakes and rivers. We give nature a voice.
We speak for all our threatened species and fragile places - from endangered
Maui’s dolphins to high-country tussock-lands.
New Zealand’s territory covers an area of ocean many times
greater than our land mass, and is home to many itinerant species, such as
sea-birds and marine mammals. We work with other environmental organizations,
such as Bird Life International, on environmental issues in New Zealand’s
Exclusive Economic Zone, the wider Pacific and in Antarctica.
We are not a government organization and do not receive
government funding – we rely on the generosity of our members’ subscriptions,
donations and bequests to carry out our conservation work.
Forest & Bird is
New Zealand’s longest-serving conservation organization, formed in 1923 in
response to widespread extinction of native species and destruction of our
native forests.
7) Wildlife and Environmental Society of South Africa:
Founded in 1926, the Wildlife and Environment Society of SA
is one of South Africa's oldest and largest non-government, membership-based
environmental organization. WESSA maintains a watchful eye on the South African
environment through its extensive network of Regional Offices, Branches,
Friends Groups and Environmental Clubs.
WESSA's vision is to achieve a South Africa which is wisely
managed by all to ensure long-term environmental sustainability. To this end we
promote public participation in caring for the Earth.
Professional environmental staff are employed to work
directly with the public, local, provincial and national government and with
other environmental organisations for the protection of the environment. WESSA
is represented on many National and Regional conservation bodies and
investigatory commissions, and is a founder member of the World Conservation
Union (formerly the International Union for the Conservation of Nature - IUCN).
WESSA has been, and continues to be, a motivating force
behind many of South Africa's most significant environmental decisions . These
and other achievements are as a result of the voices and actions of ordinary
South Africans - people who have been willing participants in caring for the
Earth.
The Alderney Wildlife Trust evolved from the island's
conservation volunteer organisation in 2002 to help manage and protect
Alderney's diverse habitats from the threat of new development and large scale
agricultural abandonment.
Since then the Trust has expanded rapidly, with a growing
number of dedicated members and volunteers both on and off island.
The Trust's role within Alderney has also grown, with
activities now ranging from environmental consultancy and implementing
sustainable projects, to running surveys and species counts aswell as creating
new wildlife havens.
As a Crown Dependency Alderney lies outside both the UK and
European legislative framework for the protection of the natural environment,
and its government lacks the resources to employ staff with training in nature
conservation. Because of this the Trust fulfils a unique role maintaining an
active partnership with the local government and other Channel Island, UK and
European conservation councils and research groups, to ensure the conservation
of Alderney's wildlife.
Its work focuses on
the challenge of aiding Alderney's wildlife, whether it is recording the latest
puffin sighting to building new footpaths along one of the island's reserves.
The Trust also helps projects off island including scientific ecological
studies, governmental planning and biological conservation schemes.
Too few people know about the plight of one of the world's
most endangered canids, the African wild dog (Lycaon pictus) or Africa's
"painted wolf." This unique pack-living canid, with its large
parabolic ears and mottled coat pattern of yellow, white, and black, once
ranged widely throughout sub-Saharan Africa in 39 countries. Today wild dogs
have all but disappeared in 15, with perhaps no more than 3,000–5,500
remaining.
Their dramatic decline is largely due to human persecution and
habitat fragmentation. The IUCN Species Survival Commission (SSC) Canid
Specialist Group, and American Zoo and Aquarium Association (AZA) Canid and
Hyaenid Taxon Advisory Group (TAG) regard African wild dogs as a high-priority
species for wildlife conservation.
Species, like wild
dogs, may have a significant impact on the structure and function of
ecosystems. Because of habitat requirements and ranging behavior, they are
threatened by human disturbance and use of natural landscapes. One of Africa's
most efficient predators, wild dogs may help regulate prey species that in turn
play a role in shaping vegetation communities. Securing a future for wild dogs,
therefore, is an essential part in stemming the loss of biodiversity and
preserving a healthy ecosystem. By working with people living with wild dogs,
we hope to help secure their long-term survival.
10) Ocean Conservancy:
Each year, thousands of whales, dolphins, seals, and sea
turtles die as "bycatch" — animals accidentally injured or killed in
fishing operations. Speeding ships in some of the busiest marine highways also
pose a huge threat to endangered whales. On top of this, pollution and trash
are poisoning and choking animals along our coastlines, from New England to
Hawaii.
At Ocean Conservancy, we recognize that ocean ecosystems
play a vital role in all living things — on land and underwater. That’s why
we’ve made it our mission to protect sea animals and the places they live from
careless human behavior. Our very lives — and livelihoods — depend on it.
When
ocean ecosystems are harmed and wildlife populations disappear, so do tourists,
and whole coastal communities suffer—communities whose economic vitality relies
on the joy and wonder visitors and residents experience scuba diving or whale
watching.
At Ocean Conservancy, we’re integrating the protection of
ocean wildlife and their habitats into all of our programs, from advancing
technologies and fishing practices that keep vulnerable species like whales and
sea turtles from getting entangled in fishing nets, to removing deadly debris
during the International Coastal Cleanup, to promoting underwater parks that
ensure plenty of rich, safe habitat for sea life to thrive.
-----------------------------------------------------------------
