Building local capacity to monitor and safeguard Pangolins, the world’s most trafficked wild mammal

Pangolins are fully protected by Ghana’s wildlife laws, but monitoring and enforcement are lacking, and Pangolin sales on roadsides, bushmeat markets and food joints are largely ignored. The Atewa Forest in Ghana’s Eastern Region is a critical habitat for Pangolins, while the nearby Accra-Kumasi highway is a key live-pangolin trading spot.
This project aims to contribute to pangolin protection and survival through actions identified in the IUCN-SSC-PSG Pangolin Action Plan, focusing on urgent data and information gaps to improve pangolin conservation decision making and engender local support for pangolin protection.
This will include building local capacity with key local stakeholders for monitoring population, distribution, habitat use and captures to improve understanding of conservation needs, priority areas for conservation efforts and facilitating rescues and release of confiscated animals. Post release monitoring will be supported by ongoing monitoring from trackers and utilisation of camera traps to assess success and survivorship of released individuals. Data obtained through the project will be shared with the Ghana Wildlife Division and IUCN-SSC-PSG to inform conservation decisions and planning for long term protection of Pangolins. Taronga funding will also support behaviour change and awareness campaign within local schools and community groups, promoting the ecological importance and protection status of Pangolin. 

Replantation of an illegal encroachment area to recover vital Orangutan habitat in Samboja Lestari, Indonesia

BOS is the world’s largest Orangutan conservation organisation, with sister organisations around the globe supporting their work, which focuses on Orangutan rescue, reintroduction and habitat conservation both in East and Central Kalimantan. BOS opened the Orangutan rehabilitation centre at Samboja Lestari, East Kalimantan in 2001 on a 1,853-hectares a plot of degraded land. BOS continues to restore this area through reforestation, maintenance of newly rehabilitated land and fire management. BOS Australia wants to reforest 3-hectares of a former encroachment area in Samboja Lestari to protect it from further exploitation. This area is part of the future Indonesian capital IKN Nusantara city forest and is essential for the habitat of 116 Oorangutans and 75 Sun Bears currently under their care. BOS work closely with the local community leaders, benefiting from their traditional knowledge and funding will also support the delivery of educational programs with the help of the indigenous communities to raise public awareness about the importance of a city forest for wildlife conservation.

Restoring Canopy Habitats: Epiphyte Integration for Abronia campbelli Conservation

Campbell's Alligator Lizard, Abronia campbelli, is classified as Critically Endangered and has been considered on the brink of extinction since its discovery due to extreme habitat loss. Described as a new species only in 1993, it was presumed to be extinct shortly after this, but a small population was re-discovered in 2010.  It is a fully arboreal lizard that lives only in bromeliads and other epiphytes found in two species of oak tree. This project aims to improve and accelerate habitat restoration for the conservation of Abronia campbelli, through the integration of vascular epiphytes into growing native tree plantations. This project will document the diversity, abundance, and colonization of key vascular epiphytic plants, generating the knowledge and skills essential to enrich and accelerate habitat restoration which will support the recovery of mature forest conditions and habitat for the species. The results will be applied to 160 hectares of current restored habitat and all future habitat restorations.

 Restoring Southern Africa's Endangered Sand Forest with “The Green Mambas” Rewilding Team

Wild Tomorrow is a wildlife nonprofit that secures, protects, and restores natural habitats. This project is focused on the creation of a wildlife corridor nature reserve in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa, in one of the world’s 36 biodiversity hotspots. This area comprises of a critically endangered sand forest which occurs along a thin stretch of ancient sand dunes and is home to endemic plant species and rare birds and mammals, including the four-toed sengi (or Elephant Shrew) and the tiny Suni Antelope. The team will restore 24- hectares of sand forest and plant 15,000 trees, including the removal of invasive and encroaching species and replanting 20 species of sand forest plants and trees. This sand forest project is the first attempt to restore this fragile and understudied habitat type and they have enlisted the support of Dr. Francois du Randt, who wrote the seminal book on "The Sand Forests of Maputaland" (2018).

