We’re pleased to share updates with you from a few
dynamic initiatives around the world!

A SAFE SUPERHIGHWAY FOR MARINE LIFE - THE EASTERN TROPICAL PACIFIC MARINE CORRIDOR

With your help this year WildAid expanded its marine protection work from 75 to 95 sites across 14 countries; sites that are home to tremendous biodiversity and serve as safe breeding and feeding sites for endangered marine life. We’re focused on protecting some of the most important coral reefs in the world, as well as blue carbon ecosystems that mitigate the impacts of climate change by reducing greenhouse gas emissions. 

Have 3 minutes to be inspired? This video, “Making the Promise of Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) Real,” shares WildAid’s unique approach to marine protection and enforcement – a critical and missing piece in the race to conserve 30% of the world’s oceans by 2030.  

TACKLING CLIMATE CHANGE TO PROTECT WILDLIFE: WILDAID’S FIRST EVER U.S. CAMPAIGN

Scientists have identified climate change as a growing and primary threat to the survival of wildlife worldwide. As a global leader in environmental communications, for the past 20+ years WildAid has been using high-impact media to successfully advocate for individual behavior change. This year, we brought that expertise back home to the U.S. to address climate change. 

WildAid’s climate campaign, The Environment Excuse, launched in January of 2023 to increase adoption of climate friendly behaviors by the U.S. public.  

The campaign is rooted in the United Nations recent study asserting that “demand-side measures” (including consumer behavior change) hold the potential to reduce total global emissions by up to 70% by 2050. WildAid aims to help reach that goal by educating and encouraging consumers to make manageable lifestyle changes.

UGANDA - LIGHTING THE SPARK OF CONSERVATION FOR FUTURE GENERATIONS 

WildAid is running a wide-reaching campaign across Uganda to foster commitment to conservation across generations and awareness of anti-poaching laws. A vital, and especially heartening, aspect of the campaign is our work with schoolchildren.  

WildAid partnered with the Wildlife Clubs of Uganda and Uganda Wildlife Authority to increase wildlife conservation awareness and education amongst the country’s youth through creation of an illustrated comic book, “Beatrice’s Wildlife Adventures” and complementary educational materials and activities. 

More than 23,000 students in Uganda between the ages of 11 and 15 years old have received copies of the “Beatrice’s Wildlife Adventures” comic book.   

Enjoy this heart-warming 3-minute video about the project. One student, Blessing, reflected, “All of us as human beings, we all have a role to play. Just like animals, insects, birds, all kinds of animals have a role to play in the environment. And Beatrice is my hero.” 

The students we surveyed had this to say after learning with Beatrice: 

• 94% said they would say no to plastic, 
• 94% said that they would share information about conservation with their family and friends, 
• 96% of secondary school students said they would report wildlife crime, and 

AN AWE-INSPIRING 99% said they wanted to FIND OUT MORE ABOUT HOW TO HELP WILDLIFE! 

Currently 40% of Africans are age 15 or younger and play an influential role in their families and local communities. We plan to build off Beatrice’s popularity with a cartoon series in other African nations. Keep an eye out -- Beatrice is poised to become a powerful influencer! 

PARTNERING WITH BUDDHIST LEADERS TO PROTECT ELEPHANTS AND TIGERS 

WildAid is collaborating with Thailand’s Department of National Parks (DNP) to reduce demand for wildlife products like elephant ivory and tiger parts.  

We’ve teamed up with leaders of the Buddhist faith to promote the well-being of wildlife and to put an end to the purchase of elephant and tiger products. The campaign’s prestigious leaders are helping dispel the belief that in Buddhist culture wearing amulets made from wildlife parts will bring you power. The messages are targeted at male residents of Bangkok between the ages of 25 to 44 years old and secured 3.3 million views. 

Inspiring video messages like this from Buddhist Monk Venerable Napan Santibhaddo Thawornbanjob, shared, “To believe that your business will do well, or you will have a good life relying on an animal that could not protect itself – that cannot bring magical power.” 

6 WAYS TO CELEBRATE WORLD NATURE CONSERVATION DAY THIS FRIDAY 

1. GO WILD. Over 40 million acres in the U.S. now make up residential lawns and are no longer a functioning ecosystem that supports wildlife. Lawns offer minimal food and shelter for birds and small animals while consuming nearly 3 trillion gallons of water a year, 200 million gallons of gas to power lawnmowers, and 70 million pounds of pesticides.

Replace your lawn with garden beds of native plants and flowers. You’ll conserve water and provide crucial shelter for wildlife. 

2. JUST SAY NO. Do not use pesticides, insecticides, herbicides, or chemical fertilizers on your lawn or garden beds. These products are the leading cause of wildlife poisonings and are also toxic to companion animals. 

Go natural with a yard full of native plants which attract beneficial insects which help keep pests away naturally.

3. TRASH KILLS. Experts estimate plastic and trash kills over one million animals each year. Marine animals are especially vulnerable to ingesting or becoming ensnared by plastic litter.  

Properly dispose of trash and recycle clean containers and crushed cans. Make sure to cut apart plastic beverage rings before recycling. Participate in or hold your own local trash clean-up to help protect the habitats of imperiled species and other wildlife.

4. FIND YOUR ENVIRONMENT EXCUSE. Reports from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change show that individual lifestyle changes can eliminate some 5% of atmospheric carbon, helping to protect the world’s ecosystems and the animals and plants that inhabit them.

Efforts like taking public transportation, eating less meat, embracing vintage clothes, and more can have a direct impact on food and clean water sources, wildlife reproduction, habitat health, and, ultimately, animal and plant species survival.

Real change is attainable if we all work together and make a few simple tweaks to our daily routines. Find ideas to get started at TheEnvironmentExcuse.org. 

5. SPEAK UP. Your voice matters! If you know of environmental or conservation issues in your town or region, attend a city council meeting or contact your state representatives and demand action.

Write to your federal and state elected officials encouraging them to support policies that protect wildlife. 

6. JOIN WILDAID’S EFFORTS! Support WildAid’s mission to inspire and empower the world to protect wildlife and vital habitats from critical threats. Sign up here to receive updates on our conservation work around the world, invitations to events, and opportunities to take action in support of endangered species.

Or make a donation that supports our wildlife protection work on land and at sea. For more than 20 years WildAid has been a global leader in inspiring millions of people to change their behaviors and make choices that protect wildlife. The impact of every donation you make is multiplied by the $200 million of free media placement WildAid secures for our dynamic campaigns. Join us!

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