ORLANDO, Fla. – Endangered species and habitats under stress will get a much-needed lift this week thanks to $700,000 in grants being awarded by the non-profit SeaWorld & Busch Gardens Conservation Fund to wildlife protection projects in the U.S. and around the world.
The Fund’s board of directors approved grants to 83 projects, including wildlife rescue and rehabilitation efforts, research of little-known species, protection of critical habitat, and grassroots education efforts aimed atincreasing awareness and changing behaviors.
One of the Fund’s 2009 grant recipients, Save the Elephants, is working to protect the Earth’s largest land animal, using technology in unexpected and effective ways to reduce conflicts with humans.
“Rising human populations and expanding agriculture often are in conflict with elephants,” said Iain Douglass-Hamilton, founder of Save the Elephants. “It is essential to find new ways of lowering the strife. Save the Elephants, with support from SeaWorld and Busch Gardens, has a highly innovative project that sends out an alarm every time a tagged elephant approaches a virtual fence line protecting farmers’ crops. This is done when a text message is sent straight from the elephant’s collar onto the project’s cell phones. SeaWorld and Busch Gardens’ support has been vital in developing the application of this high-tech conservation approach. Read more here.
No comments:
Post a Comment