Wild Tomorrow’s ecosystem restoration projects have created full-time employment for “The Green Mambas,” a team of 14 Zulu women (and one Zulu man), whose wages collectively support more than 100 dependents. This funding will double the capacity and size of the nursery and employ a full-time Green Mamba nursery supervisor as well as fund the restoration activities.
 

OceanID

Invasive turtle tagging, a process often used to monitor and study turtle populations, poses several problems due to its potential impact on the health and behaviour of the turtles as well as ethical and environmental considerations. Advances in technology have led to the development of less invasive methods such as OceanID which significantly reduces any impact on Sea Turtles whilst still providing valuable data for researchers. Using the best in facial recognition artificial intelligence technology, OceanID creates individual profiles for Sea Turtles via photo capture of the left facial side profile. Once a unique profile is established, subsequent sightings are linked and can provide real time feedback on individuals or populations within a search area.

This technology has the potential to have significant impact on turtle conservation through increased data collection, enhanced monitoring capability and collaboration and a positive shift to non-invasive and cost- effective methods for data collection. These conservation benefits will be achieved through a phased roll-out of the OceanID project and mobile digital application, beginning with engagement on the East Australian Coastline, then a broader geographical area to encompass migratory routes. The design of the OceanID mobile digital application prototype is complete, and this funding supports phase two2, where the project seeks to enable the mobile digital application to accept image uploads, use these images for the purposes of machine learning and adaption of human facial recognition technology to Sea Turtle facial side profiles.
 

Prospective Non-Lethal Effects of Wire Snare Poaching

Wire snaring is one of the most deadly and common forms of subsistence poaching employed globally. The prospective non-lethal effects of humans on wildlife are understudied and this project aims to assess the prospective nutritional and reproductive costs of living with a snare injury, as well as behavioural responses to snare occurrence on the landscape, in an African lLion population in Murchison Falls National Park, Uganda.

The team will collaborate with the Ugandan Wildlife Authority to reduce snare density with confiscated snares given to the local Snares to Wares community initiative, to be repurposed into sculptures that support alternate livelihood opportunities for the local community. It is estimated that snare removal at a rate of two2 snares/km2 would result in the lion population almost doubling and reaching carrying capacity within 18 years. Each of the ten prides in the park will have at least one GPS collared individual, with the team to relate movement data to a map via resource selection functions to assess whether likelihood of snare occurrence is influencing lion movement, further targeting snare removal efforts.

This project will provide a more complete picture of how non-target poaching shapes wildlife populations whilst simultaneously empowering local communities to engage in conservation work in a biodiverse region
 

Science and Community for Chinese Pangolin Conservation in Sindhupalchok District, Nepal

The Chinese Pangolin, is facing a severe crisis in Nepal due to rampant poaching, illegal trade, and habitat destruction. Once commonly found in the region's forests, their populations are now critically endangered, worsened by trafficking routes along the Arniko Highway, a key link between Nepal and China. This project aims to combat this crisis by disrupting the trafficking networks and reversing the pangolin population decline in Sindhupalchok.

It will employ camera trapping and occupancy modelling to gather essential data on pangolin distribution and habitat, address local attitudes and drivers of poaching through social surveys, and engage the community through training and awareness campaigns. By combining scientific research with community engagement, the project seeks to improve conservation outcomes, reduce threats, and strengthen legal protections for the Chinese Pangolin and its habitat.
 

Using camera traps for the monitoring and management of endangered Chimpanzees in southern Burundi

Demand for land in Burundi is high. More than 90% of Burundian’s livelihoods depend on subsistence farming and to generate sufficient yields, farmers utilise relatively large areas of land cleared of native forest to farmland. The few remaining small, isolated forest fragments in the country’s south, along with Kibira National Park in the north, are the last refuges for Burundi’s dwindling chimpanzee population.

