In his recent cover story for TIME magazine, Bryan Walsh takes the reader to Madagascar, known as a global conservation hot spot — a term for a region that is very biodiverse and particularly threatened. 

He presents the price of extinction, both tangible in the direct relation between healthy habitats and healthy people and also in a less tangible and infinitely more complex dimension in that once these species are lost, they are gone forever, and we are only beginning to understand the role each has in the health of the planet.  

The article lays strong support for efforts to protect biodiversity around the world in a way that considers the way people relate to the natural world. With over 150 Pride conservation campaigns around the world, we have highlighted three that are working with local communities to be part of a solution. 

Saving Tigers in Indonesia

As depicted in a half vanishing photo on the cover of TIME, only 600 Sumatran tigers are left in the wild.  The decline of such a distinctive species is a something that Shaummil Hadi, a Rare Pride campaign manager working with Fauna and Flora International in Sumatra, Indonesia, knows very well.

Shaummil works in a national protected area that provides shelter for the Sumatran tiger, orangutan, and elephant. Once draped with thick jungle leaves, the forest has suffered from logging and wood harvesting which threaten the area as a natural habitat for the tiger.

To protect the park, and also ensure economic stability for the residents of the area, Shaummill is working with local farmers to introduce community-based forest management and agro-forestry systems. All a part of his Rare Pride campaign, farmers will receive training and technical assistance as they adopt these new techniques. In addition, Shaummil is mobilizing the community to take action as they find out their forest is the only home for many critically endangered Sumatran animal species.

Promoting Sustainable Fishing in Madagascar

While threatened tigers are of top concern in Sumantra, there is an equal array of threatened species an entire ocean away. Over 350 tropical fish and coral flood the floor of the Indian Ocean that surrounds Madagascar. Unfortunately, these species are threatened by poison fishing, fine netting, shark fishing, and turtle nest raids.

To protect this rich habitat, Rare has partnered with the local affiliate of UK-based non-profit Blue Ventures and launched a Pride campaign for conservation. Led by Gildas Andriamalala the campaign is working with the community to spread awareness about the dangers of destructive fishing practices. As he moves forward he will provide resources and tools for the community, and bring in experts to teach sustainable fishing practices.

Even though his campaign is just starting, he is already engaging local residents on the economic and environmental benefits of using more sustainable fishing practices.

Advocating for Endangered Bird Species

Liz Assef of San Antonio Bay, Argentina is also working to save a protected species – one that makes a 9,300 mile commute twice a year. The endangered Red Knot, a small bird that spends summers in Chesapeake Bay and winters in Patagonia, is facing a serious decline. Human disturbance is the major threat in the San Antonio region. Off-road vehicles on the beach and pollution from tourists and residents alike threaten the habitat.

Liz is working with Rare to spread the word about the Red Knot and its importance to the area, and also has a strategy to work with local leaders to regulate zones for Off-road vehicles. To help protect Red Knots throughout Argentina, Rare and our partner Manomet are running two additional campaigns in Argentina located in and around the communities of Rio Gallegos Estuary and the Costa Atlantica Reserve.

Whether it’s saving forests and tigers in Indonesia, sea-life in Madagascar, or the Red Knot in Argentina; these three campaigns are indicative of the work Rare is currently inspiring around the world.  And as the TIME magazine article indicates – what we are saving is very rare indeed.

Learn more about 150 Pride campaigns around the world.

What is a Pride campaign?

Click here to link to the TIME magazine article and more about species on the brink of extinction.