Wildlife Conservation Network
Encyclopedia
The Wildlife Conservation Network (WCN) is a United States
-based 501(c)3 non-profit organization that partners with conservationists from around the world and is dedicated to developing community-based projects to help wildlife
and people co-exist. WCN does this by providing their partners with capital, resources and back-office support. Charity Navigator
, has awarded WCN its highest four star rating and gives it high marks for organizational efficiency with 92% of its expenses going directly to programs.
Founded in 2002 the Wildlife Conservation Network was built on a venture capital
fundraising model to identify high-potential conservationists and projects and give them the support they need to effectively run their programs.
mammals. WCN limits its partnerships to projects that are beyond the start-up phase and usually with an organizational budget below $
250 thousand.
Partners as of 2011 include:
, Dr. Iain Douglas-Hamilton
, and Peter Matthiessen
.
. The program offers prevention, testing, counseling and treatment for the staff of field-based conservation programs in 12 Sub-Saharan countries.
is in immediate danger. In 2009 this fund was used to help elephants suffering from a severe drought in Mali
and also a rabies
outbreak among Ethiopian wolves.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
-based 501(c)3 non-profit organization that partners with conservationists from around the world and is dedicated to developing community-based projects to help wildlife
Wildlife
Wildlife includes all non-domesticated plants, animals and other organisms. Domesticating wild plant and animal species for human benefit has occurred many times all over the planet, and has a major impact on the environment, both positive and negative....
and people co-exist. WCN does this by providing their partners with capital, resources and back-office support. Charity Navigator
Charity Navigator
Charity Navigator is an independent, non-profit organization that evaluates American charities. Its stated goal is "to advance a more efficient and responsive philanthropic marketplace by evaluating the financial health of America's largest charities."-About:...
, has awarded WCN its highest four star rating and gives it high marks for organizational efficiency with 92% of its expenses going directly to programs.
Founded in 2002 the Wildlife Conservation Network was built on a venture capital
Venture capital
Venture capital is financial capital provided to early-stage, high-potential, high risk, growth startup companies. The venture capital fund makes money by owning equity in the companies it invests in, which usually have a novel technology or business model in high technology industries, such as...
fundraising model to identify high-potential conservationists and projects and give them the support they need to effectively run their programs.
Current conservation partners
Wildlife Conservation Network forms partnerships with a select number of field-based conservation projects committed to protecting terrestrialTerrestrial animal
Terrestrial animals are animals that live predominantly or entirely on land , as compared with aquatic animals, which live predominantly or entirely in the water , or amphibians, which rely on a combination of aquatic and terrestrial habitats...
mammals. WCN limits its partnerships to projects that are beyond the start-up phase and usually with an organizational budget below $
Dollar
The dollar is the name of the official currency of many countries, including Australia, Belize, Canada, Ecuador, El Salvador, Hong Kong, New Zealand, Singapore, Taiwan, and the United States.-Etymology:...
250 thousand.
Partners as of 2011 include:
- Painted Dog Conservation (ZimbabweZimbabweZimbabwe is a landlocked country located in the southern part of the African continent, between the Zambezi and Limpopo rivers. It is bordered by South Africa to the south, Botswana to the southwest, Zambia and a tip of Namibia to the northwest and Mozambique to the east. Zimbabwe has three...
) - Andean Cat AllianceAndean Cat AllianceThe Andean Cat Alliance , AGA is a network of researchers and conservationists working to study and protect the andean cat and its habitat in Argentina, Bolivia, Chile and Peru. The Alliance has managed to be the first to capture and radio-collar an andean cat; and they were also the first to...
(ArgentinaArgentinaArgentina , officially the Argentine Republic , is the second largest country in South America by land area, after Brazil. It is constituted as a federation of 23 provinces and an autonomous city, Buenos Aires...
, BoliviaBoliviaBolivia officially known as Plurinational State of Bolivia , is a landlocked country in central South America. It is the poorest country in South America...
, ChileChileChile ,officially the Republic of Chile , is a country in South America occupying a long, narrow coastal strip between the Andes mountains to the east and the Pacific Ocean to the west. It borders Peru to the north, Bolivia to the northeast, Argentina to the east, and the Drake Passage in the far...
and PeruPeruPeru , officially the Republic of Peru , is a country in western South America. It is bordered on the north by Ecuador and Colombia, on the east by Brazil, on the southeast by Bolivia, on the south by Chile, and on the west by the Pacific Ocean....
