© Kike Arnal
Much of the work by Arcus’ latest Great Apes & Gibbons grantees focuses on conserving the landscapes where apes—and their human neighbors—live. The Rainforest Action Network’s Leuser Ecosystem Campaign is working to protect the ecological integrity of the Indonesian landscape—both for the local wildlife and people—by building on progress around slowing land conversion for palm oil crop harvests and developing an action planning process for the next five years.
Partners awarded funding support from Arcus’ Social Justice Program this summer are focusing on the rights of the LGBTQ community with an emphasis on building leadership and standing up against violence and bias by media and religious groups, among others. Several grantees, including the New York City Gay and Lesbian Anti-Violence Project, are seeking to bolster the LGBTQ anti-violence movement in the United States.
Arcus’ Great Apes & Gibbons Program grantees this funding cycle are focusing on the conservation of non-human apes, and making concerted efforts to integrate the needs of people—particularly vulnerable and forest-dependent communities—into conservation programming so that conservation and economic development are reconciled. Sanctuaries are also working to expand their facilities and increase training and staffing.
The social justice grantees of Arcus’ spring 2019 funding cycle will continue to be laser-focused on legal and media matters to ensure that members of the LGBTQ community are protected and positively represented. Other partners will continue their work with faith leaders and allies to ensure the acceptance and inclusion of all, regardless of sexual orientation or gender identity.
CAMBRIDGE, UK (March 8, 2019) – The Arcus Foundation, a global foundation promoting respect for diversity among peoples and in nature, announced today the appointment of Chris Ransom as Program Officer for Arcus’ Great Apes and Gibbons Program. Prior to Arcus, Ransom spent 12 years at the Zoological Society of London (ZSL) where he led their conservation programs in Africa and the Middle East.
Many of the recipients of Arcus’ winter funding cycle are focusing on collaborations and partnerships to share information and influence positive outcomes for the conservation of great apes and gibbons. Global Wildlife Conservation will use its grant to support the Section on Great Apes of the International Union for Conservation of Nature’s Species Survival Commission (IUCN/SSC) Primate Specialist Group.
