The Peregrine Fund teams with royal foundation

The Boise, Idaho-based conservation organization focused on birds of prey recently signed a two-year renewable agreement with The Prince Albert II of Monaco Foundation-USA. Albert II became His Serene Highness The Sovereign Prince of Monaco in 2005 and established the foundation in 2006. According to a press release:

The Prince Albert II of Monaco Foundation works internationally to support ethical and sustainable projects and has undertaken numerous bird and animal life preservation projects including a breeding program in the Mediterranean Basin for the endangered Bonelli's Eagle; an assessment of the polar bear health in the polar regions; and the monitoring, in Africa, of the Niger Giraffes.

The agreement spells out the organizations' shared goals, and it calls for teamwork in conducting research and raising funds. A coordination committee will include a representative from each group.

"The Peregrine Fund is pleased to bring its conservation expertise, proven success, and focus on birds of prey to this joint initiative with the Prince Albert II of Monaco Foundation. Birds of prey, as far-ranging, top predators are acutely sensitive to environmental change and serve both as sentinel species that reveal conservation needs, and as umbrella species that help protect biodiversity," said J. Peter Jenny, president, The Peregrine Fund Inc.

Some of the Fund's projects that might benefit from the partnership include

- a climate change initiative focused on the Gyrfalcon (shown right), which breeds exclusively in the Arctic where the effects of climate warming are predicted to be greatest

- a biodiversity initiative in Madagascar to develop community-based conservation areas protecting habitat for endangered species that exist only on the island

- a species-restoration project to save the critically endangered Ridgway's Hawk on Hispaniola, Dominican Republic, in the Caribbean.

Gyrfalcon photo courtesy of The Peregrine Fund