Conservation

Galapagos Islands, Ecuador
2024 Funding: $2,500

Darwin Animal Doctors focuses on providing critical veterinary care, education and conservation programs to communities in biodiverse regions worldwide. This funding supported their “Guardians of the Forest Youth Rangers” initiative to empower young people to protect their environments through conservation education and community engagement. The funding also ensured continued veterinary support for animals in need, fostering healthier ecosystems and inspiring future conservationists

Ranomafana National Park, Madagascar
2024 Funding: $2,500

Zarasoa Madagascar is dedicated to preserving the unique ecosystems of Madagascar while engaging local communities in sustainable practices. With this funding, the organization implemented habitat restoration projects and environmental education programs near Ranomafana National Park. These efforts helped protect endangered species, restore critical habitats, and equip residents with the tools and knowledge to sustain conservation practices.

Gyekrum Lambo, Tanzania
2024 Funding: $2,500

This funding was used to purchase and install desks for students at Gyekrum Lambo Primary School in Tanzania, transforming classrooms into more functional and comfortable spaces for learning. By addressing a basic yet critical need, this initiative has improved students’ focus and overall educational experience, creating a better foundation for their future.

Bwindi, Uganda
2024 Funding: $2,500

This project established a school farm in Uganda’s Bwindi region to tackle food insecurity and provide hands-on agricultural training to students. The funding supported the purchase of land and farming resources, enabling the school to grow food for its students while teaching them sustainable farming techniques. This project has improved nutrition, equipped students with valuable skills, and strengthened community resilience.

Moreomaoto Village, Botswana
2024 Funding: $2,500

This funding helped establish a Women’s Center in Botswana’s Moreomaoto Village to support entrepreneurship, education, and financial independence. The funding was used to construct the building, which provides a safe and functional space for women to develop skills, produce crafts, and generate income. This project uplifts families and strengthens the community by fostering economic growth and opportunity.

Isafjordour, Iceland
2024 Funding: $1,500

Groandi, a local NGO in Iceland, focuses on empowering young people through environmental education and sustainable practices. This funding supported the creation of session plans and materials for gardening and sustainability workshops for youth. By connecting participants to the land and promoting eco-friendly practices, this project fosters a deep appreciation for nature and equips young people with tools to contribute to a greener future.

Greater Kruger Area, South Africa
2024 Funding: $1,500

The Black Mambas, an all-woman anti-poaching unit based in South Africa, are redefining conservation efforts with their community-centered approach. The funding supported patrol costs, ensuring these brave women could continue their vital work of protecting endangered wildlife from poaching threats. This initiative not only safeguards biodiversity but also empowers women in conservation, fostering a culture of sustainability and community involvement.

Amazon Basin, Peru
2024 Funding: $2,500

Solinia is a Peruvian non-profit association dedicated to the conservation of the Amazon pink river dolphin (Inia geoffrensis), an iconic yet endangered species of the Amazon Basin. Facing threats from habitat destruction, poaching, and by-catch, this dolphin requires immediate and collaborative conservation efforts.

Through education, research and advocacy, Solinia addresses these challenges with targeted programs designed to foster awareness and promote sustainable practices. This project focuses on conducting educational workshops in riverside communities along the Marañon and Amazon Rivers, from Pacaya Samiria National Reserve to Iquitos. Workshops aim to educate children and fishermen on the ecological importance of the species, sustainable fishing practices, and active conservation methods.

The initiative empowers communities to protect the pink river dolphin, fostering behavioral change and stronger conservation networks. With your support, Solinia can help reverse population decline and ensure harmony between human development and biodiversity in the Amazon.

Southern Africa
2024 Funding: $1,500

As Southern Africa faces one of its most severe droughts in decades, brought on by an El Niño event, millions are grappling with food insecurity. Recognizing the inseparable connection between communities, wilderness areas, and the wildlife they sustain, this project focuses on delivering life-saving food aid to those most affected in Namibia, Botswana, Zimbabwe, and Zambia.

With local teams consulting community leaders and government officials, the intervention was carefully designed to address the most urgent needs. The grant helps pay for the distribution of more than 9,000 emergency food parcels to 12,500 individuals, primarily children, ensuring proper nutrition during school to alleviate family pressure and support learning. This vital support not only addresses immediate hunger but also reduces pressure on natural resources, helping communities sustainably weather the crisis.

Galapagos Islands 
2024 Funding: $2500

The Library for Galapagos (Biblioteca para Galapagos) proudly stands as the sole communal library within the Galapagos Islands and serves as a vibrant community space. Located in Puerto Ayora on Santa Cruz Island, it's earned recognition in Ecuador as an example of library best practices. The library provides numerous workshops throughout the year for students of all ages. In addition, the resources it provides within its walls help foster an array of cultural, educational and recreational activities. Nat Hab is proud to contribute to its mission and vision via a 2024 Nat Hab Philanthropy grant, and equally proud to have six of our very own Expedition Leaders as library volunteers—helping teach and inspire the next generation of Galapagos leaders and educators.

Crescencio Morales, Mexico
2024 Funding: $1,500

In the village of Crescencio Morales, nestled in the buffer zone of Mexico's Monarch Butterfly Biosphere Reserve, a new botanical garden is bringing together conservation, cultural preservation and economic opportunity. Funded as part of a broader community cultural and conservation center, the garden highlights local plants, herbs and traditional medicines, showcasing the deep connection between the Mazahua people and their forest.

The botanical garden celebrates the Mazahua’s traditional knowledge, featuring plants like donkey grass for digestion and mullein flowers for asthma. It creates opportunities for storytelling, education, and income generation through herb and tea sales. The garden also complements the cultural center, drawing eco-tourists eager to learn about the forest, its unique biodiversity, and the local culture.

This initiative supports conservation of the Monarchs' winter habitat, revitalizes the endangered Mazahua culture, and fosters pride and sustainable livelihoods, ensuring a thriving future for the community, the forest, and the butterflies.