.) - CheetahCheetahThe cheetah is a large-sized feline inhabiting most of Africa and parts of the Middle East. The cheetah is the only extant member of the genus Acinonyx, most notable for modifications in the species' paws...
Conservation BotswanaBotswanaBotswana, officially the Republic of Botswana , is a landlocked country located in Southern Africa. The citizens are referred to as "Batswana" . Formerly the British protectorate of Bechuanaland, Botswana adopted its new name after becoming independent within the Commonwealth on 30 September 1966...
(BotswanaBotswanaBotswana, officially the Republic of Botswana , is a landlocked country located in Southern Africa. The citizens are referred to as "Batswana" . Formerly the British protectorate of Bechuanaland, Botswana adopted its new name after becoming independent within the Commonwealth on 30 September 1966...
) - Cheetah Conservation FundCheetah Conservation FundFounded in 1990, the Cheetah Conservation Fund has as its mission to be the world’s resource charged with protecting the cheetahs and ultimately ensuring its future on our planet...
(NamibiaNamibiaNamibia, officially the Republic of Namibia , is a country in southern Africa whose western border is the Atlantic Ocean. It shares land borders with Angola and Zambia to the north, Botswana to the east and South Africa to the south and east. It gained independence from South Africa on 21 March...
) - Proyecto Tití (Cotton-top TamarinCottontop TamarinThe cotton-top tamarin , also known as the Pinché tamarin, is a small New World monkey weighing less than 1 lb...
) (ColombiaColombiaColombia, officially the Republic of Colombia , is a unitary constitutional republic comprising thirty-two departments. The country is located in northwestern South America, bordered to the east by Venezuela and Brazil; to the south by Ecuador and Peru; to the north by the Caribbean Sea; to the...
) - Save The ElephantsSave the ElephantsSave the Elephants is a London-headquartered nonprofit organization founded in September 1993 by Iain Douglas-Hamilton. Save the Elephants works to sustain elephant populations and preserve the habitats in which elephants are found, while at the same time fostering a heightened appreciation and...
(CongoDemocratic Republic of the CongoThe Democratic Republic of the Congo is a state located in Central Africa. It is the second largest country in Africa by area and the eleventh largest in the world...
, GabonGabonGabon , officially the Gabonese Republic is a state in west central Africa sharing borders with Equatorial Guinea to the northwest, Cameroon to the north, and with the Republic of the Congo curving around the east and south. The Gulf of Guinea, an arm of the Atlantic Ocean is to the west...
, KenyaKenyaKenya , officially known as the Republic of Kenya, is a country in East Africa that lies on the equator, with the Indian Ocean to its south-east...
, MaliMaliMali , officially the Republic of Mali , is a landlocked country in Western Africa. Mali borders Algeria on the north, Niger on the east, Burkina Faso and the Côte d'Ivoire on the south, Guinea on the south-west, and Senegal and Mauritania on the west. Its size is just over 1,240,000 km² with...
and South AfricaSouth AfricaThe Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
) - Ethiopian WolfEthiopian WolfThe Ethiopian wolf , also known as the Abyssinian wolf, Abyssinian fox, red jackal, Simien fox, or Simien jackal is a canid native to Africa...
Conservation Program (EthiopiaEthiopiaEthiopia , officially known as the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, is a country located in the Horn of Africa. It is the second-most populous nation in Africa, with over 82 million inhabitants, and the tenth-largest by area, occupying 1,100,000 km2...
) - Niassa LionLionThe lion is one of the four big cats in the genus Panthera, and a member of the family Felidae. With some males exceeding 250 kg in weight, it is the second-largest living cat after the tiger...
Project (MozambiqueMozambiqueMozambique, officially the Republic of Mozambique , is a country in southeastern Africa bordered by the Indian Ocean to the east, Tanzania to the north, Malawi and Zambia to the northwest, Zimbabwe to the west and Swaziland and South Africa to the southwest...
) - OkapiOkapiThe okapi , Okapia johnstoni, is a giraffid artiodactyl mammal native to the Ituri Rainforest, located in the northeast of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, in Central Africa...
