What we do – CCBC

Evilvory

All the Evilvory campaign photographs were taken by Dan Vojtech. Evilvory campaign captures individual parts of the ivory Black-market. It is a tool designed to be used to enlighten the public about international trade with natural commodities. It follows the journey of tusks from the African savanna or jungle all the way to the final customer in Asia and in the West.
A poacher in African bush delivers illegal tusks to his partner (trader). No poacher is working alone. They work for rich people, but they themselves never become rich. Groups of poachers kill tens of national park rangers yearly. To be a ranger is very dangerous, they are risking their life daily to protect the animals in the park.
Public servants, custom officers and regional politicians have in theory a chance to stop the poaching. However, in many cases they are part of the illegal supply chain. They take bribes to keep quiet and in some cases even to help with the illegal trade. In malfunctioning states such a corruption has fatal impact on the African Wilde life.
Collectors use ivory to show off their wealth and social status. Even though the interest of western customers has been declining in past years there are still many of whom the fact that it is a “bloody” business has not reduced the appetite for ivory. They seem not to care that the money they have invested in building up their collections could have saved many elephants.
The usual customer using ivory jewels has no idea where they came from. Most of people in Asia think that elephants shed their tusks during their life just like deer’s do or that they come from animals that died naturally. They are oblivious to the extent of the tragedy due to lack of awareness campaigns.
There is about 350.000 African savanna elephants left (the population has decreased by 30-40% since 2007), and only about 80.000 of the jungle elephants. Most of the ivory goes to the Far East where it is sold for approximately 3000 USD/kg. Ivory trade has been forbidden in mainland China since 2017. However, in Hong Kong it is still legal. Thailand, Vietnam, Malaysia, Singapore and Japan are unfortunately also amongst the main transit and final destinations.
Elephants will not be safe as long as there is huge demand and people are willing to pay for ivory. It’s crucial that respected public figures from cultural, political and sport environment in China and other Asian countries try to change the perception of ivory products. Most of Asian population still considers ivory products as luxury that shows of one’s wealth and status. They do not know they come from killed animals. They still believe elephants shed their tusks like antlers. Perhaps they would change their opinion if they were aware of the real ordeal and suffering elephants have to endure because of human vanity and ignorance.

Please find the high-resolution photographs for web and print here. English, Japanese, Vietnamese, both traditional and simplified Chinese and Czech translations are available.

Evilvory

Please find the high-resolution photographs for web and print here. English, Japanese, Vietnamese and Czech translations are available.

Czech Coalition for Biodiversity Conservation

We seek to prevent illegal activities in Indonesia such as stealing eggs from turtles and felling mangrove woods. We endeavour to expand awareness of the ongoing disaster in Africa affecting elephants. We undertake conservation projects ranging from endemic species of birds on Sumatra and the Philippines to slow lorises confiscated from the black market and in need of rehabilitation.

Through education and awareness raising, we try to familiarise people with the dangers of palm oil as one of the biggest environmental challenges of our times. We protect indigenous pastoralists in northern Kenya from rabies. We support grassroots movements in Tanzania and Mexico through education and micro-loans.

How do we achieve this?

Campaigns

On Our Minds & On Our Shirts

We are seeing a terrifying decline of turtles in the wild. Out of every thousand eggs they lay, only a single turtle reaches adulthood. This fateful situation has prompted Czech scientists to step in. Supported by four Czech zoological parks, they founded a programme to protect sea turtles. The programme has already saved 1,200,000 eggs of these endangered creatures. Please support it and watch the video featuring Bára Hrzánová, Roman Vaněk, and Dan Bárta.

Evilvory

Please explore the photographs by Dan Vojtěch that are part of the campaign.

The Evilvory campaign keeps track of every single link in the chain of illegal trade in ivory to support awareness of this worldwide issue.

It is a road map showing how a tusk travels from the African savannah or forest to the end customer in Asia or in the West.

Documentaries

Czechs Save

In collaboration with CCBC and the Liberec Zoological Garden, Czech National Television produced a series of six documentaries on how Czech people contribute to saving wildlife.

Guided by Dan Bárta – a famous Czech singer and insect lover – the viewer is invited to follow in the footsteps of endangered species found in different parts of our planet. Each part covers a different country and features a different Czech naturalist active in the field who has devoted their lives to protecting that country’s natural world and aims to rescue the last-remaining populations of endangered species living in that region.

“Indeed, there are numerous Czech natural scientists considerably involved in ground-breaking conservation projects abroad. Some of them are even project leaders, co-operating with Czech zoos to achieve outcomes that have earned public acclaim internationally. Our documentaries show what they do there, how they live there, their happy moments and pitfalls, and the methods, results, and prospects of their work,” explains Dan Bárta.

