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The Environmental Conservation Trust of Uganda (ECOTRUST) is a non – governmental environmental conservation organization established in 1999. ECOTRUST has developed a valued niche in ‘conservation finance’ and pursued relentlessly a clear vision of ‘a healthy environment with prosperous people’ and a mission, ’to conserve natural resources and enhance social welfare by promoting innovative and sustainable environment management in Uganda.’
ECOTRUST’s core values of ‘accountability and transparency in all our dealings,Creating value for our stakeholders, Pursuit of excellence and continuous improvement, Commitment to personal integrity, creating a culture of teamwork’, remain the jealously protected business principles of the organization, guiding all business decisions and entire management ethics.
Objectives;
• Private Land Management
• Management and control of pollution
• Renewable Energy
• Sustainable Land Use.
• Restoration, Conservation and Management
ECOTRUST works with different communities and stakeholders to conserve natural resources and biodiversity. The key strategies include financial intermediation, capacity building and direct involvement in selected conservation activities. During the year 2016, ECOTRUST commissioned a process of developing a strategic plan for the next 5 years. The goal of the strategy is; To build ECOTRUST as an efficient, socially responsible and sustainable organization in the field of conservation and climate change response.
ECOTRUST will aspire to achieve the above goal under 4 Key Results Area aligned with Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and their respective outputs as shown below;
- Rural Livelihood and Resilience in high climate risk areas built.
- Private Land Trust management in fragile corridors promoted.
- Integrity and functionality of protected natural capital maintained.
- Institutional re-engineering and capitalization of ECOTRUST for long term sustainability enhanced.
We depend on nature for so many things: materials, medicines, clean air and water, a stable climate…the list goes on. Many studies have shown the benefits of nature for people’s mental and physical health, and many people connect with nature on a spiritual level.
The ecosystems that provide us with this priceless service depend on an incredibly diverse range of species that interconnect to form a complex web. When a species is lost, we risk upsetting this fine balance so that the whole system, once rich in variety, becomes much more vulnerable to natural disasters, human disturbance and climate change. In the worst-case scenario, the whole ecosystem can collapse – a tragedy in itself, and a threat to all those who depend on it.
Sadly, our planet’s stunning array of species is under serious threat, from habitat loss, pollution, hunting and myriad other human-made pressures. Biodiversity is being lost at 1,000 times the natural rate.
Whichever way you look at it, humankind has an imperative – whether moral or economic – to protect this biodiversity. All of us, from governments to businesses to individuals, need to work together if we are to save our planet’s rich natural resources.
The consequences of failing to safeguard our forests, seas, wetlands and grasslands and the wealth of species they support – including humans – would be devastating. FFI is under no illusions about the enormity of the challenges facing our natural world. But we have an impressive track record in tackling those challenges.
We have been behind some of the most significant initiatives in the history of conservation. And we continue to play a key role in safeguarding some of the world’s most iconic plants and animals, including Sumatran tigers, mountain gorillas, African and Asian elephants, baobabs and proteas. We also champion less-familiar or neglected species such as the Siamese crocodile, Sunda pangolin, Saint Lucia racer and saiga antelope
In 1983, both black rhinos and northern white rhinos declared extinct throughout Uganda. Therefore, our purpose is to return rhinos, a vital aspect of both environmental and cultural heritage, back into Uganda, through our breeding and release program.
Located in Ziwa Rhino Sanctuary, the 7 000 hectares of savannah and woodlands has provided us with land for the rhinos. Owned by Captain Joe Roy, a Ugandan citizen, a land usage license has been agreed to give us sole usage rights for thirty (renewable) years.
From this, the first six southern white rhinos were translocated in 2005/6, with four from Kenya, and two from Disney Animal Kingdom (USA). As it was northern white rhinos that once populated Uganda’s national parks, our rhinos are technically considered an exotic breed!
It was four years before the first rhino was born in March 2008. Unfortunately, Bella’s baby was a still born.
The next year – 24th June 2009 – we had a healthy male calf, making history by being the first rhino born in Uganda in approximately 30 years! He was named Obama, making history, with his mother from the United States and his father from Kenya.
RECOR (Rwanda Environmental Conservation Organization) is a national environmental conservation NGO, working on climate change, biodiversity conservation, renewable energy, education for sustainable development, forestry, agroforestry, water, hygiene and sanitation. It involves local communities in looking for suitable and sustainable solutions to local environmental challenges.
RECOR was founded in 2000 further legally registered in 2003, it has been started by a movement of students of the National University of Rwanda, as a wildlife club. Later it extended further to other higher institutions of learning, to primary and secondary schools. After the realization of national environmental challenges, the youth from the above said institutions gathered and formed a National Non Governmental Organization to work nationwide.
RECOR is based in Kigali and its Head Office is located there, but we are determined to carry out the activities in all corners of the country. RECOR is a strong NGO with a good reputation throughout the country due to its committed, highly qualified and experienced staff.
The Sainsbury Laboratory Cambridge University (SLCU) is a research institute funded by the Gatsby Charitable Foundation. The aim of the Laboratory is to elucidate the regulatory systems underlying plant growth and development.
SLCU was opened in 2011 by HM the Queen and won the RIBA Stirling Prize for architecture in 2012. The Institute is well equipped for pioneering plant science research with its modern 11,000m2 building that incorporates laboratories, support areas, and meeting spaces, together with the University’s Herbarium, public café and a 150-seat auditorium where academic symposia and public talks are held. SLCU has 42 controlled environment growth rooms, 300m2 of growing space under glass, tissue culture rooms and Level 2 Containment facilities. There is an in-house state-of-the-art advanced imaging facility for scientists working on several aspects of plant developmental biology, including live imaging of developing plant tissues, and high-resolution scanning electron microscopy. The Laboratory is also set-up to support advanced bioinformatics, image processing and modelling software development
Plants are the foundation for virtually every ecosystem and agricultural system on Earth. A fundamental understanding of how plants grow and develop is therefore paramount for the long term security of a sustainable supply of food and other plant products, such as fuel, fibres and building materials.
The study of plant development is being transformed by the new scientific and technical resources becoming available to biologists, including high-throughput DNA sequencing, new imaging methods, increasingly sophisticated genetic tools, and refined chemical interventions. The data derived from these approaches have opened the way for predictive computational models, which are essential for understanding the dynamic, self-organising properties of plants.
We now have an unprecedented opportunity to obtain an integrated understanding of plant development, setting the stage for a new synthesis that will draw on molecular, cellular, whole plant, and population biology to elucidate how plants are constructed. SLCU is establishing a highly collaborative and interdisciplinary research environment that will capitalise on these exciting opportunities.