This project, working with the Jane Goodall Institute Australia (JGIA), will provide critical baseline data including size, demographics, socioecology, and spatiotemporal ranging patterns of the chimpanzee community, will enable the development an evidence-based conservation strategy for this chimpanzee community, and contribute to a regional management plan for chimpanzees and their habitats across southern Burundi and northwestern Tanzania.
 

First artificial reefs project in Loky Manambato marine protected area, North-East Madagascar.

In Madagascar, use of the artificial reef “Fishes Banking ecotechnology” developed by the VOIZO Madagascar Association, is becoming a key tool for creating and restoring coral reefs and boosting marine biodiversity in Marine Protected Areas. The Loky Manambato MPA located in North-East Madagascar, is suffering from a significant decline in health and with loss of coral cover up to 10% per year for some species due to anthropic issues. This project will see the deployment of large-scale artificial reef across six fishing villages, covering about 2,000 m² of the leading to significant and lasting improvements in marine ecosystems.

The artificial reefs, crafted from coral rubble and stone mixed with cement by local fishermen, will enhance habitat complexity and reef surface area, thereby increasing local marine resources and biodiversity. Designed to endure high wave energy and adapt to climate change, these structures will mimic natural reefs with various holes and crevices, creating habitats for diverse fish species. Initially, 600 structures will be placed in two pilot sites, with a total of 1,400 structures to be deployed in degraded shallow areas and reef flats of four fishing villages. To ensure long-term success, the project will also involve local fishermen in managing four artificial reef gardens at the restoration sites.
 

Bacon Bugs - Farming edible insects to reduce Lemur hunting in Anjanaharibe-Sud, Madagascar

Lemurs in Madagascar are the most threatened mammal group globally, with 98% of the 112 species classified as threatened by the IUCN Red List. The local population's high poverty rate, with 80% living below the global poverty line, drives habitat encroachment, illegal bushmeat trade, and unsustainable agricultural practices within protected areas, negatively affecting biodiversity. The Anjanaharibe Sud Special Reserve (ASSR) is crucial for wildlife, housing at least 12 lemur species.

This project aims to mitigate anthropogenic pressures on ASSR by offering local communities an alternative to bushmeat. It will introduce sakondry (Zanna tenebrosa), a protein-rich tropical planthopper bug, as a sustainable protein source. Known for its meaty taste and high protein and fiber content, sakondry will be farmed using bean plants that support the insects. Training will focus on sustainable farming and harvesting practices to enhance food security and reduce reliance on natural resources.

To measure the project's impact, the Forest Ranger team will conduct annual habitat and wildlife assessments in surrounding areas to establish baseline data on habitat quality and lemur populations, tracking changes over time.
 

Feeding the Future: Planting Glossy Black-Cockatoo Feed Trees in the Nambucca

The Glossy Black-Cockatoo is listed as Vulnerable under New South Wales and Commonwealth legislation. It primarily feeds on the seeds of she-oaks, such as Forest Oak (Allocasuarina torulosa) and Black She-oak (Allocasuarina littoralis). The 2019 Black Summer bushfires severely damaged its habitat, and while some cockatoos have sought refuge in coastal areas, they still lack adequate habitat.

This project will host an educational workshop featuring experts to raise awareness about the Glossy Black- Cockatoo’s plight, its cultural significance, and effective regeneration practices. Additionally, it will distribute feed trees to landholders through an expression of interest (EOI) process to ensure targeted and efficient replanting across the Nambucca Valley. This approach aims to prioritize key habitat sites and engage landholders in the restoration effort, which is vital for the success of the revegetation project.
 

Saola Foundation for Annamite Mountains Conservation 

The Saola was discovered in the forests of Vietnam in 1992 and is listed as Critically Endangered on the IUCN Red List, potentially being the world's most endangered terrestrial large mammal. It is endemic to the Annamite Mountains along the border of Vietnam and Laos, estimated to house fewer than 100 Saola across 25,000km2.

