2,742Grants to

1,709(Sub)Species

MBZ Blog

What are species doing for us? “Plenty!” answers the advisory board of the Abu Dhabi-based Mohamed bin Zayed Species Conservation Fund

320px-The_Indian_Vulture_(Gyps_indicus)_or_Long-billed_Vulture

(cc) Deepak Sankat

Abu Dhabi, UAE: The potential for advances in anti-fouling and adhesion technology derived from the study of clam-like Blue mussels may result in massive fuel savings to marine vessels and advances in adhesives with medical applications. Fiddler crabs, common in salt marshes and mangrove forests throughout the world, help mangrove trees grow larger, taller and thicker which in turn helps sequester more carbon. Read more…

One window closes, another opens

On 1-Nov, the Fund closed its last grant application window of 2014. We received more than 450 applications, 458 to be exact. These applications were submitted to the Fund between 1 July and 31 October 2014.

The applications will be reviewed by our advisory board and decisions will be made before the end of 2014. Of course, not all applications will be funded. For the final round of funding in 2014; more than $500k will be awarded.

By the end of 2014 the Fund will have donated another $1.5m to species conservation, bringing the total awarded to nearly $12m.

Dont be alarmed, there is another funding window currently wide open. The next deadline 28-Feb-15.

In Sept ’14…another $500k for conservation

The Fund supported 57 more conservation projects with $514,495 bringing the total amount donated to species conservation to $11,380, 859 in less 5 years. Here is a short sample of the 61 projects in the latest round of grant giving.

  •  $4,600 emergency population assessment grant for giraffe in Congo;
  •  $2,500 for Sociable lapwing in Eritrea;
  •  $9,500 for wild coffee plant in Tanzania;
  • $6,500 for Rusty spotted cat in Sri Lanka;
  • $15,670 for the Christmas Island giant gecko in Austrailia.

Many of the grant recipients have created case studies on our website and you can view these by navigating to the case study section of our website. If you are interested in apply for a grant, please visit our grant application page and apply before our next deadline.

MBZ Fund publishes 2013 Annual Report

Hot off the presses, the Mohamed bin Zayed Species Conservation Fund is issuing its 2013 Annual Report. The report is available for download in English and Arabic as a high resolution pdf. See the links at the end of this post. Other formats will be made available shortly.

In 2013 more than $1,600,000 was awarded to species conservation in more than 83 countries world-wide. Since inception in 2008 the Fund has contributed almost $11m 1,080 projects across the world.

The report’s 100 pages highlight the work of conservationists who received financial support from the Fund in 2013. The annual report highlights projects from all species types including the Anatolian Viper, Baluchistan black bear, Australian lungfish, Juan Fernandez diving beetle, Large bellflower,  Tooth-billed pigeon and Harlequin frog.

[su_document url=”http://www.speciesconservation.org/blog/wp-content/uploads/2014/05/MbZSCF_AR2014_ENGLSH-weboptimized.pdf” width=”200″ height=”200″]

Please take the time to download the report (6 MBs). You can request a hard copy of the report by sending at email to media (AT) mbzspeciesconservation.org

Happy Reading!

 

To download the Arabic Version Click Here:  MbZSCF_AR 2013_ARABIC weboptimized

For download the English Version Click Here: MbZSCF_AR2014_ENGLSH weboptimized

SWCCA contributes $3,160 toward two projects

The Small Wild Cat Conservation Alliance (SWCCA) generously contributed $3,160 toward two projects that were recently supported by the Fund. Together both organizations were able contribute more than $28,160 to wild cat conservation during this round of grant giving.

This is the second time SWCCA and the Fund have combined finances to ensure strong support for wild cat conservation, when in December 2013 SWCCA and the Fund donated $33,000 to small wild cat conservation.

The Fund would like to express its deep appreciation to the SWCCA for its continued commitment and tireless efforts on behalf of wild cat conservation globally.

For more information about the Small Wild Cat Conservation Alliance, please visit their website.

Fund gives another $500k to Species Conservation

The Fund supported 61 more conservation projects with $508,875 bringing the total amount donated to species conservation to $10,866, 366 in less than 5 years. Here is a short sample of the 61 projects in the latest round of grant giving.

  •  $12,000 to build a conservation learning center for black rhino in Zambia;
  •  $20,000 to assess the conservation status of fungi in Egypt;
  •  $12,000 to assess the distribution of a critically endangered dragonfly in the mountains of UAE and Oman;
  •  Two Fishing cat projects, one in Nepal and the other in India, with more than $20,000;
  • $12,000 to investigate the breeding grounds of the Townsend´s Shearwater on three islands off Mexico’s Pacific coast.

Many of the grant recipients have created case studies on our website and you can view these by navigating to the case study section of our website. If you are interested in apply for a grant, please visit our grant application page and apply before our next deadline.

Photos that make us resent our desk jobs

Endangered. northern Peru

Endangered. northern Peru

Searching for endangered Peruvian tern (Sterna lorata) along the remote coast of northern Peru, Doris Rodriguez and her team are aiming to gather census data on a breeding population in northern Peru, as well as tracking the foraging of the breeding adults.

Photos that make us appreciate our desk jobs

Bubalus mindorensis dung. Philippines.

Bubalus mindorensis dung. Philippines.

Emmanuel Schutz is surveying a remote island in the Philippines for Tamaraw (Bubalus mindorensis) a Critically Endangered species of wild cattle. Beside visual surveys, the team searches for other evidence along their transects. Jokes aside, the species is in critical need of continued protection, and Emmanuel is knee deep in the process.

Pickersgill’s reed frog biodiversity management plan published

A critically endangered frog living near Durban South Africa

A critically endangered frog living near Durban South Africa

Pickersgill’s reed frog biodiversity management plan published. Say that five times, fast!

A year ago Jeanne Tarrant received a $12,000 grant from the Fund for her work on Pickersgill’s reed frog (Hyperolius pickersgilli) near Durban South Africa. The frog is Critically Endangered with an estimated 2,000 individuals living in fragmented habitat on privately and commercially owned land. In a short year, Jeanne has accomplished a lot for the little pickersgill. Read the biodiversity management plan after the jump… Read more…

Lost frog in Kenya…still lost.

Petropedetes dutoiti is endemic to Mt. Elgon Kenya. However, the frog has not been seen in the wild since 1962. Ms Beryl Akoth Bwong (National Museums of Kenya) hopes to change that. Ms Bwong has completed her first efforts, and recently reported her results to the Fund. Read more after the jump…. Read more…