Honolulu, Hawaii: On the eve of the IUCN World Conservation Congress in Honolulu Hawaii, the Mohamed bin Zayed Species Conservation Fund approved the distribution of $500,000 to 50 species conservation projects across the world. The MBZ Fund, since its inception in 2008 at the World Conservation Congress in Barcelona, has now contributed $14,500,000 to species conservation projects worldwide.

 

The MBZ Fund’s Board of Advisors selected 3 outstanding applications to receive its “Special Award.” These projects will each receive full funding up to the maximum grant size of $25,000. The special awards include an investigation of the status and threats to sea cucumbers in India, a survey of crocodile species in West Africa, and a project to mitigate the threats to birds endemic to the Hawaiian Island of Kauai.

 

In the coming weeks, the Fund will contact all those who applied for a grant to inform them of the board’s decisions.

 

The MBZ Fund is currently accepting applications until the end of October for its third round of funding in 2016 when it will distribute another $500,000 to species conservation - bringing the total amount distributed in 2016 to more than $1,500,000.

 

The MBZ Fund wishes everyone in Hawaii a safe and successful Congress and looks forward to the opportunity to continue its financial support for species conservation projects worldwide.