Felidae Conservation Fund
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Felidae Conservation Fund (FCF) is a California-based non-profit organization dedicated to preserving wild cats and their habitats. The organization supports and promotes international wild cat research and conservation by collaborating on field research projects, partnering with other environmental organizations, and developing community outreach and education programs.
FCF was founded in 2006 by conservationist and entrepreneur Zara McDonald. As a competitive marathon runner, McDonald twice encountered mountain lions during solitary runs in the Marin Headlands in Northern California. These encounters led her to become involved in California mountain lion research in 2002, and she soon expanded her research work to include other wild cat species. In the fall of 2004, after returning from extended capture work with mountain lions, she began developing a conservation model that combined scientific research with education and outreach programs. This led her to found the Felidae Conservation Fund (501(c)(3)) in April 2006.
Today Felidae supports and collaborates in scientific research projects in nine countries, promotes community-level education and outreach programs, and fosters international cooperation among scientists, conservationists, governments, and environmental NGOs. Felidae is based in Sausalito, California, and raises money through donations, grants, fundraising events and online social networks.
Mission and philosophy
FCF's mission is to advance the conservation of the planet's wild cat species and their habitats through partnerships in research, education and technology. Its model is to collaborate on research studies that examine human impact on wild cats and their habitats, then disseminate the results in outreach and education programs designed to convince people of the importance of preserving the natural environment. Felidae collaborates with scientists, educators, communities and lawmakers with the goal of protecting ecosystems, staving off further extinctions, and promoting healthy ways for humans to coexist with wild cats and their habitats.
Felidae's focus on wild cat conservation is motivated by the belief that the study of wild cats can serve as a leverage point for addressing the broader environmental issues of habitat loss, human-nature interactions, and wildlife sustainability. This belief is based on the idea that because cats are often the top predators in the ecosystems they inhabit, understanding and solving the problems they face can inform and guide the conservation and preservation of wild animals and wild habitats of all kinds.
Programs
Felidae currently collaborates on research projects in field locations around the globe, including the United States, Malaysia, Mongolia, Chile, Peru, Iran, Namibia and Pakistan. Felidae provides strategic guidance, funding, field support, supplies and equipment to its project partners to help them achieve their research goals.
To link this scientific research to conservation efforts, Felidae incorporates the results of field studies into its outreach and education programs. These include talks and presentations throughout the US, collaborations with artists and video producers to convey the conservation message through visual media, and online projects aimed at educating young people through an interactive portal, an online and mobile phone game, and social network activities.
Partnerships and collaboration
In its field work and conservation efforts FCF collaborates with the following organizations: National Park Service, California State Parks, California Department of Fish and Game, UC Santa Cruz, UC Davis, Wildlife Conservation Society, Wildlife Conservation Research Unit, Snow Leopard Trust, Snow Leopard Conservancy, International Wildlife Film Festival, Craighead Beringa South, Cheetah Conservation Fund and the International League of Conservation Photographers, among many other organizations.