Torres del Paine, Patagonia
2024 Funding: $2,385

As pumas continue their astonishing rebound in Torres del Paine, Patagonia, human-wildlife conflict is rising. Ensuring pumas' long-term viability will hinge on minimizing contact between these wild cats and livestock and reducing human/wildlife conflicts. The Cerro Guido Foundation provides technical and management solutions to local farmers to decrease the deaths of domestic livestock and prevent human hunting of pumas. To help foster peaceful coexistence between nature and agriculture, Nat Hab Philanthropy funding purchased ten deterrent lights and three camera traps.

Kangaroo Island, Australia
2024 Funding: $2,500

As Kangaroo Island rebounds following devasting bushfires in 2020, it’s critical to understand how the fires impacted animal behavior as creatures adapt to the changed landscape. The Kangaroo Island Land for Wildlife program uses wildlife cameras deployed along drift lines to monitor the ecosystem’s recovery. Every 8-10 weeks, Land for Wildlife field ecologists and private conservation landholders visit monitoring sites to maintain drift lines, check cameras, change batteries and download SD cards. Scientists have collected four years of post-wildfire data and wildlife images, increasing our understanding of animal behavior and helping conservationists identify and strategically control threats to native species. Nat Hab Philanthropy funds went directly to supporting monitoring efforts through the purchase of trail cameras, SD cards and other equipment needed to protectBack to Website Kangaroo Island's endangered endemic wildlife as natural habitats recover.

Anjanaharibe-Sud Special Reserve, Madagascar
2024 Funding: $2,500

Wildlife Madagascar aims to strengthen law enforcement and biological monitoring throughout remote regions of Madagascar—one of the planet's biodiversity hotspots. The current project focuses on the Anjanaharibe-Sud Special Reserve (ASSR) with its demonstrated need for more research. The reserve has dozens of undiscovered plant and animal species that likely exist nowhere else on Earth. With potential threats from nearby villages and a heavily traveled national road that bisects the protected area, the ASSR is susceptible to illegal activities, including logging, mining and hunting. Nat Hab’s contribution helped fund a collaborative patrol system between Wildlife Madagascar Forest Rangers, Madagascar National Park agents and various community liaisons. Specifically, Nat Hab Philanthropy funding provided special gear necessary for extensive patrols, including boots, tents and rain gear.

Winnipeg, Canada
2024 Funding: $2500

FortWhyte Alive is a Winnipeg-based educational nonprofit that provides programming, a natural setting and facilities for environmental education, outdoor recreation and social enterprise. For more than 30 years, students and teachers have had opportunities to reconnect and learn about nature…in nature. In March 2024, the organization convened researchers and graduate students from the University of Manitoba’s Centre for Earth Observation Science to provide education and share up-to-date findings on Arctic ecology and the latest in climate change research. With sponsorship from Nat Hab and others, nearly 500 middle and high school students attended the free program, learning about potential careers in Arctic science, educational opportunities and more.

Santa Cruz, Galapagos
Perennial Support

MonteMar coffee supports the rehabilitation of ecosystems for Galapagos tortoises that graze on their farm in the Santa Cruz Highlands. With the dream to restore an abandoned pasture, former Nat Hab Expedition Leader Roberto Plaza and his family have planted several varieties of arabica coffee that grow under the shade of tropical fruits and native trees. They apply biodynamic practices to improve the soil, keep the plants healthy, and eradicate invasive species. Our travelers visit the coffee farm to learn about their intricate conservation and restoration practices, and Nat Hab purchases a bag of MonteMar's Galapagos-grown organic coffee for each guest to take home with them.

Pantanal, Brazil
Funding to Date: $5,000

Onçafari is a conservation and research organization that focuses on jaguars in Brazil’s Pantanal. One of its core missions is to understand and illuminate how jaguars interact with one another and their surrounding environment, including relationships with trees, other species, and various elements within a biome that experiences drastic seasonal changes. Onçafari has worked since 2011 to pursue answers through a pioneering initiative involving science, the habituation of jaguars, development of ecotourism, and reintroduction of young orphan jaguars. After two highly successful jaguar rewilding and reintroduction projects, Onçafari is expanding its scope to include other native mammals, specifically species that are orphaned or apprehended by Brazilian authorities as a result of trafficking and mistreatment. Having supported Onçafari's past rewilding and reintroduction of jaguars in Caiman Ecological Refuge, Nat Hab Philanthropy continues support this year toward further research and understanding of ecotourism’s effects on jaguar populations, along with assistance for orphaned jaguar reintroductions.

San Ignacio Lagoon, Mexico
Perennial Support
Special project funding to date: $3500

Nat Hab donates $500 directly to Laguna San Ignacio Ecosystem Science Program for each group of our travelers that visits the great gray whales of San Ignacio Lagoon in Baja California Sur. This nonprofit organization provides scientific support for conservation of the Laguna San Ignacio wetlands complex, a unique marine ecosystem at the center of a UNESCO World Heritage Site, the Whale Sanctuary of El Vizcanio. The program publishes the official annual gray whale count for the lagoon, a scientific effort that emerged in response to a late 1990s development proposal, when the fragile lagoon was targeted to become an industrial-scale salt production facility—a project that would have significantly altered the ecosystem that whales depend upon. Since defeat of the proposal, local residents, entrepreneurs and fishing cooperatives have developed sustainable ecotourism that focuses upon the winter season's abundance of gray whales. During a year that has been particularly challenging for North Pacific gray whales that are experiencing an increase in undernourished adult whales, the lowest calf counts in a decade, and increased mortality during spring northward migration (NOAA decreeing it an "Unusual Mortality Event" of undetermined cause), this program is at the forefront of conservation and scientific efforts to understand and save the gray whale. In addition to our regular annual contribution, Nat Hab is helping send project scientists to the World Marine Mammal Conference to present their research papers on gray whales in Baja California.

