International campaign to raise a record amount for wetlands conservation
MEMPHIS, Tenn., Aug. 24, 2023 - A coalition of conservation organizations has launched a historic $3 billion international fundraising campaign to protect and restore wetland habitats across North America, resulting in cleaner water for communities and wildlife.
Ducks Unlimited, Inc., Ducks Unlimited Canada, Ducks Unlimited de México and Wetlands America Trust have announced Conservation For A Continent. Our Wetlands. Our Legacy.
The campaign, one of the largest ever launched in North America devoted to landscape conservation and the future of our outdoors heritage, will fund ambitious projects to build back nature in all 50 states, Canada and Mexico. The goal is to secure support, donations and commitments totaling at least $3 billion by 2026.
Together the organizations have already conserved more than 16 million acres of wetlands and grasslands across the continent since 1937. In addition, the partners are part of a multi-year effort to advance species and habitat conservation across 1 billion acres of Canada's Boreal Forest. This campaign builds on that momentum.
"Conservation For A Continent is more than a statement," said Ducks Unlimited President Chuck Smith. "It's a promise to improve wetlands across North America on a scale large enough to improve quality of life for waterfowl, people and other wildlife."
Peacefully disguised as breathtaking marshes, wetlands relentlessly perform their job as powerhouses for biodiversity, water quality and recreational playgrounds. Yet more than ever, these landscapes, some of the most productive ecosystems on earth, are threatened and lost every day.
Wetlands provide food and shelter for more than 900 species of plants and animals and are crucial to the populations of waterfowl and other migratory birds.
These habitats are just as vital to people across North America. Environmental resilience, natural infrastructure and water sustainability are all critical to society. Wetlands address climate adaptation by filtering pollutants from water, buffering coasts from rising sea levels and protecting communities from the impacts of flooding.
Conservation For A Continent builds on the success of previous major Ducks Unlimited fundraising campaigns:
The $2.34 billion Rescue Our Wetlands campaign, concluded in 2018.
The $1.88 billion Wetlands for Tomorrow campaign, concluded in 2010.
Learn more about where Ducks Unlimited works, how we conserve wetlands and who supports the organization by visiting www.ducks.org/campaign.
Media Contact: Chris Sebastian, csebastian@ducks.org, (734) 649-4680
SOURCE Ducks Unlimited, Inc.
