PROJECT LEADER, INSTITUTIONAL AFFILIATION, ADDRESS AND E-MAILS:

Denis Alexander Torres,

Fundación AndígenA, Mérida, Estado Mérida, Venezuela.

E-mails: torreoso@gmail.com / info@andigena.org

FOCAL SPECIES: Lowland tapir (Tapirus terrestris), mountain tapir (Tapirus pinchaque), Baird’s tapir (Tapirus bairdii) and Malayan tapir (Tapirus indicus).

FOCAL SPECIES' STATUS AT IUCN RED LIST: Vulnerable

SPECIES THREAT CATEGORY (ACCORDING TO IUCN'S RED LIST):

• Tapirus terrestris: Vulnerable
• Tapirus pinchaque: Endangered
• Tapirus bairdii: Endangered
• Tapirus indicus: Endangered

A CALL FOR SUPPORT

Hi! my name is Denis Alexander Torres. I am geographer, graduate at the University of the Andes (Merida, Venezuela), with special interest in biogeography, environmental conservation and culture issues. I am author of numerous scientific and popular publications and over 25 years I have carried out a series of projects and researches focused on natural history and conservation of several threatened species, including Andean bear, torrent duck and lowland tapir.

My interest for wildlife conservation has led me to work and collaborate with renowned worldwide organizations such as the Mountain Forum, National Geographic Society (USA), BBC Natural History Unit (UK), NHK TV Channel from Japan, World Wildlife Fund (WWF), Provita, Foundation Polar and Foundation AndígenA in Venezuela and the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), among others.

During the period 1998 – 2005 I was the Lowland Tapir Conservation Coordinator at the IUCN/SSC Tapir Specialist Group and since 1999 I have been promoting the scientific research and the environmental education focused on this species in Venezuela with successful results.

On 2010 together the Colombian biologist Sergio Sandoval, we opened a Facebook Page called “La Casa del Tapir” (Tapir’s House) which works like a virtual center for the dissemination of scientific and popular information about all tapir species. The purpose of “La Casa del Tapir” is fostering the public interest about these enigmatic creatures and reinforce the efforts conservation worldwide. Despite tapir are not so charismatic animals, our Facebook page is followed by more than 2,000 people from around the world.

Tapir’s House coordination has been sustained as a volunteer work. However, we would like to produce a greater educational impact through the virtual scene and beyond. In order to reach this goal we need your valuable support now.

OUR PROPOSAL

More than 10 years ago I noticed that in my country (Venezuela) the lowland tapir (Tapirus terrestris) was a relatively popular animal due to its link with the legend of María Lionza, a magical-religious belief of popular tradition. However, I also noticed that popularity was not binding with the scientific knowledge. Basically, popularity should not be understood as synonym of “knowledge” or “affection”. In fact, almost no one knew where the tapirs were found in the country or if they were threatened with extinction. At the same time, people had not idea about the natural history of this species and its geographical distribution.

Through AndígenA Foundation, a nongovernmental organization devoted to the environmental conservation, I decided to study and publicize the importance of this magnificent South American species. In this way, the TAPIR PROJECT emerged to carry out a pioneer study about the species' distribution in Venezuela joint to the support to different initiatives related to captivity management and the environmental education. In fact, we were the pioneers in to carry out the first (and only) educational campaign focused on lowland tapir conservation in Venezuela.

Thanks to our initiative, we contribute to define the national and international lowland tapir's conservation status. In this way, the species was recognized as VULNERABLE to extinction by the IUCN and the Venezuela Red Book of the Venezuelan Fauna.

Time, which sometimes acts for or against conservation initiatives, allowed me to recognize that the EDUCATION is the best way to guarantee the tapir conservation as well as the nature as a whole. Without education, people's conscience will never be elevated to recognize the real value of the tapirs, which goes beyond the economic or aesthetic. Recognizing the tapirs' ecological and cultural importance will make us their true protectors.

Multiple factors affected our educational work in Venezuela due mainly to the lack of international financial support. More than a decade has passed since last time that we were able to hold a program of visits to schools. During that time we were able to give educational talks accompanied by the distribution of educational materials and the children awareness was reinforced. Today, we are pretty sure that very few people know what a tapir is or where it lives; education is an ongoing process and it should not be assumed as an advertising or political campaign.