Actions to conserve the Soala are critical due to:

1. Genetic distinctiveness. As a large mammal in its own genus, one Saola holds a considerable amount of irreplaceable biodiversity in its genes. 
2. Degree of endangerment – possibly the world's most endangered large terrestrial mammal. 
3. Paucity of conservation attention. Saola is at much higher risk of extinction than some other animals with much greater levels of funding and attention. 
4. Conservation flagship of a global biodiversity hotspot, the Annamite Mountains.

Finding Saola and developing effective field techniques to track Saola to allow eventual safe capture, is a challenge that the Saola Foundation was built to meet and have designed a novel, integrated search program, and have assembled a team and international partnerships to implement it successfully.

International Crane Foundation (ICF)

The ICF works to safeguard Africa’s cranes by protecting and restoring the wetlands and grasslands on which they, and many human communities, depend. The Kafue Flats wetland in Zambia is a Wetland of International Importance (Ramsar Site), and a recently designated UNESCO Man and Biosphere Reserve, providing critical habitat for endemic, Vulnerable Kafue Lechwe antelope, and the world’s largest population (30% of global total) of Vulnerable Wattled Cranes, other waterbirds of conservation concern (including Endangered Grey Crowned Cranes). It’s also an important migratory staging post for many of its over 470 bird species. The vast Kafue Flats (6500km2) comprise Lochinvar and Blue Lagoon National Parks, and the surrounding Kafue Flats Game Management Area. The Flats are densely inhabited with subsistence farmers, fishers, and pastoralists, whose livelihoods depend on the abundant land and water resources of the open floodplains. 

Since the early 1980’s, the Kafue Flats has experienced significant spread of invasive alien plant species – particularly Mimosa pigra, an aggressive, thorny shrub native to South America, which is invasive in many wetlands around the world, adversely affecting native biodiversity by restricting access to food and fresh water, altering local microclimates, and undermining tourism development. 

Between 2017-2020 the ICF restored habitat in the Kafue Flats through the removal of Mimosa using a highly effective mix of invasive species control techniques and a community-based approach to ecological restoration that resulted in an increase in rural employment. 2,305ha was cleared of Mimosa, which was 76.8% of the total baseline cover (approximately 3,000ha) in the entire Kafue Flats ecosystem. To ensure previous project gains are maintained, it is essential that previously cleared areas are re-visited, and any Mimosa re-growing from the soil seed bank is removed before it establishes again. 

Endangered Wildlife Trust (EWT)

South Africa’s Soutpansberg Mountains are the country’s most northern range, the southern extent of Africa’s Eastern Afromontane mountain belt. Like many isolated mountains, they are home to a large number of endemic species of insects, plants, reptiles, scorpions and even spiders. The EWT has identified the urgency to protect these mountains due to the numbers of highly-threatened and endemic species, its extraordinary variety of important habitat types, its crucial role as a water factory, and its value as a centre of cultural heritage for many communities. Currently less than 2% of the area is formally protected.

This project aims to enlarge the Soutpansberg Protected Area (SPA), through securing 6000ha of additional conservation land through the use of conservation servitudes (easements). EWT has been working with neighbouring landowners, engaging and educating them on important conservation issues and have jointly formed a landowners association and co-developed a framework management plan with guidelines on conservation management across the mountain.

The EWT proposes, through this project, to initiate Conservation Servitude Agreements with landowners on the western Soutpansberg, which is not only binding with the parties that entered into the agreement, but also on the landowner’s successors in title. Doing so will protect these mountains, the habitats, and species they serve, and the ecosystem services they provide.

New Nature Foundation (NNF)

The focus of this project is in and around Uganda's Kibale National Park, a 795km2 protected area in the Albertine Rift Biodiversity Hot Spot and highlighting the endangered Ashy Red Colobus. 

Kibale houses the largest extant population (and likely the only viable population), more than 20,000 of a total population of 25,000 individuals. Having been logged extensively in the past, more than 200km2 of Kibale have been taken over by native (Acanthus pubescens) and non-native (Lantana camara) plants that have kept the natural forest from regenerating in the previously logged areas. By eradicating or greatly reducing these two plant species and encouraging regrowth of the natural forest, habitat for Ashy Red Colobus will be effectively increased. Concurrently, conversion of those two plant species into cooking fuel will reduce the current pressures local human populations are putting on the forest. 

