{"id":16286,"date":"2024-12-04T11:00:37","date_gmt":"2024-12-04T16:00:37","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rbcwealthmanagement.com\/en-eu\/?post_type=rbcwm_community&p=16286"},"modified":"2024-12-04T11:00:38","modified_gmt":"2024-12-04T16:00:38","slug":"how-durrell-wildlife-conservation-trust-is-reviving-a-scottish-gem","status":"publish","type":"rbcwm_community","link":"https:\/\/www.rbcwealthmanagement.com\/en-eu\/community\/insights\/how-durrell-wildlife-conservation-trust-is-reviving-a-scottish-gem","title":{"rendered":"How Durrell Wildlife Conservation Trust is reviving a Scottish gem"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Durrell Wildlife Conservation Trust <\/a> is an international conservation charity with an urgent mission: restore ecosystems, save animals from extinction, train conservationists and connect people to nature. Together, this will help reverse the rapidly escalating global biodiversity crisis.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The stakes couldn\u2019t be higher. The International Union for Conservation of Nature says more than 46,300 species are currently at risk of becoming extinct <\/a>, from the Bornean elephant to the hammerhead shark. Closer to home, even beloved garden residents like bees and butterflies may be facing a similar fate as ecosystems collapse.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Support is needed from people at the ground level<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The staff who work at Durrell understand one of the key drivers of environmental change: if the world is to transition to a lower-emissions economy, securing buy-in from people and their communities is absolutely essential.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As part of its global Purpose Framework  \u2013 Ideas for People and Planet, and its ambition to support the transition to a net-zero economy, RBC is the exclusive supporter of the 2024 Durrell Lecture Series. Held in Edinburgh, London and Jersey in November, these events showcased the value of Durrell’s revival plans <\/a> and its other proven conservation techniques.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI work at the grassroots level, and it’s invaluable when we’re able to share our experiences with people,\u201d says Deirdre Stewart, Durrell\u2019s programme director for Scotland, who was the keynote speaker at the lectures.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cOur work at Durrell is all about values and inspiring people to see why we’re doing what we’re doing. But it\u2019s also about enhancing people\u2019s understanding of actions they can take on their own doorstep.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Two
Mike Hudson, director of Conservation Knowledge at Durrell Wildlife Conservation Trust and Libby Penman, a wildlife filmmaker, at the 2024 Durrell Lecture Series in Nov. 2024. Photo: Durrell Wildlife Conservation Trust<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Headquartered in Jersey, Durrell runs numerous projects on the ground<\/a> in various countries around the world, protecting a variety of creatures, from lemurs in Madagascar to India’s pygmy hog.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It also operates a zoo in Jersey and invests heavily in scientific research and robust training in conservation. Currently, the organisation is applying its expertise in Scotland, where a sobering one-in-nine species is threatened with national extinction <\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The 100-year plan to restore a Scottish gem<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

In 2023, Durrell secured the lease on Dalnacardoch, an 18,500-acre estate in the Scottish Highlands. This was thanks to the generosity of a UK-based family charitable foundation, which purchased the estate with the intention of leasing it to Durrell.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The conservation trust then launched an ambitious, 100-year land-management programme <\/a> aimed at restoring the area\u2019s natural habitat, reintroducing iconic species and reconnecting people with the environment.<\/p>\n\n\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t

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