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orn in the wild to captive reared parents. Decimated by leadpoisoning,
the California condor’s return to the skies over the
Pacific American seaboard is a remarkable tale of passionate
people, dedication and hope. The excitement surrounding the
discovery of these wild-born chicks was tempered in July with
confirmation the third chick had not survived a rock fall which
had smothered its nesting area. The incident served to remind
us all that nature truly is a wild and unpredictable force, and
one to be respected not least for its inimitable ways.
Half a world away in Africa, Save the Rhino Trust Namibia had
proudly reported 357 consecutive poaching free days in the
Kunene region, thanks to a highly effective patrolling and
monitoring programme whose roots run deep in the region’s
conservancy system which actively involves community
members in conservation initiatives. In July 2013, in Ishaqbini
Province, north eastern Kenya, grantee Northern Rangelands
Trust announced the birth of eight Hirola in a specially built
sanctuary managed by local community members. The fact
that all eight babies survived is an indication of the value of
sanctuaries in securing a future for one of the most threatened
antelopes in Africa, as well as benefiting the eco-tourism plans
of communities in north eastern Kenya.
>>Communications and Outreach
In 2013 we increased our public engagement efforts by
reaching out to supporters through social media and events as
well as through our existing network of colleagues. As part of
its strategy to attract new donors, SOS aims to communicate
these positive messages about wildlife conservation beyond
the conservation community.
The first major development was the enhancement and
expansion of the SOS website, launching a DONATE button as
well as improving the user experience with an interactive map
and making news content more “shareable” on the web. Also,
in early 2013, SOS launched its social media presence,
steadily building a community of supporters. In December we
passed the 30,000 friends milestone on Facebook and
approached 1,000 followers on Twitter.
In June, SOS nature – a photographic exhibition and series of
free public talks in the heart of Geneva – celebrated the
charismatic power of nature and wildlife in an effort to raise
awareness among the wider public. Taking place in La Cité du
Temps on an island in the Rhone, SOS nature ran for one
month, reaching several thousand visitors in that time.
In August, SOS discovered the power of crowd-funding by
helping to coordinate the iucn annual ‘Big Swim’ fundraising
event. The annual swim across Lac Léman from France to
Switzerland was a perfect fit to raise money for a project by
SOS grantee, the Endangered Wildlife Trust, to improve
protection measures for the Vulnerable Dugongs of Bazaruto
Archipelago National Park, Mozambique. With just three weeks
of fundraising activity, the team managed to raise $21,000 for
this project.
>>Growing the partnership
In 2012, Fondation Segré joined the SOS partnership, selecting
two projects to be supported under the Second Call for
Proposals. Its decision to fund two more projects under the
Third Call for Proposals issued in July 2013, was an encouraging
sign that SOS can offer a valuable service to foundations
looking for guidance on biodiversity funding decisions. SOS
continues to target other foundations in this vein.
SOS graciously received a bequest from Dr Susan Mainka
upon her passing. Sue was Director of the IUCN Global
Species Programme from 2000 to 2004 and was a passionate
supporter of action-oriented initiatives like SOS. The team and
in particular, Jean-Christophe Vié, who Sue had originally
hired, were touched deeply by this generosity. Like all
donations, this money will be channelled into projects to
maximise impact.
>>Summary
SOS is delivering conservation successes. While our ultimate
goal is to help protect threatened species, SOS must
communicate and attempt to grow the partnership, inviting
new donors to secure the necessary support that will fund
more projects. SOS is a dynamic instrument in the IUCN
toolkit that can help transform Red List knowledge into action
on the ground and connect partners with the global
conservation community. As such we continue to work to
profile SOS and its grantees’ success stories, while improving
SOS integration with relevant initiatives that have been
implemented by our colleagues across IUCN and the Global
Species Programme, especially.
Mission to Kenya. © Michel Gunther
Finally, SOS would like to express a big
and warm thanks to SSC members
who have contributed time and
expertise to SOS as well as to our
partners and donors. Truly, without all
these individual efforts we really could
not achieve so much. The challenge
remains to attract new partners in
order to fill the funding gap and
support more projects, leveraging our
combined talents, knowledge and
expertise. Let us continue to do so.
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