$5 Million in Grants Will Advance Chicago-Based Efforts to Protect and Conserve Biodiversity Around the World
Walder Foundation aims to elevate the Chicago region as a leader in biodiversity science and conservation
Skokie, IL (December 14, 2022) — Walder Foundation today announced their commitment to fund Chicago-based research institutions focused on addressing the global biodiversity crisis. Five organizations will receive funding over three years to create new partnerships and build the necessary infrastructure to safeguard biodiversity in the places where it is most threatened.
“Chicago has an astounding array of institutions focused on understanding and protecting biodiversity. Work led by these organizations is already having an impact around the world, and through this funding, we hope to advance these contributions further and ensure that this great concentration of knowledge and expertise can build up the capacity of in-country partners to lead their efforts,” said Elizabeth Walder, president and executive director of Walder Foundation. “In this way, we hope to ensure that Chicago’s contributions to safeguarding our future are greater than the sum of their parts.”
Effective conservation requires effective and equitable partnerships of many different types. The projects supported with these funds build on existing collaborations and establish some new ones, including developing two new IUCN Centers for Species Survival in Chicago focused on freshwater ecosystems and threatened trees, which will place Chicago at the heart of a global network for biodiversity conservation. The work will also engage local communities through efforts to build the capacity to sustain work in ways that ensure that people and nature can thrive.
“This funding comes at a critical time for the future of biodiversity. Climate change and human activities are rapidly accelerating biodiversity loss in the most species-rich parts of the world,” said Jack Westwood, program director of environmental sustainability at Walder Foundation. “These projects will harness Chicago’s significant science and conservation expertise to partner with international experts and build capacity for on-the-ground organizations to conserve the biodiversity that we all depend on while maintaining sustainable livelihoods for local communities.”
Funded Projects
Improving ex-situ Plant Conservation: Scaling up Zoo Pedigree Management Approaches to Critically Rare Plants in the Pacific (Chicago Botanic Garden)
This project will adopt and adapt a pedigree management system used by zoos to conserve species and genetic diversity of critically rare plants in the Pacific region. Chicago Botanic Garden researchers will work with local communities and botanic gardens to secure collections of ten priority species and build the capacity of local institutions to implement and sustain this approach. Ultimately, this project will advance the management of exceptional species in living collections in botanic gardens around the world, saving these species from possible extinction and improving the likelihood of successful reintroductions.
Magnifying Conservation Impact and Biodiversity Understanding in the Guiana Shield (Field Museum of Natural History)
The Field Museum has been conducting “rapid social and biological inventories” of priority landscapes in the Andes-Amazon region for over 20 years. This approach has provided technical support for governments in Peru, Ecuador and Bolivia to create 17 new conservation areas (> 26 million acres) critical for local people and biodiversity, and bolstered scientific exchange and two-way construction of knowledge with local people. This project will expand this work to the Guiana Shield, working with local partners in Guyana to document the region's diversity, identify social strengths and community aspirations, disseminate results to stakeholders, and build capacity for long-term, equitable conservation.
Global Expansion of a Chicago-led Urban Biodiversity Research and Conservation Network (Lincoln Park Zoo)
Led by Lincoln Park Zoo, the Urban Wildlife Information Network (UWIN) has 47 partnering cities across North America focused on understanding and sharing data about the impacts of cities on wildlife. With this funding, UWIN will expand globally by adding five new cities from biodiversity hotspots to their network. This will fill a critical gap in our knowledge as little is known about the role cities can play in the conservation of biodiversity and advance the adoption of wildlife-inclusive design and management in cities around the world.
Maximizing Freshwater Biodiversity Conservation Through Global Partnerships (Shedd Aquarium)
In partnership with the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN), Shedd Aquarium will establish a new Center for Species Survival focused on freshwater ecosystems that aims to reverse trends in species loss in biodiversity hotspots, with a particular focus on freshwater mussels and fishes in Central America. The new center will use IUCN’s conservation framework to assess extinction threats and identify conservation priorities, work with local stakeholders to create strategic conservation plans for species protection, and train in-country environmental professionals to sustain this work.
A Chicago-based Hub for Assessment, Planning, and Action for Saving Threatened Trees (The Morton Arboretum)
The Morton Arboretum will partner with the IUCN Species Survival Commission and multiple partners in Chicago and around the world to create the first Center for Species Survival focused specifically on threatened trees. The center will focus on assessing extinction risk for tree species in Mesoamerica and Southeast Asia and develop strategic conservation plans for their survival. The work will also empower in-country partners through training and capacity building to lead their own conservation efforts, engage the next generation of tree champions, promote sustainable livelihoods, and mitigate the biodiversity crisis by safeguarding threatened trees.
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