Latest newsletter – bees, turtles, alien invasive species and more
The local foundations which make up the Conservation Collective network have not been sitting pretty during this global pandemic. Given the situation we find ourselves in, the need for the funds they’re raising to propel the crucial work of local environmental champions has only intensified.
For me, a depressing side-effect of the pandemic is the reversal of recent progress made in the fight against single-use plastics. Personally, I’m averaging two complaints emails a week to restaurants and delivery services on the topic! It is encouraging therefore, to see our members continue to push the ‘plastic-free’ agenda forward:
- The Cyclades Preservation Fund‘s partners CleanBlueParos, have written a guide for hospitality businesses who want to keep reducing their plastic use whilst making sure customers stay safe and happy during the COVID-19 pandemic.
- The Lanka Environment Fund are arranging workshops focussed on a sustainability guide developed for small and medium scale tourism stakeholders, in partnership with the Sri Lanka Tourism Alliance.
- Plastic Free Ibiza & Formentera has launched its 2020 certification process for local businesses. This year, the targets have become even more ambitious, with companies able to attain up to 5 stars by becoming “zero waste” as well as eliminating single-use plastics.
In a sea of change, we are also delighted to see one of the newest members of the network, the Barbados Environmental Conservation Trust step in to support the famed Barbados Sea Turtle Project with a grant to ensure its work during the 2020 nesting season could continue following the loss of its main source of funds. There have been daily rescues and training for new cohorts of beach monitoring volunteers. This grant will also be used to help develop the organisation’s long term operational sustainability plan. In this newsletter you’ll find new ways the Conservation Collective network are adapting and supporting its local partners throughout the Covid-19 crisis.
We continue to get weekly requests to replicate the Conservation Collective model in new locations, a response to the natural human instinct to protect what we know and love. People who witnessed a revival of wildlife during lockdown – dolphins frolicking in peaceful bays whilst boating traffic was at an all time-low – are now asking what they can do to protect these magical species and their habitats as the pace of life picks up again.