Baja California Sur, Mexico
2023 Funding: $1,000
2022 Funding: $1,000

SEE Turtles runs several programs focused on making the travel industry more friendly for sea turtles—and Nat Hab is happy to help them make the seas a safer place! Since SEE Turtles's launch in 2008, Nat Hab has supported its sustainable travel initiatives by offering collaborative trips to research sea turtles in Baja California Sur, Mexico. And, by becoming one of SEE Turtles’ first Gold Sponsors of its  Sustainable Travel Sponsorship program, Nat Hab supports efforts to reduce plastic waste in sea turtle habitats around the world. We have also become a vital partner in helping to end the demand for wildlife products in the travel industry by collaborating with the Wildlife Trafficking Alliance and participating in the Too Rare To Wear campaign.

Serengeti, Tanzania
Perennial Support

Friends of Serengeti is a nonprofit organization that partners with sustainable tourism companies to preserve the Serengeti ecosystem and benefit the people who live within and around its protected areas. Nat Hab’s financial contributions strengthen community conservation initiatives such as:

The Serengeti Teachers Environmental Program (STEP). STEP provides Tanzanian primary and secondary science teachers with training on environmental issues and wildlife protection. The program also creates conservation-focused curricula and encourages students to help with outreach by planting trees and leading community clean-ups.

Women’s Empowerment. This program prioritizes women’s education, health and economic welfare by providing them with opportunities to generate income and sustain wealth, such as bee-keeping and selling honey.

Radio Programming. In conjunction with a UNESCO-sponsored Maasai radio station, this program broadcasts educational messages to the entire region of Musoma, Maasai Mara, Loliondo area and some parts of Ngorongoro Conservation Area, and gives communities a platform to exchange conservation ideas in their native languages of Swahili and Maa.

Southern Africa
Annual support: 10 new bikes

Founded in 2006, Bike Town Africa began with a mission to provide transportation to health care workers in rural communities throughout sub-Saharan Africa. To date, more than 2,000 bicycles have been donated, helping to get healthcare staff to work at hospitals, clinics and schools—particularly those doing HIV/AIDS-related work. In addition, Bike Town Africa identified a school in South Africa's rural Eastern Cape with roughly 370 students, teachers and caretakers and provided a bicycle to every single one of them. Tardiness is a persistent problem in African schools, which leads to absenteeism and subsequently low graduation rates. A major contributor to tardiness and absenteeism is the distance students must walk—sometimes up to two hours each way. The gift of a bicycle can be a game changer for education. Nat Hab Philanthropy funds the purchase 10 new bikes for students annually.

Tasiilaq, Greenland
Summer 2023 Funding: $3646

Traditional growing seasons are almost non-existent in Greenland, but thanks to the inspiring efforts of Siu-Tsi's Tasiilaq's garden project, crops like spinach, onions, turnips and radishes abound in this small remote village in East Greenland. A part of Tasiilaq’s youth social services organization, this program is one of several that collectively aim to contribute to local sustainability while also creating a bridge to further education and employment opportunities for young Greenlanders. In April of 2023, Nat Hab contributed $3,646 to Siu-Tsiu’s Tasiilaq’s Garden Cold Frame Project. In addition to providing more locally grown vegetables to the community of Tasiilaq, Siu-Tsiu also forged a partnership with Nat Hab to offer freshly grown produce to our chef at Base Camp Greenland, which aligns with our mission to source sustainable food whenever and wherever possible on our worldwide expeditions—no matter how far-flung our destinations are.

Zimbabwe
Summer 2023 Funding: $2500

Zimbabwe used to be known for having one of the best literacy rates in Africa, but sadly, this is no longer true. With the collapse of the Zimbabwean economy in decades past, the majority of qualified teachers have not only left the profession but have ventured further afield, moving to neighboring countries and overseas in search of employment and a living wage. Add COVID into the mix, and it is not surprising that more than half of Grade 7 students leaving primary school are unable to read, write and comprehend English. Being able to read and write is the key to a better future.

In July 2023, Nat Hab Philanthropy worked with Children in the Wilderness (CITW) to help fund literacy centers in communities throughout Zimbabwe and Zambia. These centers promote the importance of and work effectively for the remediation and improvement of the English language and literacy skills for all ages.

Kvarner islands, Croatia
Summer 2023 Funding: $2000

Grifon – Birds of Prey Protection Society has the long-term goal of preserving the last Croatian population of griffon vultures and creating conditions for their return to their former habitats and colonies, including Croatia’s Kvarner islands. As with many species' conservation and recovery plans, data is critical to understanding the behaviors and nesting areas of griffon vultures, and this is exactly what the Birds of Prey Protection Society excels at. In August of 2023, Nat Hab Philanthropy provided funding for research equipment, including specialized climbing and rappel gear that allows research teams to access the remote cliffsides these vultures inhabit. In addition to research, the conservation organization educates school children and the wider public about the importance of birds of prey and their role in nature.

Okavango Delta, Botswana
Summer 2023 Funding: $2500

Living among Africa's wildlife can be a daunting balance. Even when in the presence of non-predatory animals such as elephants, simple walks to school or medical clinics can be dangerous. Enter the Ele Express Bus project—a program that provides safe bus transport through elephant corridors of Botswana's Okavango Delta. Through coordinated, shared rides via the Ele Express, people of all ages can safely get to where they need to be. By minimizing potential run-ins with people, animals are safer, too, creating a more harmonious balance between people and nature.

Caledonian forests, Scotland
Summer 2023 Funding: $2500

It’s no surprise that reforestation is a crucial step in rewilding areas of our planet. Scottish charity Trees for Life knows this—their goal is to rewild the Scottish Highlands and expand native Caledonian forests. In July 2023, Nat Hab Philanthropy began working with The Tree Seed Collection Project in collaboration with Woodland Trust Scotland and Trees for Life to enhance the availability of native trees from western Scotland. For planted trees to have the best chance of survival, seeds are locally collected to maintain the species’ area-specific genetics and provide resilience against disease and climate change. With more than 100 volunteers and montane specialists collecting seeds from targeted areas, including the west coast's temperate rainforest, the program is leading forest conservation efforts in Scotland as well as forging new paths and methodologies for woodland reforestation.

