Binoculars4charity

1

4

6

3

7

5

2

Photos: KYBN

The good news come now again from Africa, where we have recently supported the Kenyan Youth Biodiversity Network (KYBN) with a donation of 2 spotting scopes with tripods and some accessories. The KYBN is a youth-led organization with a mission to halt the further loss of terrestrial and marine biodiversity in Kenya. They aim to achieve this through youth empowerment, knowledge sharing, and meaningful participation in policy processes. The organization has over 3,000 active members and focuses on four main projects: Ecosystem Restoration, Marine Action, Policy Advocacy, and Conservation Awareness.

The KYBN has made significant achievements since its founding in 2017. They have planted over 100,000 trees in various parts of Kenya, restoring degraded landscapes and contributing to ecosystem conservation. They have also raised awareness about marine plastic pollution, documented threats to ocean ecosystems, and empowered youth to combat these challenges. Additionally, their policy advocacy work has successfully mobilized young people to participate in shaping biodiversity policies at national and international levels, amplifying youth voices in conservation decision-making.

The donated scopes will be used to support KYBN’s citizen science project, led by early career environmental professionals. The project employs a peer-learner model, pairing professionals with junior members interested in learning conservation through nature photography, birdwatching, and mini-documentary production. Their current focus is developing a comprehensive bird species checklist for Rimpa Wildlife Sanctuary near Nairobi National Park to inform ecosystem management strategies. They aim to expand to other sanctuaries and green spaces, benefiting over 2000 individuals and nurturing the next generation of conservation leaders.

We were delighted to receive the photos of some recent activities of the KYBN where the donated scopes were used. One of such events was a biodiversity festival to commemorate the International day for Biological Diversity at a remote beach called Nyumba Sita along the south coast, in Kenya’s Kwale County. KYBN offered a birdwatching expedition to teach students from the Ukunda Vocational Institute the importance of conserving coastal forests as habitats for important birds such as the African Fish-Eagle. Later, on the World Migratory Bird Day, the KYBN organized a birdwatching expedition at Karura forest, home of about 200 bird species, with the aim to highlight the need to conserve migratory birds and their habitat. In the words of Kevin Lunzalu, one of the leaders of the KYBN, the “scopes from Binoculars4charity were utilized to make this important event successful”. For more information about KYBN, you can visit their Facebook and Twitter profiles.

We wish the KYBN all the best with all their activities in Kenya and thank the donors of the equipment that allow us to support another amazing project.

Bild1

Bild2

Bild3

Bild4

Photos: Yayasan KIARA

More good news comes from Indonesia, where four donated binoculars have arrived at Yayasan KIARA, a non-profit organisation established in 2020 for the conservation of the endangered Javan Gibbon and its forest ecosystem. The binoculars will support Yayasan KIARA’s activities in West Java related to scientific research and long-term monitoring, environmental education, and community empowerment. Two pairs of binoculars are currently being used by seven field assistants to monitor three groups of Javan gibbons at the long-term field site in Gunung Halimun Salak National Park, run in collaboration with the Javan Gibbons Research and Conservation Project (JGRCP) and Ewha Womans University. The other two binoculars are used by 15 members of the Sanggabuana Wildlife Rangers, Yayasan KIARA’s local partner for monitoring biodiversity and threats in the unprotected Gunung Sanggabuana area in West Java.

As always, our thanks go to the donors of the optical equipment. We wish Yayasan KIARA and its partners all the best in their conservation and education efforts for the Javan Gibbon in Indonesia. For more information and news from the projects, visit Yayasan KIARA’s website and Instagram account, as well as the Instagram account of the Sanggabuana Wildlife Rangers.

1

2

Bild1

5

4

Bild2

3

Photos: UWEC

After a long journey from Switzerland via Greece and Israel, two spotting scopes and tripods have arrived safely at their destination in Uganda. The scopes will be used to support the activities of the Uganda Wildlife Conservation Education Centre (UWEC) in Mabamba Bay, a Ramsar site on the northern shore of Lake Victoria. There, the UWEC works to conserve the rich biodiversity of this important and fragile wetland ecosystem and Important Bird Area (IBA). Mabamba Bay is home of numerous rare and threatened bird species, both resident and migratory, such as Shoebill, Blue Swallow, Malagasy Pond-Heron and Papyrus Shrike, among many others.

