This is the third post in our series on the top 10 wildlife conservation challenges and solutions, to provide some quick and easy to read background information to our game Conservation Crisis.
Challenge #3 – Funding
Funding is a major challenge for conservation. Most work relies on donations and grants, which are always in short supply as there are so many different problems around the world that need money but there is a limited amount of funding available. Because conservation work is grant funded, charities have to spend all the money they are given in order to receive more – if donors think you already have enough money then they will give their funds to someone else instead. However effectively an organisation budgets, though, sometimes they still will not get a grant and they will rely on money they have kept in reserve for emergencies.
Solution #3 – Raising and Spending Money
Correct budgeting so that donor funding is spent in full is crucial to ensure that more grants can be accessed in future. Having an emergency fund is also very important, so that you can cover unforeseen costs that arise – donors will be more likely to grant you funds if they know you can survive an emergency. Investing in tourist lodges is also a good way to increase revenue from the money spent by eco-tourists visiting reserves.