Contact: Anne Sayers, Director of Marketing & Communications, 608-356-9462 x 118, 608-658-0186 (cell)
Baraboo, WI, September 23, 2015 – The International Crane Foundation has been awarded a $20,000 grant from the Disney Conservation Fund. The conservation grant recognizes the International Crane Foundation’s efforts to protect Wattled and Grey Crowned Cranes on Zambia’s Liuwa Plain, while building the capacity of local park scouts and community members to conserve these precious natural resources.
“Western Zambia’s Liuwa Plain is critical for the future of two iconic African crane species – the Vulnerable Wattled Crane and Endangered Grey Crowned Crane. We are thrilled to receive the Disney Conservation Fund’s support to better understand how different land uses, especially fisheries activity, impact cranes and their habitats in this diverse region, with the ultimate goal of both reducing the threats to cranes and improving the lives of local people,” explained Dr. Rich Beilfuss, President & CEO of the International Crane Foundation.
With the support of the Disney Conservation Fund, the International Crane Foundation and partners in Zambia will research the links between human activities and growing threats to cranes on the Liuwa Plain. Building on this new understanding, the team members will train local park scouts and community members to reduce threats to cranes associated with different activities in the park, while sustaining livelihoods in the region.
The Disney Conservation Fund focuses on protecting wildlife and connecting kids and families with nature. Since its founding in 1995, DCF has provided more than $30 million to support conservation programs in 115 countries. Projects were selected to receive awards based upon their efforts to study wildlife, protect habitats and develop community conservation and education programs in critical ecosystems.
For information on Disney’s commitment to conserve nature and a complete list of 2015 grant recipients, visit ww.disney.com/conservation.
# # #
The International Crane Foundation works worldwide to conserve cranes and the ecosystems, watersheds,
and flyways on which they depend. To learn more, visit www.savingcranes.org.