The Makanaga Wetland Ecosystem Users’ Association (MWESUA), a UWEC-supported local organisation made up of local fishermen, farmers and teachers, will be the custodian of the donated spotting scopes. MWESUA’s work focuses on improving the conservation status of the wetland and supporting the implemention of an inclusive ecotourism concept for the whole community. The spotting scopes are used by MWESUA’s approximately 10 nature guides and 20 boatmen for bird watching, wetland ecotours and bird monitoring. In the words of Richard Otiti, our partner at UWEC, the donation ” is such a great milestone for MWESUA and will surely boost the nature guides’ confidence and motivate them to provide visitor satisfaction and grow their passion for conserving the wetland. I can’t thank you enough!”

We wish UWEC and MWESUA all the best in their efforts to conserve the biodiversity of the Mabamba Wetland while promoting nature-friendly income opportunities in the local community. As always, we thank the generous donors who make it possible to support such projects with much needed optical equipment. For more information about the UWEC’s activities, please visit their website and Facebook page. Here’ also a short report from UWEC (PDF).

1

4

3

5

2

Photos: MBCC

This time the news come from the Far East, where three spotting scopes and a backpack found their way to the Mongolian Bird Conservation Center (MBCC). The MBCC is an NGO founded in 2015 with the mission to contribute to the understanding and conservation of national bird species and their habitats by conducting scientific research and conservation activities and by training young naturalists and conservationists. The MBCC maintains a bird research station in the Daurian forest-steppe ecoregion in northern Mongolia, where intensive field work is carried out every year with school children, undergraduate and graduate students and the local population. On days such as the World Migration Day and World Biodiversity Day, the MBCC celebrates conservation and nature by offering training and birdwatching activities to the people living around the Daurian Strictly Protected Area. “The donated telescopes will be very helpful for bird research and conservation in Mongolia,” says Amarkhuu Gungaa, Executive Director of the MBCC.

We are thrilled to be able to contribute to the valuable work of the MBCC and to see that the donated equipment is already being used. As always, we thank all donors who make this possible and encourage anyone who has unused binoculars and telescopes to donate them to Binoculars4charity.

For more information on the MBCC, visit the organisation’s website and Facebook page. A more detailed report from the MCC on the use of the telescopes can be found here.

1

2

4

3

Recently, a spotting scope reached a new land in South America. Binoculars4charity supports the “Círculo de Investigación en Ornitología (CIO)”, an undergraduate study and research group created at the National University Agraria La Molina (UNALM) in Lima, Peru. The goals of CIO are to expand bird research and to help promote interest and engagement in the Peruvian community. Currently, the CIO has nearly 50 members and four active projects and initiatives, including monthly get-togethers, excursions, and workshops for bird identification, monitoring, conservation, women-empowering, and awareness-raising in different regions throughout Peru. We wish the CIO all the best with its current and future activities, and extend their gratitude to the donors of the scope. For information on the CIO, visit the organization’s Facebook and Instagram pages.

1

5

3

6

4

2

7

We have good news from South Africa! The two scopes recently donated to Mbeko Eco Club have arrived safely at their destination and are already being used by the kids in their ououtdoor eco-activities. The Mbeko Eco Club was founded in 2019 in the Western Cape wineland region with the aim of improving and protecting the water quality of the Berg river through environmental education and awareness. The donated scopes will be used by about 5.000 kids and young people of three primary and two secondary schools for birdwatching excursions and waterbird monitoring at the Paarl Bird Sanctuary. In the words of Khahliso Lefatsa, CEO and co-founder of Mbeko Eco Club, the club members “are jumping for joy to have these scopes” and “amazed to see younger people starting to enjoy and be mesmerized by bird spotting and counting”. We are very happy to be able to support these important initiative for the protection of nature in South Africa and thank the generous donors that make this possible! Here you can find a brief report of the reception of the donation. For more information on Mbeko Eco Club’s activities, visit their website and Facebook page.

1a

2a

3a

4a

After a longer break in our activities, at the end of 2021 we were able to bring eight binoculars to Corporación GAIA, a non-governmental organization in the department of Antioquia (Colombia) that has been working there in nature conservation for more than 20 years. The donated equipment will be mainly used by a network of more than 40 environmental leaders and farmers in a program for the monitoring and conservation of the spectacled bear and other organisms (birds, insects) in the west Andes. Spectacled bears are the only surviving species of bear native to South America, and are classified as vulnerable because of habitat loss. We are happy to support the Corporación GAIA in their efforts for the conservation and sustainable use of biodiversity in Colombia and for generation of knowledge through citizen-science.

