Zoos and Aquariums Committing to Conservation events have offered conservation awards to presenters over the past conferences. Information on proposals for this award will be available in July 2008. In 2007 we were proud to award funds to the following prorgams:
Maned Wolf Conservation in the Brazilian Cerrado, Nucharin Songsasen, Smithsonian National Zoological Park - $2,000
This study will help to determine territorial differences among individual wolves and their specific responses to habitat quality and human activities, to evaluate the potential threat of exposure to pathogens from domestic dogs, and to enhance public awareness of this carnivore in the context of preserving its threatened Cerrado habitat.
Madagascar Flying Fox Conservation Initiative in Eastern Madagascar, Allyson Walsh, Lubee Bat Conservancy - $2,000
This project supports a community led, long-term program of regular (monthly) counts at seven flying fox roosts to document patterns of distribution and monitor abundance of the threatened Madagascar flying fox, an endemic fruit bat. The data will feed into conservation area planning, guiding local conservation decisions, and measuring conservation impacts.
Okapi Conservation Project: Forest Alternative Agriculture Program, Stever Shurter, Gilman International Conservation - $2,000
This initiative provides nitrogen-fixing plants, rice and vegetable seeds, and gardening equipment to local farming communities around the
Okapi Wildlife Reserve, Democratic Republic of Congo. Project agronomists set up demonstration garden plots and provide technical expertise. The intent of the program is to offer sustainable means of providing adequate nutrition to local families without placing further pressure on surrounding protected forests and their wildlife.
Wild Cat Species of Conservation Concern, Jim Sanderson, Wildlife Conservation Network - $2,000
This grant assisted in funding the purchase of camera-trapping units essential to the detection and study of small cat species programs collobarating with the
Small Cat Conservation Alliance including species such as the Chinese Mountain cat (
felis bieti).
Reintroduction of Hatinh Langurs to Vietnam’s Phong Nha - Ke Bang National Park Tilo Nadler, Endangered Primate Rescue Center - $2,000
Captive breeding efforts at the
Endangered Primate Rescue Center, located at Vietnam’s Cuc Phuong National Park, have met with significant success, such that recommendations have been made to reintroduce animals to protected forests of Phong Nha – Ke Bang National Park. This project represents the first phase of that effort – translocating animals to fenced, semi-wild habitat in preparation for their final release to native forests.
Nest Guarding in a Reintroduced Population of California Condors, Santa Barbara Zoo - $2,000
Nest failure is a primary limiting factor in reintroduction of California condors. The program consists of nest monitoring by trained observers, during which behavioral, developmental, and physiological data will be collected. The objective is to identify the stage at which nesting attempts are most likely to fail so that efforts to address the causes of such failure can be more effective. The
Santa Barbara Zoo is a partern of the USFWS Condor Recovery Program.
Ecosystem Restoration for Wild Chinchillas, Save the Wild Chinchillas - $1,000
The goal of this project is to restore essential habitat for endangered chinchillas in north-central Chile by utilizing native plant species, many of which are endemic, threatened and also ranked as high conservation priorities.
Save the Wild Chinchillas restoration efforts will be focused in the regions of Quebradas, Cuyano, Zapallar, Los Lioneras and Curico, and will benefit other species in addition to the chinchilla, including a variety of native insects, amphibians, reptiles, birds, and other mammals.
Return To:
