500,000 Euro raised for old growth forest protection

We are happy to announce a significant funding success for European old growth forest conservation following Wild Europe’s September 2017 conference in Brussels. 

Some 500,000 Euro has since been raised, through participants at the conference, for various projects.

Within this total, a grant of over 320,000 Euro has been awarded for a mapping, ecosystem service and protection project involving a multi-country approach with particular focus on key areas in Central & Eastern European. It will also enable work on policy impact, benefits of non-extractive enterprise for local communities, exchange of best practice and new funding models.

Wild Europe submitted an initial project proposal to the organisers, based at Griffith University, Australia, in November. We then handed this over to the Frankfurt Zoological Society (see footnote), one of our key partners who provided an application that built on the Wild Europe version and adapted it to their specialist capacity and fieldwork.

Close links to the OGF Protection Strategy for Europe

The program to be undertaken by FZS will be closely linked with the wider Old Growth Forest Protection Strategy produced by Wild Europe. 

This is part of a wider international initiative to support primary forests – highlighting threats to their existence and raising their profile as major providers of ecosystem services. A separate grant in excess of 300,000 Euro, within the same initiative, is being awarded for work on old growth forest in Russia. 

Footnote:  Wild Europe’s current constitution precludes the holding of contracts, in line with our key operating principle agreed with our partners, to support rather than compete with them.