The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Services Division of International Conservation awarded over $1.9 million in international conservation grants in 2010 through its Wildlife Without Borders (WWB) Regional programs in Africa, Mexico, Latin America and the Caribbean, and Russia/East Asia to help conserve imperiled wildlife.
These grants provide much-needed training and assistance to local organizations and individuals to support the creation and management of sustainable conservation programs and the protection of critical species within their regions said the Services acting Director, Rowan Gould. WWB Regional programs empower people and institutions to conserve key species, habitats and ecosystems by building local appreciation and capacity.
The Wildlife Without Borders Regional funds provide support to mitigate the impact of extractive industries, climate change, human-wildlife conflict, illegal trade in bushmeat and wildlife disease. The funds target local training and capacity-building projects to support wildlife managers, guards, rangers, protected area managers, outreach specialists, community leaders, educators and decision makers.
Examples of projects include:
Implementing a MENTOR (Mentoring for ENvironmental Training in Outreach and Resource conservation) fellowship program for young conservation leaders in Kenya, Southern Sudan, Tanzania, and Uganda;
Training African and Asian veterinarians in all aspects of wildlife and ecosystem health at field sites in Tanzania and the U.S.;
Providing educational support for Masters degree programs in Conservation and Wildlife Management at the Universidad Nacional Autonoma of Costa Rica;
Assisting local conservation efforts for bats and monarch butterflies in Mexico; and
Enabling participants from China and Russia to attend the Third Annual Symposium on Ecology and Biodiversity in Large Rivers of Northeast Asia and North America.
