Join in with the Big Give Green Match initiative and support Human-Wildlife Coexistence
Our wildlife partners and friends at David Shepherd Wildlife Foundation (DSWF) have launched the Big Give Green Match Fund, where for one week all donations will be DOUBLED*.
Wildlife landscapes are shrinking across our planet, putting people and wildlife in direct competition. The increased rivalry for land and resources, and the destruction of habitats continue to threaten endangered species.
As local communities rely on livestock and agriculture to survive and earn income, when wild animals encroach, destroy and prey in and around human settlements, it can lead to persecution, injury and in some cases death of both people and animals.
Human-wildlife conflict not only threatens the livelihoods of some 500 million smallholder farmers, but also hinders wildlife conservation.
Can you imagine a tiger roaming your neighbourhood?
Many iconic species such as elephants and rhino need space to roam, while big cats such as snow leopards and tigers are also widely dispersed and territorial.
The growth of infrastructure and expansion of commercial and agricultural land in developing countries is leading to shrinking and fragmented habitats for wildlife, which ultimately gives animals little option but to unintentionally encroach on human settlements which were previously wilderness havens.
Recently, in local villages in Andhra Pradesh, South India, two tigers have been seen preying on livestock, with 70 cows and goats killed so far. The tiger attacks have caused great financial loss to the local people, and created panic and fear among the residents.
Conflict to Co-Existence
DSWF is working hard to enable forest and wildlife rangers to mitigate conflict situations such as these and support local communities before residents take retaliatory action against wildlife or a person is attacked and killed.
It is only by empowering local communities and investing in human-wildlife solutions that we can create peaceful co-existence between people and wildlife, and ultimately protecting endangered species already on the brink of extinction.
A gift of £20, or any other amount you are able to donate, could be doubled to £40! This will go towards running educational awareness workshops with local communities living alongside endangered species, and enabling mitigation interventions to reduce human-wildlife conflict.
Learn more about how DSWF ensures peaceful co-existence between local communities and wildlife.
- £30 could run an awareness / coexistence meeting with local people
- £50 could equip one frontline ranger to mitigate conflict – torchlights, tents, GPS devices and rescue kits
- £75 could supply a farmer with chilli bombs for a season to deter wildlife from crops and livestock
- £160 could build a bricked predator-proof shed for a local farmer
- £200 could pay for a wildlife enclosure for a livestock farmer to protect their cattle
*All donations made via the Big Give webpage up to the first £20,000 will be matched.
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