For instance, on last year we showed the picture of a lowland tapir during a public talk about wildlife conservation in Venezuela and we surprised us when a 5-year-old child identified it as a “giant anteater”. We corrected his wrong perception but he immediately asked us, so why this animal had a long nose like the “giant anteater"? This experience made us reflect again the need to strengthen the education; we believe that much remains to be done and it is important reinforce the education among our children and the new generations, who will be the heirs of this planet and the tapir protectors.

“In the end, we will conserve only what we love; we will love only what we understand and we will understand only what we are taught.” — Baba Dioum, 1968.

WHAT WE ARE LOOKING FOR NOW?

Tapirs’ global distribution coincides with many countries where day to day survival takes up all the people's time and energy. Unfortunately, environmental conservation issues are generally a very low priority so the enormity of the task should not be underestimated.  Working to save the tapirs will eventually bring in its wake other enormous benefits to the people and the nature as a whole. We hope this work will eventually enable the cycle of poverty to be well managed.

Saving the tapirs and their habitat will contribute towards:

• To conserve the tropical ecosystems, especially the rain forests.
• To protect the watersheds vital for the people and to irrigate the lands and to produce electric energy.
• To protect the soil from erosion so that the land will continue to support agriculture and to prevent natural disasters.

Tapirs are flagship species in the tropics; the symbol to foster important conservation efforts in the most biodiverse regions on planet.

AIMS

Increase people awareness in favor of the tapirs’ conservation and their habitats with emphasis in countries like Venezuela and Colombia:

• by developing hands-on, education activities for various grade levels.
• by using in the environmental education, the most updated information about tapir ecology.
• by creating and distributing educational materials for use in educational centers and other community-base organizations.
• by using the lowland tapir as a “focal species” for the conservation in some protected areas of Venezuela, especially national parks.

Evaluate the effectiveness of the environmental education for future implementation in specific areas of the lowland tapir’s range in Venezuela:

• by measuring attitude changes in students and parents regarding the lowland tapir conservation within the work area.

WHAT DIFFERENCE CAN A FEW DOLLARS MAKE?

Maybe one single dollar means nothing to many people but for us is the concrete possibility to sustain a wonderful long-term wildlife conservation project based on environmental education as strategy to spread interest and love for tapirs' conservation and its habitats. One single dollar can help us to sustain an active presence on internet to spread the word in favor to wildlife conservation.

Every dollar that you give to this campaign it will allows us to provide education to our closer neighbors, especially the children from the urban and rural areas and sustain our informative page about tapirs on Facebook entitled "La Casa del Tapir". Your support is a precious opportunity to recognize the real value of the nature and our responsibility with its future. Please, give us your sincere support today and we can make together a difference in this world full of contrasts.

WHAT THE MONEY RAISED WILL BE USED FOR?

The money collected through this crowdfunding campaign it will allow us to sustain the educational initiatives during next 6 months (until December 2020). We will produce new original educational materials in order to reinforce a distance learning program through our page on Facebook “La Casa del Tapir” and our website: https://lacasadeltapir.blogspot.com.

We Want:

• Pay professional fees linked to the production of educational materials (pamphlets, posters, educational sheets, multimedia slideshows, etc.).
• Pay administrative expenses (communication: mail, phone, internet, etc.).
• Pay hosting and domain for a better Website.
• Eventully pay the living expenses (meals, accommodations and fuel) during the visits to educational centers (mainly elementary schools and high schools): 1 visit each 15 days / 3 people.

PROJECT OUTPUTS

• Publication of regular information in our Facebook Page “La Casa el Tapir” and website which can be freely used as educational tool by teachers at schools as well as the general public.
• Production of a coloring book about tapirs of the world.
• Production of a set of didactic sheets and games for children and adults.
• The edition of a digital calendar 2021 focused on tapirs.

  OUTCOMES

• Students and their parents will get qualified information about tapirs and related environmental conservation issues.
• Children and adults will wake up a stronger awareness and commitment toward the tapir conservation and the environment.
• Government’s staff and community leaders will assume a more active role to reinforce local conservation programs.
• Our environmental education initiative will be used as a joint model for other conservation programs in Venezuela and eventually in neighboring countries.

UPDATES      

We will be providing updates and work progress through our Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/LaCasaDelTapir/ and the website: https://lacasadeltapir.blogspot.com/