The documentary series familiarises viewers with the living habits of specific animal species while explaining what puts them at risk and how the viewer can help; it also shows the lives of Czechs staying thousands of kilometres away from their homes, in places where they founded projects protecting the wealth of Mother Nature and working more than well and with success. It demonstrates how the people co-operate with local communities, combat bureaucracy and politicians, raise money and, often, live in conditions hard to imagine for ordinary people here. Most of the projects are conducted by Czech non-profit organisations working pro-actively with the Liberec Zoo to save the natural world around the planet, assisting in the long term by providing funds, materials, and formal support.

Each part of the series is designed as an entertaining travelogue enabling the viewer to learn how Czechs save wildlife, whether it involves sea turtles in Indonesia*; proboscis, or long-nosed, monkeys in Borneo*; hornbills in the Philippines*; giant, or Lord Derby, elands in Senegal; bearded vultures in Europe; or wisents here in the Czech Republic.

* denotes a project running under the auspices of CCBC

Please visit the website of Czech Television to learn more

2017-06-21 20.57.45 Orlosup - Dan Bárta určuje chycenou vážku

Conferences

GLOBAL BIODIVERSITY CONSERVATION CONFERENCE

GBCC CONNECTS EXPERTS WITH DIFFERENT EXPERIENCES AND APPROACHES TO THE PROTECTION OF BIODIVERSITY.

The global problems that humanity is currently facing will not be resolved by states, scientists, entrepreneurs, or civil society independently of each other. By joining forces, however, things can progress more easily. GBCC connects the right scientists with volunteering activists, business people, and public authorities. We strive to enable interdisciplinary presentations, meetings, and informed debates of people from all around the world. Organised from three centres on three continents – Czech Republic, Mexico, and Indonesia – this conference series is gaining increasing prestige and respect in its four years of existence. We connect major academic institutions from several countries with a wide network of activists operating in many parts of the planet with the aim of talking about problems, and also finding clear and working solutions.

Langhans Meetings with Experts

CCBC Kaleidoscope

CCBC Kaleidoscope was organised by the Czech Coalition for Biodiversity Conservation (CCBC) together with the Liberec Zoo. Our aim was to make people more familiar, through lectures and talks, with specific countries through the eyes of travellers, conservationists, and volunteers, so that they would know that it is also possible help and explore things around the world other than just through travel. This time we also focused on the health of travellers and volunteers. There was an invited speaker at each of the meetings – MUDR. Václav Bartoš, a physician active at the Anaesthesiology, Resuscitation and Intensive Care Medicine Clinic. Why? Dr Bartoš prepared future volunteers and explorers for their journeys of help and discovery. He reviewed the basics of first aid, which are essential for everyone, from resuscitation, states of unconscious, drowning, choking, or bleeding. He also touched on common life-threatening conditions other than accidents: myocardial infarction, epilepsy, cerebral vascular events, and diabetes, as well as those that affect travellers such as febrile illnesses caused by bacteria, parasites (malaria), and viruses (respiratory infection), infectious hepatitis, local inflammations, skin conditions, and diarrhoea.

Afternoon Lessons with CCBC – Learning Through Fun

Explore a Different Cup of Coffee

Feed the Birds

Use a COCONUT rather than a TURTLE (design workshop)

Take a Trip to the Virgin Forest

The Story of the Primary Forest

A Squirrel Wanted!

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Children’s Day with CCBC

IN SITU – Children’s Day of Open Gardens

The venue: Stanice přírodovědců DDM hl. m. Prahy (Young Naturalist’s Centre) – Drtinova 1, Prague 5.

These events are dedicated to children and adults who want to learn how to save and protect nature and animals in the wild.

Moment Charity Shops (Second-Hand Shop Chain)

second hand

Moment Charity Shops are a chain of shops that support non-profit community and environmental organisations through their operations. In the textile processing cycle, which is its primary business, each of the facilities seeks to involve people with difficulties applying themselves in the labour market as well as to develop a greener perception of things.

The supply side of the shops is based on donations that they sell; NGOs are financed through the resulting earnings.

You can become involved, too! How? Donate surplus clothing – bring it directly to the shop. You can bring your own clothes or organise a collection of clothing at your workplace.

We wish to use this transparent approach to support the sustainability and recycling of fashion clothing.

Shop at our Prague store to support CCBC – the Czech Coalition for Biodiversity Conservation, a foundation that is active as an umbrella for NGOs working around the world to assist through the development of education and conservation of species under threat of extinction wherever necessary.