SAN DIEGO, March 3, 2023 /PRNewswire/ — On World Wildlife Day, the San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance (SDZWA) proudly celebrates our nearly 500 partnerships in 17 countries that support the values of this special United Nations Day, recognizing vulnerable plants and animals – and the people team up to save them amidst changing landscapes.
“We partner with people, communities, businesses, NGOs and governments, all of whom share our mission to save species and ecosystems, and our vision for a world where all life thrives,” said SDZWA President and CEO Paul A Baribault. “We approach all of our efforts and partnerships with the critical understanding that collaboration is fundamental to effective and sustainable conservation action.”
“Partnerships for Wildlife Conservation” is the theme of this year’s World Wildlife Day, which is also a celebration of CITES, the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora, signed 50 years ago today. SDZWA is celebrating two years since adding “Wildlife Alliance” to its title, highlighting the importance of its conservation partnerships.
“San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance partnerships are a living and growing representation of what CITES stands for, and those involved in its creation hoped to achieve that,” Baribault said. “From the savannas of Kenya to the Amazon forests to classrooms in Hawai’i, our network of global conservation partners makes our collective work possible.”
Here are just a few of our thriving partnerships:
community partnerships Northern Kenya
SDZWA supports and empowers local people and leaders in community-led conservation. Our partnerships prioritize inclusive participation in conservation activities and decisions so that we can work to protect biodiversity while advancing and supporting community needs and goals.
Collaborations and results:
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Chui Mamas (“Leopard Mothers”) is a community-based women’s organization founded and led by local women. We are partnering with Chui Mamas and Loisaba Conservancy to build the Chui Mamas Center, a headquarters for more than 300 women from surrounding conservation areas. The center will support local enterprise and conservation planning, in line with our partnership’s goals of increasing capacity and income opportunities associated with wildlife and habitat conservation.
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SDZWA supports Grevy’s Zebra Trust to expand their Healing Rangelands program, which works to revitalize local grazing management and rangeland restoration. Working together to restore healthy pastures benefits livestock livelihoods, improves access to water for zebras and promotes the protection of natural spaces for all who depend on them.
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Lion Governors is an Ewaso Lions program designed to empower former Samburu warriors who have recently become elders to mentor younger men in their communities in the coexistence work they have led for years – creating continuity of conservation through generational knowledge and skill transfer and involvement in conservation across age groups to. SDZWA supports Lion Governors in responding to lion conflicts, monitoring lions and encouraging dialogue on lion conservation, all of which together promote coexistence with wildlife and the well-being of both people and animals in different communities.
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Our collaboration with Kenya Wildlife Service And Northern Rangeland Trust is a collaboration to integrate conservation science, wildlife health and wildlife care into conservation management. Through our shared initiatives, we work to promote human-animal coexistence and sustainable wildlife management. We also participate in mutual exchange of technical expertise and training opportunities, aimed at improving the health of both wildlife and those in care. With projects that address conservation needs for giraffe habitats and understanding elephant behavioral ecology, we further our shared goal of protecting wildlife in their native habitats.
Partnerships with teachers and students in Hawai’i
Engage science educators and students in scientifically relevant and culturally significant curricular activities to foster interest in endemic wildlife conservation.
Collaborations and results:
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SDZWA partners with schools on Hawai’i Island for the ‘Alalā Reintroduction Community Inquiry Program’, which allows students to ask and research original questions that target the ‘alalā (Hawaiian crow). Not only does the program equip teachers with conservation learning resources, but it also improves students’ critical thinking skills and their interest in STEM and conservation careers. Further, the program inspires participants to value their unique natural heritage, and encourages teachers, students and their communities to advocate for its conservation and protection.
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Us Hawaii Teacher Workshops in Conservation Science engage formal and informal tutors on Hawai’i Island and Maui in a free professional development program. During these workshops, we work with educators to formulate content standards in the context of conservation, making biodiversity relevant in the classroom and in the lives of students. Since 2018, we have worked with over 50 teachers in Hawaii; they, in turn, inspire thousands of students to make a difference through conservation.
