Prospects & Growth
As a fledgling organisation, we are determined to make impact and cause lasting and positive change in the state of raptors worldwide. Globally, with one in five raptor species threatened with extinction, there is an urgent need to address and reverse this trend. We want to build trust and strengthen our track record for our projects in Mongolia and Bulgaria using lessons learned and scaling up global solutions for raptor-caused electrocutions and improving on best practices for raptor captive-breeding and release projects. There is unprecedented change occurring in the field of raptor conservation with a growing recognition of the significance of local capacity and institutions and community-driven conservation efforts for sustaining healthy raptor populations and ecosystems.
This is a critical and urgent time for humanity and our planet, and the Mohamed bin Zayed Raptor Conservation Fund is committed to ensure transformative conservation actions whilst building on current knowledge and opportunities as well as our growing internal capacity and scope of work, to chart an ambitious path forward for the next five years. By 2025, our overall vision is to partner with and support high-impact projects around the world, see more outstanding local raptor organisations with the resources, leadership, and capabilities that enable them to drive conservation solutions that work for people and raptors on a growing scale—in the developing world and beyond.
“This is a critical and urgent time for humanity and our planet.”
We will focus on raptors as key indicators of ecosystem health, work with partners to prevent their extinction, increase our understanding about their needs in a rapidly changing world, and ensure that resources are directed to and invested in building capacity and strengthening local raptor organisations, in areas where they are most needed and where raptor extinctions can be preempted. Ultimately, we want to see our partners align with our vision and become increasingly influential at national, regional, and global scales.
For the longer term, the Fund will continue to focus on three strategic conservation goals:
- Prevent raptor extinctions.
- Increase our scientific understanding.
- Reverse population declines for high-risk species.
What is unique to our approach for Raptor Conservation?
The Fund is a flexible, action-orientated organisation with the ability to channel resources and efforts towards research work or innovative projects. These efforts and projects deliver immediate and impactful results in the conservation and restoration of raptors and their habitats.
To achieve the greatest possible outcomes from its resources, the Fund champions the use of the latest advancements in science, technology and wildlife management. Whilst utilising strong conservation and restoration collaborations which work at the intersection of conservation and the community, the local areas where we work directly benefit from our concerted efforts.
By collaborating with government partners, UN agencies, other development funds, donors and NGOs, academia and research entities, private sector organisations, power and mining firms, and global media outlets, we aspire to deliver a coordinated response to conserve the vital place of raptors and other biodiversity. Through these collaborations and global partnerships, we ensure raptors not only survive, but thrive in their natural habitats.
Our ethos is that collaboration and knowledge sharing leads to impactful and successful conservation. Therefore, we invite you to tell us about current efforts or future ideas for interesting raptor conservation projects – no matter how big or small.
Looking ahead
As an emerging global player in raptor conservation, we are committed to achieving our goals by building on our current successes and expanding our conservation portfolio by building global partnerships, ensuring that raptors continue to thrive and soar, and their habitats secured for future generations. We are currently building on our successful achievements in Mongolia and will continue to provide support to our partners in Bulgaria. We are currently working with partners across the globe to develop some exciting new raptor conservation projects that will meet our goals by delivering strategic, impactful and transformative conservation results whilst developing local capacity in raptor biology and conservation.