Lynn, North Carolina
Summer 2023 Funding: $2000

Connecting the next generation to nature and familiarizing them with environmental topics is key to protecting our planet in the long run. Weiler Woods for Wildlife understands this well and seeks to inspire and empower youth in the United States to be champions for wildlife through art projects and education programs. Planned lesson units focus on biodiversity and animals such as the critically endangered red wolf. Through these teachings, children become ambassadors for conservation and biodiversity, educating the community and fundraising via the art they create.

Karatu, Tanzania
Funding to Date: $6000+ 

Most of our northern Tanzania safaris pass through Karatu as we travel to or from the Ngorongoro Highlands, and we enjoy introducing our guests to the local community. The Gyekrumalambo Primary School in Karatu emerged as a school in need of support, and as the school’s primary benefactor, Nat Hab Philanthropy funded their first water tank for clean drinking. Since then, several of our travelers have taken it upon themselves to supply new school uniforms and library books, too! Nat Hab Philanthropy helped build a second tank to supply clean drinking water for the primary school and community. The most recent project funded is the completion of a school kitchen—requested specifically by the school and its teachers. This is a game-changer for the community and school children, where a facility like this (and the food to be served as a result) simply didn’t exist prior.

Bwindi, Uganda
Summer 2023 Funding: $2000

A multi-time recipient of Nat Hab Philanthropy funding, Bwindi Plus Nursery and Primary School continues to provide a vital service to their community by way of educating the next generation. In partnership with Mahogany Springs Lodge, which Nat Hab visits on our Uganda adventures, this school has grown to serve more than 250 students in this rural area. The school farm provides much-needed nutrition to local students living near Bwindi Impenetrable National Park and allows them to learn basic farming techniques such as animal care and gardening. Our 2023 grant was used to construct a chicken coop and purchase egg-laying hens, along with other supplies. Extra eggs will be sold to the local community at a low price to help generate additional income for school necessities like pencils, books and paper.

Jackson Hole, Wyoming
2022 Funding: $3,250

Located in the southern region of the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem (GYE), Jackson Hole is not only a wildlife hotspot, but one of the most crucial areas in the country for large carnivore research and conservation. Similar to the West’s other great predator—the wolf—grizzly bears are keystone species. They play a vital role in regulating prey species, dispersing seeds and fertilizing forests. They also provide abundant wildlife viewing and photography opportunities, including on Nat Hab’s Hidden Yellowstone & Grand Teton Safari and Yellowstone: Ultimate Wolf & Wildlife Safari. There are approximately 700 grizzly bears recorded in the GYE, but that number is in a near-constant state of fluctuation. Traditional food sources are diminishing due to climate change, human encroachment and land conversion, and like the wolf, grizzlies may wander outside of park boundaries to compensate, creating controversy and conflict with the surrounding communities.

Trash is the number one cause of human-grizzly bear conflict, and Jackson Hole Bear Solutions, a program run by the non-profit Wyoming Wildlife Advocates, is determined to remedy this crisis. In partnership with the National Elk Refuge and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the program secures garbage bins, removes attractants and provides installation assistance for electric fencing to secure compost piles, apiaries and chicken coops. Nat Hab Philanthropy proudly donated $3,250 to secure 20 bear-safe trash cans. If you’d like to join us in empowering residents to coexist with the grizzly bears, please consider making a donation to Jackson Hole Bear Solutions.

Yellowstone National Park
2017 Funding: $2500

Wolf research and monitoring in Yellowstone is a year-round strategy that is critical to the long-term health of wild wolves. Research efforts that capture and collar wolves, gather genetic samples for testing and lab work, and generally survey populations are helping biologists better understand wolf populations, their territories, their relationships with prey, pack health and any possible disease issues within a population. Nat Hab Philanthropy has a proud tradition of sponsoring annual wolf collaring, a key tool in the Yellowstone Forever Wolf Project’s research. We continue this commitment by fully funding the collaring of one wolf in the greater Yellowstone area for another year.

Scotland
2018 Funding: $2571

Since 2011, Aigas Field Center in Scotland has been contributing to an important national program, in collaboration with wildlife parks and the Royal Zoological Society, to bring the Scottish wildcat back from the edge of extinction. The center is also the philanthropic arm of Nat Hab's operator in Scotland, giving our travelers added immersion in their various projects and efforts. As the wildcat project expands, the center is in need of more enclosures for breeding wildcat pairs. The program aims to increase the potential number of kittens each year to nine individuals. Funding goes toward materials to construct a new large enclosure that's designed to be safe and comfortable, and replicate the cats’ natural habitat.

Golfo Dulce, Costa Rica
2017 Funding: $2000

Costa Rica’s Wild Macaw Association is helping protect the scarlet macaw population in the southern Golfo Dulce region along the Pacific Ocean. Thanks to a reintroduction program based in Tiskita Private Biological Reserve that Nat Hab visits on one of our Costa Rica adventures, more than 75 macaws have been released in the Tiskita reserve to date. While the release and reintroduction phase of this project has been completed and deemed an overwhelming success, much work remains to be done to protect these colorful birds and their habitat. Nat Hab Philanthropy is directly supporting ecological research, habitat protection and local community development surrounding the scarlet macaw’s native habitat.

Iceland
2018 Funding: $2000

The Arctic Fox Center is a nonprofit, nongovernmental research and education center focused on Iceland’s sole native land mammal—the Arctic fox. It is based in the village of Suoavik in Iceland's Westfjords region. In addition to research projects that are a continuation of lifelong work done by director and lead ecologist Pall Hersteinsson, Ph.D., the center features a large exhibit that offers insight into ongoing local research and educates visitors about the life and history of Arctic foxes in Iceland. A main attraction features two living Arctic foxes, Mori and Ingi, who were orphaned in 2015 during the legal fox hunt and arrived at the center as 3-week-old kits. Three years later, they have developed into well-known icons of the center, which sees around 12,000 visitors a year. Funding goes towards the production of an informative and enjoyable animated film about Mori and Ingi, focusing on their life history, special Arctic adaptations and the need to conserve Arctic foxes in Iceland. This teaching tool will be given out to all 1st through 4th grade classrooms around the country, along with screenings at the center.