Partnerships in academia
SDZWA combines our diverse skills, expertise and resources to collectively advance multi-faceted conservation projects that target species facing increasing threats at the human-wildlife interface.
Collaborations and results:
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We partner with California Mountain Lion Project through the University of California, Davis, to address modern threats to mountain lions. Together, we are navigating non-invasive methods to support human-animal coexistence and safely deter mountain lions from livestock, pets and people – protecting the lives of both people and animals. Our San Diego Zoo Safari Park Biodiversity Reserve offers 900 acres on which to better understand mountain lions; we use our expertise in movement, tracking and wildlife behavior to measure the needs of feral cats and their adaptability to shared ecosystems.
government partnerships Peru
SDZWA assists the National Service of Natural Areas Protected by the State (SERNANP) in protecting and managing protected areas and endangered species through collaborative research projects, capacity building, and the development of monitoring and action plans.
Collaborations and results:
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SDZWA contributed to the development of the official jaguar monitoring protocol for use by SERNANP, the Peruvian National Park Service, in the Tambopata National Reserve. Together with SERNANP, we also launched a human-jaguar coexistence study to study the interactions between jaguars and thousands of humans in rural Amazonian villages. This research is the largest ever of its kind and will provide us with crucial information for developing strategies to reduce conflict with jaguars, benefiting the conservation of jaguars, communities and surrounding wildlife.
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In collaboration with SERNANP, we applied our conservation expertise to develop the official mountain tapir and Andean bear monitoring plans in Perus Tabaconas Namballe National Shrine. Our partnership will conduct the first wildlife surveys in the area in 2023.
International partnerships
SDZWA contributes to large-scale, global efforts to share lessons, advance knowledge and spark conservation action. The breadth of these partnerships allows us to engage people from different sectors and communities.
Collaborations and results:
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SDZWA team members collaborate with hundreds of scientists and wildlife professionals around the world through the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Species Survival Commission. Our team is part of several specialist groups, varying in taxa (e.g. orchid, crocodile, bear) and theme (e.g. animal biobanking, conservation planning). These partnerships increase our collective impact by enabling information sharing and synergizing our activities and approaches.
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Our collaboration with Reverse the red start cooperation to halt the decline of biodiversity. As a member of the executive committee, SDZWA helps employees achieve conservation goals; we collect and share resources to stimulate optimism and conservation efforts worldwide. We also apply Reverse the Red messaging in SDZWA communications, engaging our audiences in the power of collaboration and encouraging them to be conservation partners.
About San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance
San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance is a non-profit international conservation leader dedicated to inspiring a passion for nature and creating a world where all life thrives. The Alliance empowers people around the world to support their mission to protect wildlife through innovation and partnerships. San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance supports pioneering conservation efforts and brings the stories of their work back to the San Diego Zoo and the San Diego Zoo Safari Park, enabling millions of guests to experience conservation in action in person and virtually. San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance’s work extends from San Diego to strategic and regional conservation ‘hubs’ around the world, where their strengths – through their ‘Conservation Toolbox’, including the renowned Wildlife Biodiversity Bank – can be effectively aligned with hundreds of regional partners to drive wildlife outcomes. improve in more coordinated efforts. Using these conservation science tools and collaborating with hundreds of partners, the San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance has reintroduced more than 44 endangered species into native habitats. Each year, the work of the San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance reaches more than 1 billion people in 150 countries through news media, social media, their websites, educational resources, and the Wildlife Explorers Kids channel, which is seen at children’s hospitals in 13 countries. Its success is made possible by the support of members, donors and guests of the San Diego Zoo and San Diego Zoo Safari Park, who are Wildlife Allies committed to ensuring that all life thrives.
CONTACT:
San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance
Public relations
619-685-3291
[email protected]
WEBSITE:
www.sdzwa.org
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