Celebrate sustainable fishing and marine conservation on World Oceans Day with a gift that will be tripled in impact.

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Dear John,

Mangrove forests are essential to the survival of life on land and at sea. Scientists predict that these vital ecosystems could all but disappear in the next 100 years. In the countries where WildAid's marine protection program works, we are safeguarding 35% of the Earth’s remaining mangroves. We invite you to join us ([link removed]) .

Suspended between land and sea, these twisted, tropical trees provide safe harbor for 341 threatened species worldwide. Their root systems guarantee a safe nursery for fish and sharks to breed. Mangroves absorb 400% more carbon than forests on land and sequester more carbon per acre than any other habitat on Earth. For coastal communities around the world, mangroves prevent coastal erosion, filter land-based pollution, and provide a buffer shielding us against storm surges.

Your donation ([link removed]) to WildAid protects vulnerable mangrove forests in Ecuador and worldwide. From now until World Oceans Day on Saturday, June 8th your gift to conserve ocean life will be ([link removed]) tripled in impact ([link removed]) by a matching grant up to $50,000.

In Coastal Ecuador you’ll find the largest mangrove forest in the South Pacific. Hundreds of species of birds, dolphins, crocodiles, and crabs depend on these mangrove channels for their survival. The mangroves, and the local fishing communities that rely on them, are under threat.

Logging, large-scale shrimp farming, illegal fishing, and organized crime are devastating the mangroves and the species that live there. All the while making it increasingly dangerous to sustainably fish and patrol there. Drug traffickers regularly use the mangrove channels to transport their product undetected from Colombia and Peru through to the ports of Ecuador.

Small-scale artisanal fishermen have a legal right to fish crab in the mangroves and a vested interest in protecting them and fishing sustainably. To bring their catch to market, they must navigate through dangerous channels dominated by traffickers who extort a “protection tax,” threaten them at gunpoint, and steal the motors from their boats.

WildAid has helped broker a partnership between government agencies and bolstered the fishermen’s ability to patrol and protect the mangrove channels:
* WildAid donated 4 additional boats for fishermen and rangers to use in patrolling the channels;
* We helped the National Navy, the Ministry of the Environment, and the Ministry of Fisheries coordinate closely with the fishermen and respond to their calls to apprehend traffickers, illegal fishers, and loggers; and
* Our team trained crab fishers and law enforcement in marine enforcement operations and surveillance techniques.

For Roddy Macías, WildAid’s Coastal Ecuador Project Manager, it’s personal:

“We are experiencing very difficult and insecure times in Ecuador. Every time we go out to the mangroves, we know it is a risk. But we are more afraid that the mangroves will disappear, and with them the incredible biodiversity.

At first it was hard for my family to understand and endure all the time I spent away from home. They worried I was putting my life in danger. They came to see positive impact, and it helped them understand how important our work is to the mangroves and to our community.

It is difficult to feel hope when what you are fighting against is so much bigger than you. But we are committed to fight together, and we will not falter.”

When you donate to WildAid ([link removed]) , you support a network of local fishermen and coastal village communities dedicated to protecting the mangroves, often at the risk of their own safety.

Make your gift to safeguard these vulnerable mangroves in Ecuador ([link removed]) by June 8th and we will triple your impact with a special matching grant. No matter where you live, we all depend on the ocean and magical marine habitats like mangrove forests. Join WildAid and coastal communities worldwide to protect them.

Yours for the wild,

Meaghan Brosnan
Chief Executive Officer

P.S. You’re invited! Please join us for WildAid Live – World Oceans Day ([link removed]) livestream event on June 6th. Register on Zoom ([link removed]) , and you'll hear from WildAid team members about the media campaigns and marine protection initiatives that are turning the tide for marine life and habitat around the globe.

Small But Mighty Agents of Change.
WildAid's Mission is to inspire and empower the world to protect wildlife and vital habitats from critical threats.

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