Network Building

Public-Private Partnership to Invest in New Grant Funding - National Science Foundation Partnership

The National Science Foundation (NSF), a federal agency, was established in 1950 to promote the progress of science and it continues to support both basic research and the people who create knowledge that can change the future.

The Partnership to Advance Conservation Science and Practice is an $8 million initiative that bridges theory and experimentation, the mainstay of NSF, and implementation which can be achieved through additional private funding. This is an unprecedented step for NSF as its first collaboration with a private foundation to achieve conservation goals.

Why has the foundation taken this ground-breaking approach? We are facing immense global environmental challenges – particularly related to biodiversity and climate change – that demand new ways of working.

Through NSF’s broad reach, a large number of proposals were received – many from first-time applicants – demonstrating unmet need for this unified approach to basic research and applied conservation and the urgency of the work. Awards are expected to be announced soon.

Building Next Generation Stewards of the Planet – Slingshot Challenge

Young voices are growing louder. The generation that is inheriting a planet affected by one environmental disaster after another will also determine its future. Encouragingly, many young people are already deeply engaged in finding solutions. Research shows that 32 percent of Gen Zers have taken action to address climate change in the last year, compared with significantly smaller shares of older generations.

Youth are natural changemakers who bring a fresh perspective and sense of hope to the table. The Slingshot Challenge, a partnership between the foundation and National Geographic Society, supports these thoughtful, emerging environmental advocates.

National Geographic Society is a natural when it comes to network building among a young audience. The organization’s programming outreach to teachers, parents, and students is unparalleled. Its influential network of Young Explorers emphasizes the fact that youth have the power to change the world.

The Slingshot Challenge, inspired by The Earthshot Prize (which is also funded in part by the foundation), is a $5 million, three-year initiative designed to inspire the next generation of problem solvers, advocates, and stewards of the planet to continuously seek and contribute ideas to solve our world’s most pressing environmental problems.

Applications opened in October and close in February 2023 with five award categories: clean the air, restore the ocean, protect nature, reduce waste, and address climate change.

Stay tuned and expect to be inspired.

Resounding Hope for Shark Survival – Convention on International Trade of Endangered Species (CITES)

It’s exciting what can be achieved when a network of policymakers, scientists, conservationists, and activists work together to save sharks. This was demonstrated during the CITES’ 19th Conference of the Parties (CoP19) this past December where sustainable trade protection for requiem and hammerhead sharks was approved, increasing the regulated shark fin trade from 25 percent to nearly 90 percent - meaning almost all shark species are now listed and therefore protected under CITES regulation. With requiem sharks comprising more than 50 percent of shark fin trade and 70 percent of the family already threatened with extinction, the affirmative vote in Panama established a resounding mandate for sustainable, legal trade.

Through the foundation’s $1.8 million grant to support CoP19 proposals, the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) engaged its strong network within science and policy arenas to secure the landmark decision. Using science and data from our Global FinPrint study, along with additional research conducted by the Shark Conservation Fund, WCS and its partners went directly to countries, strongly making the case to environmental ministers and policy leaders about the need to protect sharks, the benefits of protecting sharks, and the tools that are available to do so.

With the acceptance of this new level of protection, the implementation work begins. As we have seen in the past, working with government and conservation partners to showcase how to enforce CITES trade policies will be critical for successful implementation. For instance, Bangladesh and Gabon received identification and policy training over the last six years to implement existing CITES listings. Both countries demonstrated greater protection of their shark populations and built on their domestic leadership by co-sponsoring the CoP15 requiem shark proposal.
 

"One of the most compelling ways to secure wide buy-in for listings is to provide implementation tools and support so that countries understand that enforcement of the CITES regulations is not only achievable, but countries will also benefit from the trade policies." 

Luke Warwick, Director of Shark Conservation, Wildlife Conservation Society