Conservation Project (Democratic Republic of Congo) - Saiga Conservation AllianceSaiga Conservation AllianceThe Saiga Conservation Alliance SCA is a network of researchers and conservationists working to study and protect the critically endangered Saiga Antelope and their habitat. The Saiga are often seen a major flagship species of the Central Asian and pre-Caspian steppes...
(UzbekistanUzbekistanUzbekistan , officially the Republic of Uzbekistan is a doubly landlocked country in Central Asia and one of the six independent Turkic states. It shares borders with Kazakhstan to the west and to the north, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan to the east, and Afghanistan and Turkmenistan to the south....
, KazakhstanKazakhstanKazakhstan , officially the Republic of Kazakhstan, is a transcontinental country in Central Asia and Eastern Europe. Ranked as the ninth largest country in the world, it is also the world's largest landlocked country; its territory of is greater than Western Europe...
, MongoliaMongoliaMongolia is a landlocked country in East and Central Asia. It is bordered by Russia to the north and China to the south, east and west. Although Mongolia does not share a border with Kazakhstan, its western-most point is only from Kazakhstan's eastern tip. Ulan Bator, the capital and largest...
, RussiaRussiaRussia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
and TurkmenistanTurkmenistanTurkmenistan , formerly also known as Turkmenia is one of the Turkic states in Central Asia. Until 1991, it was a constituent republic of the Soviet Union, the Turkmen Soviet Socialist Republic . Turkmenistan is one of the six independent Turkic states...
) - Small Cat Conservation Alliance (BorneoBorneoBorneo is the third largest island in the world and is located north of Java Island, Indonesia, at the geographic centre of Maritime Southeast Asia....
, SumatraSumatraSumatra is an island in western Indonesia, westernmost of the Sunda Islands. It is the largest island entirely in Indonesia , and the sixth largest island in the world at 473,481 km2 with a population of 50,365,538...
, ChileChileChile ,officially the Republic of Chile , is a country in South America occupying a long, narrow coastal strip between the Andes mountains to the east and the Pacific Ocean to the west. It borders Peru to the north, Bolivia to the northeast, Argentina to the east, and the Drake Passage in the far...
, ChinaChinaChinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
and others) - Snow Leopard ConservancySnow Leopard ConservancyThe Snow Leopard Conservancy SLC was founded in 2000 by Dr Rodney Jackson, a leading expert on snow leopards and their habitat. The Conservancy works to engage and incorporate local communities in protecting snow leopards in Pakistan, Nepal, Tajikistan, Mongolia, Russia and India...
(PakistanPakistanPakistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan is a sovereign state in South Asia. It has a coastline along the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Oman in the south and is bordered by Afghanistan and Iran in the west, India in the east and China in the far northeast. In the north, Tajikistan...
, NepalNepalNepal , officially the Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal, is a landlocked sovereign state located in South Asia. It is located in the Himalayas and bordered to the north by the People's Republic of China, and to the south, east, and west by the Republic of India...
, TajikistanTajikistanTajikistan , officially the Republic of Tajikistan , is a mountainous landlocked country in Central Asia. Afghanistan borders it to the south, Uzbekistan to the west, Kyrgyzstan to the north, and China to the east....
, MongoliaMongoliaMongolia is a landlocked country in East and Central Asia. It is bordered by Russia to the north and China to the south, east and west. Although Mongolia does not share a border with Kazakhstan, its western-most point is only from Kazakhstan's eastern tip. Ulan Bator, the capital and largest...
, RussiaRussiaRussia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
and IndiaIndiaIndia , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
)
Wildlife Conservation Expo
WCN hosts an annual expo in the San Francisco Bay Area that brings together donors, Partners, other conservationists and experts from around the world. Notable keynote speakers have included Dr. Jane GoodallJane Goodall
Dame Jane Morris Goodall, DBE , is a British primatologist, ethologist, anthropologist, and UN Messenger of Peace. Considered to be the world's foremost expert on chimpanzees, Goodall is best known for her 45-year study of social and family interactions of wild chimpanzees in Gombe Stream National...
, Dr. Iain Douglas-Hamilton
Iain Douglas-Hamilton
Iain Douglas-Hamilton, OBE, is a zoologist known for his study of elephants.He earned both a B.Sc. and a D.Phil. in zoology from Oriel College, Oxford, and he is the recipient of the 2010 Indianapolis Prize for his work on elephant conservation.His chief research interest is to understand elephant...