Elephants for Africa (EfA)

EfA is a research and conservation organisation working in and around the Makgadikgadi Pans National Park (MPNP) working to conserve African Savannah Elephants and reduce human-elephant conflict (HEC) through education, community empowerment and understanding elephant behaviour. 

Botswana is home to the largest remaining elephant population. Despite increasing poaching levels, HEC remains the greatest threat to elephant in Botswana, as well as HEC threatening the livelihoods and lives of the agropastoral communities who share the land.

This project focuses on constructing solar-powered electric fences around a cluster of 50 farms across 150ha to protect against crop-raiding elephants. This cluster fence will have effective, long-lasting, and quantifiable conservation impacts by increasing tolerance for elephants at the human-elephant interface by protecting livelihoods, increasing food security, reducing conflict and subsequently helping prevent retaliatory elephant killings. 

Birdlife 

This project aims to reduce nest predation by native (and threatened) mammalian predators to increase reproductive output of wild Regent Honeyeaters. We will use a new approach known as “olfactory misinformation”. Olfactory misinformation works by undermining the use of the scent cues used by predators to locate prey and has been demonstrated at large scales to improve nest survival in wild birds by over 50% when deployed against a range of omnivorous and carnivorous mammalian predators, such as rats, cats, ferrets, and hedgehogs. 

Employing this technique against native marsupial predators offers multiple benefits: 

1. it will improve viability of wild Regent Honeyeater population through reduced nest predation; 
2. it will improve understanding of how and why Regent Honeyeaters (and other woodland birds) are vulnerable to arboreal marsupial predators; and 
3. it offers opportunities to test a novel non-lethal tool with global applications for protecting threatened prey from native predators, especially when predators may also be a threatened species. 

Project Numbat 

There are only three main populations of wild numbats found in Western Australia with a total estimated population of around 1500 individuals. Even though the numbers of numbats have risen over recent years this is still a fairly small and potentially unsustainable population given the fragile nature of their habitat due to regularly occurring events such as bush fires. Project Numbat have been providing vital information on the current numbat populations in the Boyagin region for many years using camera trap data. Due to several recent sightings, they now have reason to believe there may be additional undocumented individuals or even populations of numbats in the neighbouring Boddington region. 
 
This project would involve expanding camera trap surveys to include this area to gain a better understanding of the numbers of animals there and if they are residing in this region. If Numbats were found to be thriving in this area it would not only boost their numbers but provide essential new habitat, which is a high priority objective of the current Numbat Recovery Plan.
 

Wildlife Conservation Research Unit

This project aims to conserve and connect a meta-population of jaguars within a reserve network in the Cerrado ecoregion, Brazil. Jaguars, South America’s largest predator and key component for biodiversity maintenance, has been exterminated from 54% of their global distribution and 65% of the former distribution in Brazil. The Cerrado is South America’s second largest biome and is considered a global biodiversity hotspot, but it is threatened because only 20% of the original vegetation remains because of transformations to agricultural lands. Jaguars have been exterminated throughout most of the Cerrado, however, using just a few cameras, they have recently detected a ‘hidden’ jaguar population in the region– a low-density breeding population, including females with cubs, that uses small, isolated reserves (including an urban park) and private lands over a vast area. 

There is an urgent need to better document this cryptic population of jaguars, with the potential to connect jaguars throughout the entire southern portion of their distribution. This work will also help address the threats of fragmentation and climate change for the Cerrado because our results will be used by the government for better protection of parks, expansion of parks, and establish of corridors on private lands – which ultimately will help expand and better conserve threatened Cerrado habitat, positively impacting jaguars and other wildlife.