Madagascar
2018 Funding: $2800

The Madagascar Biodiversity Partnership is a Malagasy NGO that incorporates research, education and community involvement to achieve sustainability in Madagascar. Currently they are working with local guides and students to study the elusive Aye-aye, Madagascar's least understood and rarest lemur. One of the partnership's primary goals is to monitor Aye-ayes with radio collars to further understand movements, patterns, behaviors and general population dynamics. Funding goes toward purchasing several new radio collars and the field research gear needed to track each individual lemur's nightly movements in order to better understand the species and how to save it from extinction.

Pantanal, Brazil
2018 Funding: $2500

Onçafari is a conservation and research organization that focuses on jaguars in Brazil’s Pantanal. One of their core missions is to understand and illuminate how jaguars interact with one another and their surrounding environment, including relationships with trees, other species and various elements in a biome that sees drastic seasonal changes. Onçafari has been working since 2011 to discover these answers through a pioneering initiative in Brazi that involves science, the habituation of jaguars, development of ecotourism and reintroduction of young orphan jaguars.Funding goes to support further research and understanding of ecotourism’s effects on jaguar populations, along with assistance for reintroduction of orphaned jaguars.

Uganda
2018 Funding: $3000

After realizing the relative absence of special needs education in Uganda, the founders of Kyaninga Child Development Center decided to take it upon themselves to create a solution. The Kyaninga Child Development Center provides specialist rehabilitation for children with disabilities, including physiotherapy, occupational and speech therapy, and inclusive education services. In addition to providing comprehensive therapy at the center, the organization offers a daily community outreach program that visits individual homes, schools and local health centers. With Uganda's significant rural populations, the child development center is providing critical assistance to areas that need it most. Funding goes to support two training workshops for 40 teachers and adaptive educational materials for 50 students, along with transportation to schools and planning resources.

British Columbia, Canada
2019 Funding: $1500

In 2001, the Raincoast Conservation Foundation led a campaign for a three-year province-wide moratorium on grizzly trophy hunting in British Columbia. Their victory was short-lived, however. After a single spring hunting season, the government reversed the moratorium. Recognizing the incoming government had no interest in ending trophy hunting, Raincoast looked to an alternate strategy: the purchase of the commercial hunting lands. Raincoast has since purchased several hunting concessions and turned them into conservation areas, ultimately protecting more than 12,000 square miles of grizzly habitat, an area more than three times the size of Yellowstone. There now is one key area that the foundation aims to protect for the long-term future of British Columbia’s forests, wildlife and biodiversity: the Kitlope Tenure. The Kitlope represents the world’s largest intact area of coastal temperate rainforest, and is home to an abundant variety of wildlife ranging from mountain goats to grizzly bear, black bear, wolf and wolverine. Nat Hab Philanthropy funding helps purchase the 2,000-square-mile Kitlope area and transform it into a permanent conservancy in the Great Bear Rainforest.

Uganda
2019 Funding: $1800

Bwindi Plus Nursery and Primary School was established to help local children living near Bwindi National Park get better-quality education without needing to travel long distances on dangerous roads. In partnership with Mahogany Springs Lodge, which Nat Hab visits on our Uganda adventures, this school has grown to serve more than 250 students in this rural area. A new project is designed to help students learn the benefits of farming and agriculture through on-site practice and experiences. In addition to learning basic farming techniques such as growing, fertilizing and taking care of gardens, the school has purchased goats so children can learn about animal care. An additional benefit to the students includes the provision of a nutritious, balanced diet augmented with goat milk and meat, since many local families subsist only on cassava, millet and beans. Nat Hab Philanthropy funding goes toward the school’s farming and agriculture supplies, including purchasing several goats.

Yala National Park, Sri Lanka
2018 Funding: $3000

The Leopard Trust, a Colombo-based nongovernmental organization, has begun a four-year study of Sri Lanka's leopards—the country's first scientific leopard survey. Using a combination of remote cameras and sophisticated recognition software to examine densities, individuals' local movement, cub frequency and other population dynamics, scientists aim to glean never-before-known (or seen) vital information about this charismatic denizen of Yala National Park. In addition, remote cameras will provide valuable presence, absence and density data for other forest inhabitants, including sloth bear, deer and smaller mammals. Funding goes to purchase 20 Cuddeback White Flash remote cameras for data collection.

Punta Banco, Costa Rica
2017 Funding: $1000

The Punta Banco sea turtle conservation project in Costa Rica is spearheading Pacific coast land planning to recover ideal nesting habitat, recruiting and training volunteers, and collecting and analyzing turtle data to better understand nesting behaviors. Community-wide efforts have helped save and relocate hundreds of nests, translating to thousands of turtles each year. In addition to private donations, Punta Banco hosts many foreign and domestic volunteers each year to help ongoing efforts to conserve habitat and safeguard the entire nesting process. Connected to the Tiskita Jungle Lodge that Nat Hab visits on our Costa Rica Wilderness Explorer adventure, Punto Banco also facilitates turtle eco-cultural festivals that spread community awareness and inspiration to join the effort. Nat Hab Philanthropy has adopted 50 turtle nests in support of the overall turtle protection program.

Galapagos Islands
2017 Funding: Part of Nat Hab's $15,000 contribution to International Galapagos Tour Operators Association projects

For conservation projects to succeed, decision makers need to be armed with sound scientific research. Since 1959, the Charles Darwin Foundation has provided the Ecuadorian government with expert-level data to ensure the Galapagos Islands are well protected. CDF’s research arm, the Charles Darwin Research Station, works closely with Galapagos National Park on several initiatives, including sustainable development programs, wildlife conservation and island restoration. CDF employs more than 100 scientists and educators, 75% of whom call Ecuador home. Nat Hab Philanthropy is proud to support this science-based conservation organization in its quest to protect one of the world’s most unique wildlife destinations.