, and Peter Matthiessen
Peter Matthiessen
Peter Matthiessen is a two-time National Book Award-winning American novelist and non-fiction writer, as well as an environmental activist...
.
Scholarship Program
Since 2006 WCN has supported graduate students aspiring to become wildlife conservationists through a scholarship program. The program focuses on students committed to working on projects in their home countries where conservation efforts are needed.Solar Project
In 2005 WCN started providing solar electric systems such as solar water pumps, cookers, lighting, hot water and water purification systems to its Partner projects in South America, Africa and Asia.Wild4life
The Wild4life program is dedicated to combating the HIV/AIDS pandemic in the wildlife conservation community in Sub-Saharan AfricaSub-Saharan Africa
Sub-Saharan Africa as a geographical term refers to the area of the African continent which lies south of the Sahara. A political definition of Sub-Saharan Africa, instead, covers all African countries which are fully or partially located south of the Sahara...
. The program offers prevention, testing, counseling and treatment for the staff of field-based conservation programs in 12 Sub-Saharan countries.
Emergency Response Fund
The Emergency Response Fund was established as a reserve fund for unexpected emergencies where wildlifeWildlife
Wildlife includes all non-domesticated plants, animals and other organisms. Domesticating wild plant and animal species for human benefit has occurred many times all over the planet, and has a major impact on the environment, both positive and negative....
is in immediate danger. In 2009 this fund was used to help elephants suffering from a severe drought in Mali
Mali
Mali , officially the Republic of Mali , is a landlocked country in Western Africa. Mali borders Algeria on the north, Niger on the east, Burkina Faso and the Côte d'Ivoire on the south, Guinea on the south-west, and Senegal and Mauritania on the west. Its size is just over 1,240,000 km² with...
and also a rabies
Rabies
Rabies is a viral disease that causes acute encephalitis in warm-blooded animals. It is zoonotic , most commonly by a bite from an infected animal. For a human, rabies is almost invariably fatal if post-exposure prophylaxis is not administered prior to the onset of severe symptoms...
outbreak among Ethiopian wolves.
See also
- Snow Leopard ConservancySnow Leopard ConservancyThe Snow Leopard Conservancy SLC was founded in 2000 by Dr Rodney Jackson, a leading expert on snow leopards and their habitat. The Conservancy works to engage and incorporate local communities in protecting snow leopards in Pakistan, Nepal, Tajikistan, Mongolia, Russia and India...
- Saiga Conservation AllianceSaiga Conservation AllianceThe Saiga Conservation Alliance SCA is a network of researchers and conservationists working to study and protect the critically endangered Saiga Antelope and their habitat. The Saiga are often seen a major flagship species of the Central Asian and pre-Caspian steppes...
- Andean Cat AllianceAndean Cat AllianceThe Andean Cat Alliance , AGA is a network of researchers and conservationists working to study and protect the andean cat and its habitat in Argentina, Bolivia, Chile and Peru. The Alliance has managed to be the first to capture and radio-collar an andean cat; and they were also the first to...
- Save the ElephantsSave the ElephantsSave the Elephants is a London-headquartered nonprofit organization founded in September 1993 by Iain Douglas-Hamilton. Save the Elephants works to sustain elephant populations and preserve the habitats in which elephants are found, while at the same time fostering a heightened appreciation and...
- Cheetah Conservation FundCheetah Conservation FundFounded in 1990, the Cheetah Conservation Fund has as its mission to be the world’s resource charged with protecting the cheetahs and ultimately ensuring its future on our planet...
- Conservation movementConservation movementThe conservation movement, also known as nature conservation, is a political, environmental and a social movement that seeks to protect natural resources including animal, fungus and plant species as well as their habitat for the future....
- Environmental movementEnvironmental movementThe environmental movement, a term that includes the conservation and green politics, is a diverse scientific, social, and political movement for addressing environmental issues....
- SustainabilitySustainabilitySustainability is the capacity to endure. For humans, sustainability is the long-term maintenance of well being, which has environmental, economic, and social dimensions, and encompasses the concept of union, an interdependent relationship and mutual responsible position with all living and non...