Woodland Park Zoo (WPZ)

WPZ’s Tree Kangaroo Conservation Program (TKCP) works with customary landowners and communities among 50 remote villages to manage Papua New Guinea’s first-ever nationally protected Conservation Area (YUS Conservation Area) in Morobe Province to protect the endangered Matschie’s Tree Kangaroo, Long-Beaked Echidna, and other species.

This project builds on a 2020/2021 Taronga-supported initiative to strengthen the protected area’s monitoring program through the application of Spatial Monitoring and Reporting Tool (SMART) Ranger Patrol system in YUS. Over the next two years, TKCP will expand, improve upon, and integrate methods and tools to effectively monitor land use and forest cover at the community, ward, and landscape levels to further strengthen the management and protection of the entire 162,683ha YUS Conservation Area. The project will provide technical assistance for the integration of Land Use and Natural Resource metrics, with training provided for the YUS Rangers and Land Use Mapping Officers. TKCP will also expand and incorporate its use of Drone and Landsat Imagery into the YUS monitoring program, supporting improved management using GIS and Remote Sensing analyses. Together, these efforts will enable the responsive, adaptive management of the YUS Conservation Area’s primary threats to habitat, biodiversity, and climate resilience: subsistence-based resource extraction and small-scale agricultural land conversion.

Endangered Wildlife Trust (EWT)

This project aims to investigate the use working dogs in the fight against poaching with wire snares. This form of poaching is an increasing problem in the Soutpansberg Protected Area (SPA) and in the southern parts of the Kruger National Park (KNP). Although field rangers conduct regular anti-poaching and de-snaring patrols in both the SPA and KNP, the bush is thick in many areas, making snares incredibly difficult to locate visually. Our project will test the effectiveness of a novel technique – using dogs trained to track people and locate snares using scent – to reduce the impact of snare poaching in these protected areas. 

The EWT has a Conservation Canine Unit, which fulfils two important functions to support anti-poaching initiatives and to combat the smuggling of wildlife: detecting wildlife contraband and tracking poachers within protected areas. We will record and evaluate snare detection rates to demonstrate the effectiveness of the dogs as a rapid detection method to curb snare poaching activities. The EWT canine unit would deploy a tracking dog in both the SPA and KNP to monitor for illegal incursions. To summarise, the aim of our project is to detect poacher incursions, identify points of entry and exit, locate and remove snares, and follow routes taken by poachers to better inform deployment of anti-poaching patrols. 

Conservation International Fiji

Five of the worlds seven species of marine turtle are found in Fiji. Harvesting of marine turtle shell, meat, eggs for sale or consumption was banned in 1995, however culturally the harvest and use of turtles in traditional practices remains in effect, especially in rural maritime areas such as the Lau Seascape. 

Conservation International is lead facilitator of the Lau Seascape Initiative which consists of a consortium of twelve partners working to execute the Lau Seascape Strategy 2018-2030. The Strategy supports the commitment of traditional resource owners to be wise stewards of their natural capital through conservation and sustainable development. It has unanimous support from the Chiefs of Lau, and represents an enormous undertaking in collaborative scientific, economic, and social research and planning. 

As part of the Strategy, in November 2020, Duff Reef was successfully declared a turtle sanctuary. Within the sanctuary is a significant turtle nesting site, believed to be the primary nesting site of Green Sea Turtles in particular, in the Lau group. This project aims to address gaps in scientific knowledge through tagging and collecting baseline data, restoration actions around Duff Reef to protect nesting beaches and community education and engagement, nurturing critical relationships between traditional custodians and other stakeholders. Duff Reef is one place in one province – but it has captured national and international attention, and by making the sanctuary a conservation and social success, we will provide anchor point and model for replication and coordination within Lau and within Fiji. 

Giraffe Conservation Foundation (GCF)

While most African countries don’t necessarily have a shortage of veterinarians, few have the specialised skills, confidence or experience in wildlife veterinary medicine. GCF is determined to make a long-term impact by providing young African vets the opportunity to gain hands-on experience in wildlife immobilisation through a ten-day intensive theoretical and practical field course hosted in Namibia by some of the industry’s leading experts. 

