NATURAL RESOURCES DEFENSE COUNCIL, MIDWEST OFFICES
Chicago, Illinois, United States of America | Materials Petal Certified
As an internationally recognized environmental advocacy nonprofit, the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) was able to take advantage of PL-009 Conservation and Parks Organizations to satisfy the requirements of the Habitat Exchange Imperative for the retrofit of its Midwest offices. NRDC provided documentation demonstrating that its advocacy and funding were instrumental in the conservation of 340,000 acres within the Laguna San Ignacio Wetland Complex, 75,000 acres of which is part of a larger World Heritage Site. The area NRDC protected is the last undeveloped gray whale birthing lagoon on the planet, and is also home to sea turtles, peregrine falcons, and hundreds of thousands of migratory waterfowl and shorebirds. The conservation agreement enjoys the full protection of the Mexican courts, ensuring that the Laguna San Ignacio Wetland Complex will remain protected in perpetuity.
BIG PUNCHBOWL RESERVE ADDITION, TASMANIA LAND CONSERVANCY
Freycinet Peninsula, Tasmania
Funds donated to the Living Future Habitat Exchange Program in 2018 helped make possible the purchase and protection of 75 hectares of intact coastal wetlands and heath and eucalyptus woodlands on the Freycinet Peninsula of eastern Tasmania. Purchased by the Tasmanian Land Conservancy (TLC), the property adds to TLC’s existing 244 ha Big Punchbowl Reserve, which supports a resident population of nationally endangered Tasmanian devils, as well as globally threatened Australasian bitterns, and green and gold bell frogs. Rare endemic plants also occur within the Reserve which in turn connects to the internationally significant Moulting Lagoon Ramsar site. The lagoon and shoreline habitats provide refuge and shelter for a multitude of shorebirds and waterfowl that use the wetlands, coast and waterways for breeding and feeding. Land subdivision, vegetation clearing, inappropriate development, invasive weeds, and feral fauna species continue to threaten the distinctive biodiversity of the island, making protection of lands like the Big Punchbowl Reserve vitally important.
