Amid the wave of Covid-19 in India, the BNP Paribas Rescue & Recover Fund takes action
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29/04/2021
Biodiversity emergency: BNP Paribas takes action
- 08.10.2020
Poaching, illegal trade of endangered species, pollution, overfishing and the destruction of natural habitats: every 20 minutes, a plant or animal species disappears from the planet. In the face of this reality, BNP Paribas decided to take action via its endowment fund to support the work of one of its partner NGOs, IFAW.
IFAW, A worldwide partner fighting for biodiversity
From 5 to 25 October, all donations made to the BNP Paribas Rescue & Recover Fund by employees worldwide, retirees of BNP Paribas*, and French Retail Banking Clients will be matched by the Group. These funds will finance specific IFAW projects aimed at protecting animals and biodiversity around the world.
In Africa...
To save and rehabilitate elephant calves that
have lost their mothers due to poaching or human/animal conflicts
When poachers kill an elephant for its ivory, its young are left alone to fend for themselves. As elephant calves are weaned only at between 5 and 10 years old, their chances of surviving in the wild are virtually non-existent. Moreover, this loss also deprives them of the chance to learn social norms essential to group life.
- IFAW manages two orphanages for elephant calves with local partners in southern Africa. The objective: to identify victimised animals, retrieve them and care for them, and prepare them for life in nature before their release by helping them to find a group and a territory where they can live peacefully in protected areas.
In North America ...
To transport, treat and release injured or beached sea mammals
Every year, tens of thousands of sea mammals (dolphins, seals, whales, etc.) that are caught in fishing nets and die or wash up on shores.
- IFAW takes emergency action as soon as an animal in need is identified. Special transport tents allow agents to safely care for beached dolphins until they can be released in a secure area. Satellite tags are then used to monitor dolphins after their release.
- IFAW deploys mobile x-ray units to evaluate the health of beached dolphins and seals. These units can also be deployed around the world by IFAW staff.
- In addition, IFAW is developing a project focusing on the use of sedatives and antibiotics delivered remotely (via specialised darts) to large whales that are injured or caught in nets. Drones are deployed to evaluate the whales’ injuries and more accurately determine the correct dosage of medication.
In Asia...
To fight cyber-criminality linked to the trafficking of endangered species
An increasing number of traffickers are now using e-commerce, and in particular social media, to buy and sell wild animals categorised as endangered species. The goal of the project is to promote civic involvement via the surveillance and reporting of illegal trafficking of wild animals online, and to facilitate the enforcement and expansion of legislation related to the online trading of exotic domestic animals.
- IFAW has created surveillance groups to report the illegal buying and selling of wild animals on social networks. These groups are made up of law enforcement agents, academics, university students and citizens.
- IFAW provides training for e-commerce companies in order to help them strengthen the regulation of their platforms, and to develop and implement a zero-tolerance policy against the buying and selling of wild animals.
Donations toward a global partnership
The past few years have been marked by an increasing number of natural disasters, many of which are partly a result of climate change: devastating bush fires in Australia, massive flooding in India, raging fires in the Amazon, etc. Their consequences on the environment and biodiversity are being increasingly felt as numerous endangered animal and plant species come under threat of extinction.
This is why, on 1 September 2020, the Rescue & Recover Fund expanded to include a division dedicated to environmental emergencies, with the support of a new partner NGO which will join the current partners of the Rescue & Recover Fund. This new partner will complement the actions carried out by CARE, the French Red Cross and Doctors Without Borders by focusing on relief during environmental disasters.
BNP Paribas employees and French Retail Banking clients can click here to contribute
About the Rescue & Recover Fund:
Launched in December 2012 by BNP Paribas, the Rescue & Recover Fund is an innovative device for collecting donations, which permits to react quickly and effectively in case of a humanitarian disaster. In addition, each time an employee makes a donation through the Fund, BNP Paribas doubles the amount. Since its creation, the fund has made it possible to pay more than 4 million euros to its NGOs partners CARE, French Red Cross and Doctors Without Borders. Watch the video below or click here to learn More….
The Rescue and Recover Fund, BNP Paribas
About IFAW
IFAW (International Fond for Animal Welfare) – is an NGO working to protect animals and their habitats. It focuses its actions on a range of issues related to animals, the environment, and biodiversity.
*Members of the French pensioner's association for Group employees
Photo credits: ©IFAW, ©Donal Boyd, ©Stacey-Hedman