Endangered Wildlife Trust
Vision:
A healthy planet and an equitable world that values and sustains the diversity of all life.
Mission:
The Endangered Wildlife Trust is dedicated to conserving species and ecosystems in southern Africa to the benefit of all people by:
- Initiating and implementing conservation research and action programmes;
- Preventing species extinctions and maintaining biodiversity and ecosystem functioning;
- Supporting sustainable natural resources use and management;
- Communicating the principles of sustainable living and empowering people by capacity building, education and awareness programmes to the broadest possible constituency;
- Taking a strong leadership and advocacy role in promoting environmental and social justice.
The EWT currently addresses, through its 18 Working Groups which collectively coordinate around 110 projects, and its core functions, the following key focal areas:
- Strategic Industry Partnerships
- Indicator Species and Critical Ecosystems
- Research and Technology
- International Partnerships
- Advocacy, Policy and Governance
- People and the Environment
- Governance and Environmental Empowerment
- National and Regional Interventions
The EWT thus works broadly across the environment with a clear focus on areas of greatest national and regional conservation importance. Each programme links to key regional environmental issues such as water conservation, sustainable agriculture, community-based natural resource management, capacity building and other key tenets in the many international conventions to which South Africa is party. These include the Convention on Biological Diversity, the RAMSAR Wetlands Convention and the Convention in Trade in Endangered Species of Fauna and Flora (CITES). Furthermore, the EWT implements programmes which aid South Africa and neighbouring SADC countries to achieve the social development targets of the Millennium Development Goals and the World Summit on Sustainable Development.