Media contact: Pamela Seelman, Marketing Director, International Crane Foundation, 608-320-0685.
Baraboo, Wisconsin – The International Crane Foundation has been awarded two grants by the Disney Conservation Fund (DCF) for their work to conserve the rich biodiversity of the Ayeyarwady Delta in Myanmar to protect Sarus Cranes and to continue to strengthen efforts for the recovery of the critically endangered Siberian Crane in East Asia.
During its 25th anniversary year, the Disney Conservation Fund is proud to continue providing critical support to community-led conservation efforts globally. The fund has been supporting local efforts around the world aimed at saving wildlife, inspiring action and protecting the planet with more than $100 million distributed to nonprofit organizations since 1995.
The Sarus Cranes-Floating Rice-Livelihoods project will conserve rich biodiversity in the Ayeyarwady Delta by supporting sustainable floating rice agriculture through workshops, product marketing and awareness campaigns. Increasing conservation of these managed natural wetlands will increase farmers’ income and maintain critical habitat for endangered Myanmar Sarus Cranes and biodiversity.
“The new grant in Myanmar will bring together farmers and conservationists to strengthen linkages between traditional floating rice agriculture and natural wetland management to save the largest remaining population of Sarus Crane in the country.” noted Spike Millington, Vice President and Director of Asia Programs.”
The foundation will also expand and strengthen efforts for the recovery of the Siberian Crane through continuation of funding to support work to monitor and protect the vital stopover sites along the birds’ more-than-three-thousand-mile migration path. Model schools along the flyway will include cranes and wetlands in their curriculum and local communities will be inspired to value and protect the wetlands so important to both people and cranes. This is the seventh year of funding for this project.
Millington continued, “DCF’s continued support to saving Siberian Cranes enables the International Crane Foundation to target conservation activities at critical sites along the species’ long migration route from Arctic Russia to the Yangtze valley floodplains of southeast China. Disney’s support has and will make a difference to crane and wetland conservation in Asia, for which the International Crane Foundation is deeply appreciative.”
DCF grant recipients are selected based on their efforts to implement comprehensive community wildlife conservation programs, stabilize and increase populations of at-risk animals and engage communities in conservation in critical ecosystems around the world.
For information on Disney’s commitment to conserve nature and a complete list of grant recipients visit here.