Disney Worldwide Conservation Fund Awards its 1,000th Conservation Grant

Conservation has been at the heart of The Walt Disney Company since its inception.

For me, this time-honored tradition of nature conservation and environmental stewardship is one of the company’s most impressive legacies. So it’s especially gratifying to be able to share with you the news that this year, the Disney Worldwide Conservation Fund (DWCF) has reached its milestone 1,000th grant with its latest round of funding.

In fact, the DWCF has provided, since its founding in 1995, $24 million in grants to conservation programs in more than half the countries around the world.

Here’s just a mere snapshot of this year’s 150 recipients, selected for their efforts to study wildlife, protect habitats and develop community conservation and education programs in critical ecosystems:

• Andean Cat Alliance via Wildlife Conservation Network workswith communities in Argentina to initiate income-generating programs that are linked to the conservation of the Andean cat and other local carnivores.
• Ngogo Chimpanzee Project, Inc. studies a large community of chimpanzees at Ngogo Kibale National Park, Uganda, some of which appeared in the Disneynature film, Chimpanzee. The organization has built schools to enable broader educational and community conservation efforts to protect chimpanzees and other forest wildlife.

• Operation Migration has reintroduced Whooping Cranes back to the wild using an ultralight aircraft to teach birds to migrate from Wisconsin to Florida. DWCF has been supporting this project since its inception in 2000.
• University of Miami Rosenstiel School of Marine and Atmospheric Science studies sharks through satellite transmitters to understand their migration patterns, and nursery and feeding grounds. The University has also helped to establish and manage protected areas for sharks and other animals in the Atlantic Ocean.
• Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) assesses the reintroduction efforts of the Chinese alligator population, which were released in Chongming Island in 2007. WCS also engages youth in Shanghai and nearby communities in field monitoring and conservation efforts to help protect this species.

To view a complete list of 2013 DWCF grant recipients, as well as additional information on Disney’s commitment to conserve nature, visit Disney.com/Conservation.