Sepilok, Borneo
2017 Funding: $2000

The Bornean Sun Bear Conservation Centre opened in 2014 in the popular tourist area of Sepilok. Habitat loss and the pet trade have made Malayan sun bears one of the world’s most threatened species. This wildlife conservation program's work focuses on sun bear rescue, rehabilitation and education. Forty-four sun bears rescued from captivity currently reside at the conservation center. The facility includes large forest enclosures that provide a natural environment ideal for the sun bears’ welfare and rehabilitation aimed at a return to the wild. Having inspired hundreds of guests with visits to the center over the years, Nat Hab Philanthropy is taking our commitment further by adopting one of these sun bears. Wawa is our special charge, and our financial commitment covers a full year of her care in hope that she will eventually be released back into the wild.

Namibia
2018 Funding: $3000

The Cheetah Conservation Fund supports the survival of cheetahs through research, education, conservation and re-wilding. Via this reintroduction program, cheetahs returned to the wild are fitted with Global Positioning System satellite collars that transmit valuable data. GPS collars allow the team to track movements day and night in order to record and observe cheetah behavior. This information is used to identify den sites, home ranges, habitat preferences, territoriality and behaviors unique to individual cheetah populations. The Cheetah Conservation Fund then develops and implements relocation, reintroduction and non-invasive monitoring methodologies that will help ensure a viable wild cheetah population while mitigating human-wildlife conflict. Funding goes to purchasing two GPS collars that provide valuable research data on cheetah movements and patterns, and ultimately serve to alleviate human-wildlife conflict in Namibia.

Galapagos Islands
2018 Funding: $1000

This small preschool, located in Puerto Ayora on Santa Cruz Island, is an enigmatic example of grassroots education. Started in May 2016 by a local mother of three who was concerned about a lack of early education options in the Galapagos, she took it upon herself to create a solution. Beginning as a one-room, one-teacher schoolhouse in her back yard, Little Finches Schoolhouse has now grown to offer reading groups, yoga classes, textile and art classes, and field trips within the local community. According to the founder, the school “provides a beautiful and secure space where children learn and grow and play among the endemic wildlife of Galapagos.” Funding goes toward the field trip program, which helps provide transportation to 15 different “adventure” sites on Santa Cruz that facilitate immersive, hands-on learning about the island and its unique inhabitants.

Tanzania
2018 Funding: $2000

The mission of Women in Conservation is to educate and inspire Tanzanian women to build careers in conservation. By helping identify the obstacles they face, Women in Conservation determines how best to come up with viable and sustainable solutions. Forthcoming projects are varied and aim to address a number of needs. In addition to training local women how to create craft jewelry out of old wildlife snares, they are working to mitigate significant human-wildlife conflict between elephants from the Kijereshi Game Reserve and the local village by donating and installing a bee-hive fence. The fence has the additional purposes of crop pollination and producing quality honey for use and  sale. Barriers made from bee hives have been proven in Africa to be highly effective in deterring elephants from raiding village farms. Funding goes to support the installation of 40 hives at strategic points between the reserve and village to form a “bee hive fence.”

Churchill, Canada
2018 Funding: $1556

The Churchill Northern Studies Center is an independent, nonprofit research and education facility. In November 2017 a cutting-edge Growcer hydroponic growing system was installed at the center. This added a steady fresh food supply, despite transportation and shipping issues. With a greenhouse design invented in Canada and made specially for northern climates, the mission is to improve local food security, develop educational programming around food security issues, and share research findings and experiences with other northern communities. Funding goes to the purchase of a new educational component for the lab and greenhouse, offering a hands-on learning experience for Churchill Northern Studies Center users, visitors and other northern communities.

Borneo
2019 Funding: $1920

Orangutan Outreach’s mission is to protect orangutans in their native habitat while providing care for orphaned and displaced orangutans until they can be returned to their natural environment. In addition to leading the response to widespread fire damage in Borneo, the nonprofit organization is intimately involved in day-to-day care of orangutans at four of the country’s care centers. Fortunately, many of these orangutans can and will be released to the wild after initial care. But these centers are also prepared to give life-long support to orangutans that are unable to return to the wild due to illness or other limitations. Nat Hab Philanthropy is adopting 16 orangutans at four different rehabilitation centers for one year.

Borneo
2019 Funding: $3000

Orangutan Outreach’s mission is to protect orangutans in their native habitat while providing care for orphaned and displaced orangutans until they can be returned to their natural environment. In response to devastating fires in 2019, the nonprofit organization has established an emergency fire fund, which goes to support several small orangutan sanctuaries and research stations throughout the island, and protect the forests where orangutans live. In addition to supporting actual firefighting, Orangutan Outreach has a comprehensive plan to mitigate existing fire damage and reforest burned areas with native tropical hardwood trees. Nat Hab Philanthropy funding supports firefighting equipment and reforestation efforts.

Angangueo, Mexico
2017 Funding: $1300

Angangueo is a remote mountain town and a former mining outpost that has evolved into an epicenter for monarch butterfly ecotourism. The town remains small, charming and proud of its heritage. At the town center is a beautiful mural depicting several hundred years of local history—a work of art that reflects a great sense of pride in this humble town. The mural includes artistic renditions of each “age” the town has experienced, and Nat Hab guests traveling on our monarch butterfly adventures visit the site to learn about the region’s history. Over the years, normal wear and tear faded and degraded this decades-old mural. Using Nat Hab Philanthropy funding, Nat Hab supported a local artist to coordinate a full-scale mural restoration.

Lyons, Colorado
2019 Funding: $1798

The Lyons Microplastics Project is introducing Colorado students to the issue of pervasive plastics and the direct connection between their community on the banks of the Saint Vrain River and the ocean to which their river flows. Over the course of the school year, ninth grade students are collecting data in partnership with Ocean First Institute. Students are working with Dr. Mikki McComb-Kobza to sample the St. Vrain watershed and test for microplastic and microfiber presence in the water and soil. As they’re found, microplastics and microfibers will be extracted and quantified from each sample. The data is then evaluated by students and entered into an online citizen science database. Ultimately, this project gives students a deeper understanding of the connection between a Rocky Mountain watershed, ocean health and microplastics, and allows them to share their scientific knowledge with their local community and the world. Nat Hab Philanthropy funding is being used to acquire student monitoring equipment and for online citizen science database management.