We extend the gratitude of GAIA to the donors of the material and make a call for further donations of optic equipment that will strengthen the work of other organizations and projects on nature conservation and environmental education around the world! For more information about the activities of GAIA have a look at their Website and their Facebook page.

_MG_1550

IMG-20200326-WA0007

_MG_1555

IMG-20200326-WA0004

After a long journey, eight binoculars and one spotting scope reached their destination in Kenya. This donation supports the work of the Dawida Biodiversity Conservation Group (DaBiCo), a non-profit organization that operates in the Dawida massif in the Taita Hills. The group was founded in 2012 with the primary goal of mobilizing community members to conserve the forests of the Taita Hills. The mountains are considered one of the global biodiversity hotspots.

DaBiCo currently has 255 voluntary members and over 1000 people who benefit indirectly from its network. DaBiCo is BirdLife’s local partner in the “Taita Hills Important Bird and Biodiversity Area (IBA)”.

The optical devices donated by Binoculars4charity support bird monitoring in the IBA and are also used as a means to offer environmental education to school children. Nathaniel Mkombola, Chairman of DaBiCo, said: “The equipment provided by Binoculars4Charity helps immensely to improve our monitoring, training and educational efforts as now more of our group members and school children during outings have access to high-quality binoculars. In the long-term we hope that this will help to gain the support of the local communities for the protection of the remaining cloud forests of the Taita Hills”.

At Binoculars4charity we are delighted with another successful story and grateful for the support from our donors. We wish DaBiCo all the best in their effort for conserving and educating about nature! More information about DaBiCo ‘s activities can be found here and in their Facebook group.

AMALAKA Toda la comunidad escolar esta disfrutando de los nuevos equipos

celebración dia aves migratorias 2

Foto de Ana María F

AMALAKA torre de avistamiento conociendo las instalaciones del glamping

AMALAKA Trogon collaris

celebración dia de aves migratorias

Foto de Ana María F (1)

Last year we sent 6 binoculars and 2 spotting scopes with tripod on their journey towards Cauca in western Colombia, where the AMALAKA Foundation has been running an agricultural school and looking after a private nature reserve for more than 30 years. AMALAKA is a Swiss-Colombian endeavor in one of the most naturally and culturally rich regions in the country, which unfortunately is badly affected by social and political conflicts. At the school and in the nature reserve, local children and adults can learn about traditional, alternative biological and sustainable methods of agricultural production and get in touch with their natural environment.

In recent years, AMALAKA has developed various activities to protect, document and educate about the local bird fauna. The donation by Binoculars4charity enables bird counts, supports the creation of a local group of birdwatchers of various ages, and organizes festivals that increase the community’s awareness and love for nature and the more than 130 bird species that have so far been registered in the reserve.

AMALAKA and Binoculars4charity are very grateful to all generous donors of the optical devices. You can find a donation report (in spanish) here as PDF. Further information about AMALAKA is available on their website www.amalaka.org as well as on the foundation’s Instagram profile and Facebook page.

guide training3

HC Eagle Cannyon

Batumi Bird Fest raptor watch

Bird Walk Frau

Griffon Vulture 4 Eagle Canyon 13 Oct 2019

Bird Walk Vater u Sohn

Bird Walk

Bluethroat 2 Jandari Lake 05 Oct 2019

guide training1

HC Patara Tba

We have good news from Georgia! The 10 binoculars we donated to the organization SABUKO have not only arrived well, but are already being used diligently in various activities. SABUKO is an NGO and BirdLife partner in Georgia, and has been working since 2013 to conserve birds and their habitats in the Caucasus region, raising public awareness of nature and the sustainable use of natural resources.

As part of the new “Urban Bird” campaign, the binoculars donated by Binoculars4charity will connect families and citizens of Tbilisi with the birds around them and will also be used for training young guides and staff in bird identification and other skills that will be valuable for the urban bird walks and waterbird monitoring around Tbilisi. Moreover, the material is also used for educational activities with schoolchildren, such as the observation of the spectacular raptor migration during the bird festival in Batumi or for various nature and bird excursions near Tbilisi.

It is also a great pleasure for us to know that the donated binoculars support SABUKO’s cooperation with other NGOs and thus multiply the scope and benefits of the donations. We invite you to read the full donation report and to learn more about the activities of SABUKO (www.sabuko.ge / SABUKO on Facebook). As always, we would like to thank the donors of the equipment and wish SABUKO all the best for their future projects!