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 have been involved to different biodiversity conservation initiatives in Latin America over 25 years, mainly on 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, Polar Foundation and AndígenA Foundation 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, I created 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 environmental education and public interest regarding these enigmatic creatures and reinforce the efforts conservation worldwide with emphasis in Latin America. Although tapirs are not so charismatic animals, our Facebook page is followed by more than 2,500 people from around the world.

Tapir’s House activities has been sustained as a volunteer work and we have not a financial support to sustain our activities in a regular way. Our main aim is to produce a greater educational impact through the virtual scene and beyond. In order to reach this goal we need your generous attention and support today.

BACKGROUND

More than 10 years ago I noticed that in my country (Venezuela) 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 this 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.

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, 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 environmental education. We were pioneers 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. The species was recognized as VULNERABLE to extinction by the IUCN and the Venezuela Red Book of the Venezuelan Fauna.

Habitat loss is the main threat to guarantee a future for the tapirs. In fact, this is probably the main threat because once the habitat is lost the conflicts arisen with the rural people.

In earlier times, tapirs were able to roam freely in response to the seasonal ripening of fruits, from savannahs, rainforests and the foothills of the mountains to the “highlands”, perpetually enveloped in mist.

Increasing numbers of people inevitably mean that large areas of forest are cleared; felled timber is used as firewood and crops occupies the former tapir habitat. The fragments of remaining forest imprisoning the tapirs, restricting their natural food supply and chances of finding a suitable mate. Where so few individuals remain, each tapir dead significantly reduce the chances of each tapir species survival.

All these problems compound each other and the resulting situation seems hopeless. Saving these majestic creatures is a complex and daunting task, but we are determined to pursue.

Time, which sometimes acts for or against conservation initiatives, allowed me to recognize that the ENVIRONMENTAL EDUCATION is the best way to guarantee the tapir conservation as well as the nature as a whole. Without education, people's awareness 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.

“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 rainforests.
• 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 Earth.

AIMS

Increase people awareness in favor of 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 free 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 in developing countries, but for us in Venezuela is a 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 our 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 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 so we together can make a difference to the environmental awareness raising.

WHAT THE MONEY RAISED WILL BE USED FOR?

The money collected through this campaign it will allow us to sustain the educational initiatives during next 6 months or more (year 2021). 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.

• Eventually 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 through 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 series of coloring books about tapirs of the world.
• Production of an educational presentation about mountain tapir.
• Production of new pamphlets focused on tapir natural history and conservation.

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/