Alaska
2019 Funding: $2232

As human-bear conflicts rise, they attract global attention. For the safety of bears and humans alike, it is critical to have a better scientific understanding of how bears handle social interactions—and clear, teachable lessons for people to better interact with bears. As new research emerges about bear communication, scientific documentation and an expanded comprehension of their language will help enhance bear safety education for biologists, wildlife managers, and anyone who works, plays or lives in bear country. Teaching people how to read a bear's intentions through visible and audible cues helps humans respond with correct behavior. From a simple safety perspective, this deeper understanding reduces risk and increases tolerance—and tolerance helps foster peaceful coexistence. Nat Hab Philanthropy funding goes toward the purchase of field equipment for the second round of a multi-year study led by several universities and the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN).

Buhoma, Uganda
2017 Funding: $1200

Because subsistence living in rural Uganda is inherently difficult, time to learn a new career and find new ways to earn money have posed enormous challenges for Buhoma village women. Ride 4 a Woman was started by local women who live just outside Bwindi National Park, where Nat Hab travels to observe mountain gorillas. Their successful business endeavor began by renting bicycles to tourists—a fresh way to earn income. In turn, this grew a need to learn how to repair bikes. Now Ride 4 a Woman teaches valuable skills beyond bike repair, including craft production for the tourism industry. All aspects of the project support entrepreneurial efforts for Buhoma women. Nat Hab Philanthropy support went directly to purchasing two commercial sewing machines that are helping expand Ride 4 a Woman businesses within the local community.

Madagascar
2019 Funding: $2000

Hope for Madagascar is a nonprofit organization working to reduce poverty in Madagascar through education and conservation of the country’s rich biodiversity. Projects generally focus upon building cyclone-proof schools in the rain forest and educating children about their local ecosystem and its conservation. They also partner with Engineers Without Borders to bring clean water to villages in the southeast corner of Madagascar. Nat Hab Philanthropy is helping facilitate a special school restoration project. Shortly after a new school was built in 2016, bats moved into the rafters and took up permanent residence. Not only are the bats distracting and smelly, but they pose a health risk to students. Our funding is helping safely relocate the bats to their natural habitat in a way that ensures the long-term health of bats and the immediate health of students. This will preserve the essential school building while educating the community about bats’ roles in the natural ecosystem and the importance of local biodiversity. Nat Hab Philanthropy is funding bat relocation via intricate ceiling removal, sanitization and construction, including all the labor and materials.

Simien Mountains National Park, Ethiopia
2019 Funding: $2642

Clean-ups for Conservation kicked off in 2017 inside Ethiopia’s Simien Mountains National Park. Scientists from the Simien Mountains Gelada Research Project teamed up with the small nonprofit Save the Simiens to protect the fragile and degrading ecosystem while empowering local communities. Each month, about 100 members of the local communities systematically walk the trekking paths of their neighborhood national park and collect trash. This grassroots program continues to grow, and Save the Simiens now spearheads most park clean-up efforts. Armed with latex gloves and 10-gallon barrels, the organization estimates that they remove roughly 4,000 gallons of trash each year from Simien Mountains National Park. Nat Hab Philanthropy is helping pay monthly wages for local workers who live in remote villages inside the park, a key to sustaining communities, wildlife and landscapes alike.

Antananarivo, Madagascar
2017 Funding: $2500

The Madagascar Biodiversity Partnership is a Malagasy NGO with a mission to promote sustainability in Madagascar by empowering local communities to actively engage in conservation and restore habitats for threatened species. Currently, the partnership is working with local guides and students to study the elusive aye-aye lemur—one of the least understood and rarest animals on the island. Nat Hab Philanthropy is supporting the four-person team working on this project, helping purchase equipment, radio collars and field research gear needed to track each aye-aye’s nightly movements in order to better understand the species and how to save it from extinction.

Fort Portal, Uganda
2017 Funding: $3000

The Ugandan government successfully has created universal primary education for the country’s youth. It is challenging, however, to maintain a standard of education and infrastructure in a country with such rapid population growth. Ndali Lodge, where Nat Hab stays during our Uganda gorilla trips, has taken it upon itself independently to help supply the local school with volunteers. The lodge also has constructed a new building to meet the growing needs of hundreds of school-age children in the community. Nat Hab Philanthropy is funding construction of a second school building on the site, adding much-needed classrooms and infrastructure.

Bwindi, Uganda
2017 Funding: $1500

The Bwindi Community School aims to break a cycle of poverty in the Bwindi, Uganda community through education. The program encompasses education at primary, secondary, vocational and university levels for students who live in this region that is home to endangered mountain gorillas. Nat Hab Philanthropy funding is supporting the installation of six flush toilets to improve sanitation and infrastructure at the school.

Winnipeg, Canada
2024 Funding: $2500

FortWhyte Alive is a Winnipeg-based educational nonprofit that provides programming, a natural setting and facilities for environmental education, outdoor recreation and social enterprise. For more than 30 years, students and teachers have had opportunities to reconnect and learn about nature…in nature. In March 2024, the organization convened researchers and graduate students from the University of Manitoba’s Centre for Earth Observation Science to provide education and share up-to-date findings on Arctic ecology and the latest in climate change research. With sponsorship from Nat Hab and others, nearly 500 middle and high school students attended the free program, learning about potential careers in Arctic science, educational opportunities and more.

Mexico
2018 Funding: $2810

Led by Nat Hab's lead Mexico Expedition Leaders, Astrid and Karel, RABEN is the acronym for the Mexican Big Whale Disentanglement Network. Their work started in 2004 in Banderas Bay, by Puerto Vallarta. Since then, a small local team has grown to a network of 15 teams and 180 trained members, most of them volunteers. RABEN has attended to more than 120 entanglement reports, freeing whales so they can lead healthy normal lives free from deadly fishing lines. Our funding sponsors a robust two-day training workshop for 30 future volunteers, along with specialty equipment necessary for disentanglement procedures.

