Innovation Grants
We believe that saving pangolins requires creative conservation solutions. Sometimes novel projects struggle to get funding from risk-averse funders. That’s where we come in. Our Innovation Grants are administered to organizations with fresh ideas for pangolin conservation where a small funding investment can have a substantial impact on pangolins.
Some of our recent Innovation Grants:
Pioneering Work for Pangolins in the Himalaya
Little is known about pangolin distribution in the Darjeeling Himalaya region of India. That’s about to change thanks to a local conservation group called Ashoka Trust for Research in Ecology and the Environment (ATREE). Recently, they identified growing agricultural threats to remaining habitat for the critically endangered Chinese Pangolin in this transnational region of India shares borders with Bhutan and Nepal. Save Pangolins is supporting ATREE’s project to determine the remaining population and distribution of the Chinese pangolin in the region, lead public awareness campaigns for local people, and encourage community conservation efforts for pangolins.
Working with Local Communities in the Congo
Keboy Claude is one of the few pangolin conservationists working in the Democratic Republic of Congo. In late 2020, there was a growing misconception in his region that pangolins were the direct cause of Covid-19, and some people wanted to eradicate the species out of fear of spreading the disease. Claude, someone who has advocated for pangolin conservation for years, traveled to five local townships and held public awareness sessions to educate people about pangolins and explain that they pose no threat to humans when left alone. He recently registered his own NGO “Synergie Rural-Action Paysanne,” to continue his work in pangolin conservation.
Protecting Pangolins from Electric Fences in South Africa
Over the past years, thousands of pangolins have died due to electric fencing in South Africa used by game reserves, nature reserves and livestock farms. When Tikki Hywood Foundation and Pangolin.Africa approached us with a proposal to develop new fencing technology that would prevent the accidental death of pangolins and other wildlife, we knew this was a project that could save thousands of pangolins each year. The expansive project has been underway since mid 2020 and the team -- which includes Pangolin.Africa, Tikki Hywood Foundation, Kalahari Wildlife Project, and Staffix -- has already demonstrated impressive determination and creative solutions to a challenging issue.
A Holistic Approach to Pangolin Conservation in South Africa
Pangolin conservation will be more effective if there are more good conservation players involved. With Save Pangolins’ support, the South African conservation organization Rhino Revolution recently launched a Pangolin Protection Program to integrate pangolin conservation into their work. Rhino Revolution works with local communities, anti-poaching units, educational specialists and pangolin rehabilitation centers to create a joint approach to conservation that is strengthened by key stakeholder involvement. They also include environmental education in their efforts, with a program that they’ve implemented in 350 government schools in rural communities with content that focuses on pangolins and their ecology.
