Partnership and Development: Involving Business Sector into Conservation
Despite positive changes made in conservation, the threats facing our planet grow by the day and affect every single one of us. Addressing conservation challenges takes time, expertise, and resources that no single organisation or individual can fulfil. To achieve lasting conservation success, local conservation NGOs like WildAct need contributions, collaborations, and partnerships among different sectors and industries, from the government, local communities to corporations, media, and individual supporters. Cross-sectoral collaboration and partnerships can stimulate the exchange of learning, experience, expertise, and resources, and therefore, create more positive impact for biodiversity and benefits to the mission of not only WildAct but all the collaborators and partners.
Business
BOOVironment – Board of Environmental Projects of BOO Co., Ltd.
In response to increasing threats facing wild birds and migratory birds, WildAct collaborates with BOOVironment to develop and implement a bird conservation project titled “Bird Saviours'. Our project aims to increase awareness of urban people towards migratory bird conservation, hopefully contributing to reducing demand for bird consumption. Specifically, we co-design and co-deliver a 3-phase communication campaign with various initiatives and hand-on activities targeting a wide range of audiences from November 2022 to December 2023.
Just in 3 months of phase 1, the project’s conservation messages have reached 40,000+ people via social media channels of WildAct and BOOVironment. The offline event also attracted 100+ people participating in the event activities and 2,000+ people reaching out activity messages. Various campaign materials with conservation messages of saving wild birds such as 500 wildlife-themed lucky envelopes and 100 bird-themed keyrings distributed to the participants.
The Intrepid Foundation
Since 2023, WildAct has been partnering with The Intrepid Foundation (TIF) in various programs on migratory birds and wildlife conservation. Funding from The Intrepid Foundation supports WildAct’s School and Community Program to advance and expand WildAct’s progress with the local schools in Ninh Binh Province, providing the local children with the opportunity to learn, experience, observe wild birds in nature and thus, develop their love for nature.
In particular, TIF’s funding supports WildAct to carry out three key education activities and to engage students, teachers, and the locals in conserving migratory birds in Ninh Binh Province. Firstly, WildAct is going to organise an online mural design competition themed ‘Living in harmony with migratory birds’. The best work will be chosen to draw at one school in Ninh Binh province. Secondly, we will publish a guidebook on migratory birds specifically dedicated to students and teachers. This material consisting of a series of educational games and facts provides knowledge, skills, and guidance regarding bird conservation. Thirdly, on the occasion of International Migration Bird, WildAct will hold a drama contest on migratory bird conservation for 10 schools in Yen Mo district, Ninh Binh province in October 2023. This will be a fun and meaningful contest with 10 excellent performances from local schools.
TIF and WildAct continue to discuss the development of other partnering activities in 2023. Some ideas proposed include:
Develop partnering activities that resonate with TIF’s existing tours at the project sites of WildAct in Ninh Binh and Quang Binh Province;
Design a volunteer program in which each TIF staff spends 20 hours in WildAct’s conservation work;
Co-organise the World Challenge program for international students aged from 15-18 to experience conservation and sustainable development activities in Vietnam.
These proposals aim to encourage increased TIF tourist community participation in WildAct conservation efforts. This will create more positive impacts not only on their journey in Vietnam but also on WildAct’s project site.
