COVID-19
RAINFOREST TRUST LAUNCHES COVID-19 EMERGENCY FUND
The COVID-19 pandemic turned the world upside down . For Dr . Abdullahi Ali of the Hirola Conservation Programme in Kenya , this applied to both local communities and the wildlife his organization works to protect . The government-imposed restrictions to reduce the spread of the virus were especially hard-hitting on economies like those in Kenya which depend heavily upon revenues from tourism . “ With the restrictions in place , things were incredibly difficult psychologically and economically for the local communities and even worse for conservation organizations as we tried to adjust to what seemed to be a new normal for us ,” he said . “ The high demand for alternative ways to reduce prevailing poverty , hunger , and malnutrition led to unprecedented poaching which was further aggravated by suspected commercial poachers taking advantage of the chaos to conduct cross border bushmeat trade .”
Many of Rainforest Trust ’ s partners experienced similar unprecedented challenges and threats to natural resources . For the first time in our history , Rainforest Trust mobilized to provide extraordinary support outside our projects by launching the COVID-19 Emergency Conservation Fund to provide additional financial support to our partners to meet the changes caused by the virus .
COVID-19 Emergency Conservation Fund grants have focused on increasing forest patrols , staff safety , operations and the use of technology . The following are examples of some of the work supported by the fund through 2020 :
• Hirola Conservation Programme in Kenya increased patrols and training in response to their poaching crisis , and purchased protective equipment such as masks so their staff can work safely .
• Yayasan Adudu Nantu Internasional ( YANI ) in Indonesia implemented a total of 109 days of forest protection patrols in their Nantu Wildlife Sanctuary , removing more than 60 snares set by poachers and even saving a Babirusa .
• Daluhay Daloy ng Buhay Inc . in the Philippines organized a wildlife rescue and environmental law enforcement group called SBKAL ’ N that ensures the safety of biodiversity and maintains the integrity of their reserves through increased patrols .
• Madagascar Primate Study and Research Group ( GERP ) launched 16 new community-led forest patrols in their reserves and provided hygiene kits to communities and local hospitals .
• Reserva Ecológica de Guapiaçu ( REGUA ) in Brazil retained key staff members who would have lost their jobs due to the tourism collapse . Now that their jobs are secure , those employees are working on plans to safely accept tourists again when travel is safe .
• Misión Tiburón in Costa Rica dedicated three people to continue patrols during the pandemic , along with boat fuel and protective equipment to ensure their team is safe while out conducting this important work .
Despite the many challenges , COVID-19 united us . Vaccinations have slowly restored some pre-pandemic normalcy , but coverage in the Global South remains low . Virus variants continue to pose threats globally , resulting in even greater pressure on natural resources and fragile ecosystems in many of the places where we work around the world . Rainforest Trust remains committed to our conservation goals and will continue to evaluate the situation on the ground with our partners to meet the evolving and emerging needs of our projects .
The COVID-19 Emergency Conservation Fund remains open and continues to fund requests from our partners . We are grateful to all who have generously supported this fund and for the leadership support of Edith McBean and The Louis Stewart Foundation .
PHOTOS Top : Shark tagging by partner Misión Tiburón , Costa Rica . Middle : The Vulnerable Babirusa of Indonesia . Photo by Craig Russell . Bottom : Partner , Hirola Conservation Programme , removes snares in Bura East Conservancy , Kenya .