All procedures of the course are part of ongoing conservation management efforts and activities included GPS satellite unit attachment/collaring, health checks and moving animals to different camps within the reserve. Through these hands-on procedures the participants gained a working knowledge of all components of wildlife veterinary medicine and experience with a variety of immobilization protocols and species. Furthermore, participants had an opportunity to develop their leadership, communication, critical thinking, and crisis management skills through lectures and theoretical discussions, as well as being placed in charge of actual immobilization procedures from start to finish.

The need for upskilling young nationals of their respective countries has been highlighted in almost every African conservation strategy and this includes wildlife veterinarians, who play an extremely important role in conservation. 

Banda Community at Nyungwe National Park (RAISE HOPE)

Access to family planning has been shown a to reduce poverty, hunger, maternal and infant mortality, and contribute to women’s empowerment and long-term environmental sustainability. In many resource-limited countries such Rwanda there is still a high and unmet need for access to family planning. 

The Nyungwe forest has incredibly high wildlife diversity and endemism, making it a priority for conservation. A quarter of all of Africa’s primates, 13 species, can be found here, including the common chimpanzee and two Albertine Rift endemics, L’Hoest’s monkey and Hamlyn’s monkey. The Rwenzori colobus has been observed in a single group of 400 individuals, the largest ever recorded of any primate on the continent. The area faces challenges including unsustainable hunting and encroachment with 69% of the population around the forest living in extreme poverty with large family sizes reliant on Nyungwe forest for daily living. Reports show uncontrolled population growth with 34% of pregnancies around protected regions are unplanned. 

The purpose of this project is to contribute to reduction and limitation of forest dependence resulting from overpopulation growth around Nyungwe National Park through integration of family planning services into environmental biodiversity conservation through community outreach, natural resource education and improved access to family planning services to assist the community and nature to thrive together. 

Field Projects will be chosen based on the listed criteria below, but only after ensuring that the following principles have been accepted; if any one of these principles cannot be met, the institution should carefully reconsider whether the project should proceed at all.
Principles:

1. Only projects that demonstrate measurable conservation outcomes in the field will be supported. Projects with an education component are strongly encouraged but measurable outcomes must relate to the species/habitat impact expected rather than community impact alone.
2. Projects must  consider alignment to applicable IUCN Sustainable Development Goals (https://sdgs.un.org/goals) .
3. It is understood that in situ conservation projects do not need to have captive breeding/management components, nor that the focal/target species need to necessarily be held in zoos.
4. Where in situ conservation projects involve reintroduction or relocation, such processes must be endorsed by relevant government bodies (evidence required) and adhere to all relevant policies and conventions governing the movement and reintroduction of animals and plants, and their component parts established by the IUCN (Reintroduction Guidelines and Position Statement on Translocation of Living Organisms), CITES and IATA.
5. Humane treatment must be a priority for all animals impacted as part of this project and captive populations must be held in conditions considered acceptable by ZAA. Taronga recognises the importance of sensitive integration of wildlife conservation goals and human needs in successful in situ conservation programs.
6. No project should present an unreasonable level of risk to participant safety, project financial stability or reputation.
7. Successful projects will be funded over a defined period commencing January 2024 – December 2026, with reporting requirements at 12 months and at the completion of the funding period.
8. Projects and their personnel must adhere to all laws of the country in which the project is undertaken.
9. Organisations must not have any convictions related to fraud, corruption, wildlife trade, inhumane treatment of animals or other criminal charges to be eligible for funding. A declaration is required to be signed acknowledging this and further background checks will be undertaken for shortlisted applicants.  
10. Organisations located in countries listed in the Australia Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) Sanctions List may not be eligible for funding.
     

• Clear and defined SMART goals and conservation benefits
• Demonstrated alignment to relevant IUCN Sustainable Development Goals
• Consideration of 360degree approach to conservation, connecting wildlife, habitat and communities. 
• Clear modular budget (using template provided) that aligns with project goals within the defined period of funding.