Press Releases
Seacology Spends Wisely to Protect Island Biodiversity, With Impressive Results
April 8, 2009 by OceanHome · Leave a Comment
April 8, 2009 (Berkeley, CA) – With the economy in turmoil, everybody is doing all they can to stretch a dollar these days. Seacology has been doing so all along. Founded in 1993 in Berkeley, California, the non-profit environmental organization for the protection of island biodiversity and culture has long made efficient use of donor dollars a priority. The results have been impressive, including close to 2 million marine and terrestrial acres saved around the world.
Along with a dedicated donor base, Seacology’s financial smarts have earned it a 4-Star rating from Charity Navigator three years in a row. Seacology gets tremendous bang for the buck as the projects it funds are built with volunteer labor, often in islands where the cost of building a school or community center is a fraction of what it would be in the U.S.
The organization also makes a point to stick to what it does best. “We concentrate on creating basic infrastructure in exchange for protected terrestrial and marine reserves,” says Duane Silverstein, Executive Director, who notes that while scientific research, lobbying and policy development are also needed, such pursuits would stretch Seacology too thin. “By focusing our efforts, we ensure that we do what we do extremely well and that our results are measurable and ready for objective analysis.”
Over the years, Seacology’s “win-win” approach to island conservation has seen the construction of 85 critically needed facilities for island populations, such as schools, community centers and water-delivery systems. The group runs annual trips to reveal its good work for the island communities that join in protecting their own culture and ecology. Among many recent examples of Seacology’s efforts and results:
- On Kavarathi Island in the Lakshadweep Archipelago of India, Seacology is constructing an environmental education center in exchange for the establishment of a 500-acre marine protected area for 10 years. The local Lakshadweep Marine Research and Conservation Centre, with which Seacology coordinated its efforts, is committed to conservation and sustainable development of the region’s coral reef ecosystems. Seacology investment: $28,500, or $57 a protected acre.
- On Emau Island, North Efate, in the Shefu Province of Vanuatu, Seacology’s efforts resulted in a kindergarten building and equipment for the Marou Community in exchange for a 32-acre “no-take” marine reserve and establishment of a 300-acre terrestrial reserve for a minimum of 10 years. Seacology investment: $13,287, or $40 a protected acre.
- In the Sarinbuana Village of Bali, Indonesia, Seacology contributed a community building, school renovations and equipment in exchange for the endorsement of a permanent, 4,400-acre “no-take” rainforest reserve. The reserve’s opening ceremony, which was attended by donor guests on a Seacology expedition, was held in October 2007. Seacology investment: $20,000, or $4.50 a protected acre.
In the past decade alone, Seacology’s efforts have saved more than 1.8 million marine acres and more than 160,000 terrestrial acres, as well as innumerable plant and animal species that dwell there. There’s no putting a price on results like that.
To learn more about how Seacology is spending donor dollars efficiently, please visit www.seacology.org or call (510) 559-3505.
