Around the world, natural environments such as forests
wetlands, and prairies serve as rich centers of
biodiversity, with animals and plants that support our
overall global ecosystem. This list, presented in no
particular order, shares several groups working to protect
and revitalize critical natural habitats.
The # 1 entry is Buffalo Field Campaign,
a group working both in the field and
in the policy arenas to stop the harassment
and slaughter of America’s last wild bison. Based
in Montana, the nonprofit also works to protect
the natural habitat of these animals and other
native wildlife.
BFC volunteers conduct daily field patrols, which involve
documenting the locations of buffalo and other wildlife
and watching for signs of harassment abuse, or
slaughter of animals or their ecosystem. In addition,
its teams work to alert passing motorists to
the presence of buffalo on and near the
highways to reduce accidents and increase public awareness
of wildlife migration corridors.
Next up, at # 2 we have Osa
Conservation. This nonprofit is dedicated to protecting the
biodiversity of Costa Rica's Osa Peninsula. Its sea
turtle conservation program monitors the nesting activity, predation
rates, and hatchling success of these species. Staff
and volunteers gather population and reproductive data and
deter poachers who collect turtle eggs for consumption
or sale.
In 2013, UNA and Osa Conservation created the
Camera Trap Network. This initiative, now the largest
camera trap array in Costa Rica, is composed
of NGOs hotels eco-lodges, and private landowners willing
to contribute to the research and conservation of
the wild cats and their prey in the
Osa Peninsula.
Coming in at # 3 we present the
Watsonville Wetlands Watch, a group dedicated to the
protection restoration, and fostering of appreciation of the
wetlands of the Pajaro Valley. The organization works
with local schools to educate students about the
value of this environment through a variety of
hands-on outdoor and in-class environmental education programs and
by providing unique place-based educational materials to be
used in the classroom.
It conducts environmental restoration programs throughout the Watsonville
Slough System and the greater Pajaro Valley with
the goal of benefiting the wildlife, water quality,
natural habitats, and organic resources of this area.
WWW also offers tours, evening presentations, and other
events for the community.
At # 4 we have Conservation Northwest, a
nonprofit that works to protect connect, and restore
wildlands and wildlife from the Washington Coast to
the British Columbia Rockies. One of its flagship
initiatives is the Forest Field Program, which seeks
to advance the use of scientific research to
promote national and regional policies that promote landscape-scale
restoration of forests and watersheds.
Conservation Northwest also runs the Community Wildlife Monitoring
Project, which organizes citizen-scientist volunteers to monitor and
document fauna using remote cameras where state and
federal agencies don't have the resources to go.
The initiative's aim is to improve knowledge about
wildlife presence and distribution that is vital to
informing recovery planning and policy.
Last but not least, at # 5 we
have Save The Great South Bay. This nonprofit
is dedicated to the revitalization of the Great
South Bay off the coast of Long Island,
New York. Its Habitat Restoration Program seeks to
reintroduce bivalves strategically to the estuary so that
the filter feeders can clean the water.
The Creek Defender Program calls upon people in
the towns and communities adjacent to the Great
South Bay, such as Massapequa Bayport, and Sayville,
to become local stewards helping to restore the
bay. The teams lead cleanups, habitat restoration projects,
and native planting initiatives.