Zitácuaro, Mexico
2018 Funding: $1300

For each Nat Hab traveler who experiences the monarch butterfly migration in Mexico's protected Monarch Butterfly Biosphere Reserve, we donate $5 to WWF Mexico to help support local conservation initiatives. During 2017 and 2018, this financial support went to Danaidas, a nonprofit organization that produces seedlings for 11 community forest nurseries in the area. Replanting trees is an important step toward expansion and protection of the butterflies’ natural habitat, a landscape that is threatened by farming and logging. Monarch butterflies are dependent upon this specific mountainous habitat near Mexico City, their annual refuge for overwintering before another long northward migration begins in early spring. Most recently, Nat Hab's donation was used to purchase sturdy boots for the workers at the 11 nurseries, allowing them to work more comfortably in the rainy summer planting season. New footwear helped the workers optimize their arduous daily tasks and boosted motivation surrounding their important conservation work for butterflies.

Costa Rica
2018 Funding: $995

Compuba is a women's commission from the community of Punta Banco, a small coastal town located in southeast Costa Rica. Focusing on agriculture and tourism, Compuba's key mission is to make natural products with fruits and herbs from local gardens. As a next step in growing their business, the co-op would like to begin offering dehydrated local fruits to sell directly to tourists and indirectly via hotels, cabins and area shops. This project will help generate income for the local economy, as well as teach the women’s commission valuable business skills for a productive career in the agriculture and tourism industries. Funding goes to purchase an electric food dehydrator, seeds for their garden and a commercial-grade food sealer for packaging.

Churchill, Manitoba
2017 Funding: $500

The Anglican Church in the Canadian frontier town of Churchill, a.k.a. the Polar Bear Capital of the World, is an iconic building in this small northern community on the shore of Hudson Bay. In addition to its colorful history during the early days of exploration, the church continues to delight and captivate the town’s visitors. But the wear and tear of an Arctic climate has rendered the church in need of some restoration. Nat Hab Philanthropy is helping restore this northern icon that stands as a proud symbol for the people of Churchill as well as a hospitable destination for many of our evening events and speakers during polar bear, beluga and northern light adventures.

Galapagos Islands, Ecuador
2024 Funding: $2,500

Darwin Animal Doctors focuses on providing critical veterinary care, education and conservation programs to communities in biodiverse regions worldwide. This funding supported their “Guardians of the Forest Youth Rangers” initiative to empower young people to protect their environments through conservation education and community engagement. The funding also ensured continued veterinary support for animals in need, fostering healthier ecosystems and inspiring future conservationists.

Galapagos Islands
2017 Funding: Part of Nat Hab's $15,000 contribution to International Galapagos Tour Operators Association projects

Local scientists and educators in the Galapagos recognized a disconnect between local communities and the wildlife that surrounds them. Offering a grassroots boost for conservation, Ecology Project International was founded in 2000 with a mission to increase science literacy in youth through experiential immersion and hands-on research. In the Galapagos, EPI partners students with scientists to conduct field research in island geography, giant tortoise biology and wildlife conservation. Their work together is vital, as education on the islands is highly structured and students rarely leave the classroom. By immersing Galapagos students outdoors in their natural surroundings, EPI hopes to inspire the next generation of environmental stewards who will protect the Galapagos’ precious resources into the future.

Floreana Island, Galapagos
2017 Funding: Part of Nat Hab's $15,000 contribution to International Galapagos Tour Operators Association projects

Invasive species in the Galapagos Islands have been a problem since the first traders, settlers, whalers and pirates began using the archipelago for refuge in the 1800s. The non-native species introductions have been intentional and unintentional, ranging from goats to feral rats, mice and cats—all of whose populations have increased dramatically over the years, especially on the island of Floreana in the southern Galapagos. Native wildlife had no natural defenses against the invaders. Now, 13 species are locally extinct on Floreana, while 10 more are critically endangered. Considering that 80 percent of native species found in the Galapagos are found nowhere else on earth, invasives are a significant conservation issue. Island Conservation is undertaking an ambitious, multi-phase restoration project that will extirpate the intruders and reestablish native wildlife, like Floreana giant tortoises, Floreana mockingbirds, pelicans, finches and frigate birds. Using these grant funds, Island Conservation has successfully completed the first phase of the Floreana Biodiversity Heritage Community Campaign, with the second phase under way in 2018.

Dangriga Town, Belize
2017 Funding: $2250

Gulisi Community Primary School was founded in 2007 after the community self-identified a need for a different approach to education that sustains cultural identity and values within coastal Belize’s Garifuna people. Mixing academics with a strong emphasis on arts and culture, the school has grown from 92 students to over 226. The curriculum includes study of Garifuna language, dance and music for all students, however, as the school continues to grow, uniforms and instruments have experienced wear and tear. Nat Hab Philanthropy is supporting the purchase of new Garifuna attire and traditional drums to be used in local community celebrations, as well as cultural performances that introduce international visitors, including Nat Hab travelers on our Ultimate Belize Nature Safari, to their Garifuna way of life.

Glacier National Park
2017 Funding: $1500

Nat Hab Expedition Leader Jeremy Covert, who guides our adventures in Glacier National Park, is leading the crusade to communicate how climate change affects pristine and fragile environments. As a filmmaker, his current project is highlighting Glacier National Park as a prime example of these changes. Jeremy characterizes Glacier as an ecotone with prairie and Pacific Northwest maritime climates mixed with species and conditions from the northern and southern Rockies. This complexity and diversity makes Glacier more prone to change. The documentary film effort is “concentrating on telling the animals and landscapes story, pure research and observation, and limiting (or eliminating altogether) predictions and speculation to let the viewer speculate,” Jeremy says. His final product will be a series of stand-alone shorts, plus a 45-minute feature film. Nat Hab Philanthropy is proud to support this storytelling effort, and we’ll be sure to let our travelers know when it’s finished and available to watch!