Action group for species protection
| Action group for species protection e. V. (AGA) | |
|---|---|
| Purpose: | Protection of threatened species and their habitats worldwide, environmental education in Germany |
| Establishment date: | 1986 |
| Seat: | Korntal-Münchingen |
| Website: | www.aga-artenschutz.de |
The Aktiongemeinschaft Artenschutz e. V. (AGA) has been campaigning for the preservation of endangered animal and plant species and their habitats since 1986 .
AGA operates internationally with its project work to promote the protection and preservation of nature around the world, to strengthen environmental awareness and to prevent the destruction of the basis of life for people, animals and plants.
The AGA is recognized as a non-profit nature and species protection organization and a member of the German Nature Conservation Ring (DNR).
Foundation and motivation
The association emerged from the “Save the Turtles ” campaign, which was initiated after Brigitte and Günther Peter witnessed the cruel slaughter of hundreds of sea turtles while on vacation in Bali in 1981 . With the support of private individuals, associations and organizations such as the Verband deutscher Sporttaucher eV and the Frankfurt Zoological Society , the problem was made public and an import ban on sea turtles and products made from them was brought about. These trade restrictions still exist today.
In 1986 the AGA was founded as an association and its commitment to the protection of other threatened species was expanded. At the end of the 1980s, AGA was able to prevent the construction of a tourist center on the nesting beach for sea turtles in Dalyan ( Turkey ). With the collection of tens of thousands of signatures and a media-effective handover of the protest cards to the Greek Ministry of the Environment, the AGA was also able to send a clear signal for a national park on the Greek island of Zakynthos . This was established in December 1999.
The association also gained notoriety through the exhibition "Species protection is human protection", which from 2003 to 2006 in ten German cities drew attention to the worldwide destruction of nature and its global effects on people and nature. Over the years, AGA or individual employees on their behalf have received awards and prizes for their commitment, including the green Oscar. In 1997, co-founder Günther Peter was awarded the Federal Cross of Merit. In 2009 the then managing director and co-founder Brigitte Peters received the Trophée des Femmes Prize from Yves Rocher. The current managing director Birgit Braun received the same award in 2017 for her tireless commitment.
According to its own information, AGA finances itself through donations and grants and relies on the support of volunteers in its work.
Current projects and environmental education
The AGA continues to campaign for the protection of endangered sea turtles . In 2008 the nature conservation organization and the local nature conservation and tourism association Anamur (formerly AÇED) organized the deployment of volunteers from Germany and Turkey to protect nests and carry out beach cleaning activities. The first monitoring program for the protection of threatened marine reptiles was established on the Iranian island of Kisch with the help of AGA. With environmental education measures, children and adults are included in protection work not only in Turkey and Iran, but also in Kenya. Turtle rescuers from the Local Ocean Trust in Watamu have successfully initiated a program to free sea turtles from fishermen's nets and then release them back into the wild.
The association works with local partner organizations worldwide to implement species protection projects directly and sustainably. It supports the elephant reintroduction stations of the Sheldrick Wildlife Trust (SWT) in Kenya , in which young animals, mostly orphaned due to poaching , can be integrated into wild elephant herds after up to 10 years of rearing. In order to combat poaching, the AGA is helping to equip and train rangers in the Kenyan Tsavo East National Park. In Namibia , the AGA works with the Cheetah Conservation Fund (CCF) to preserve the world's largest remaining cheetah population and supports the use of herd guard dogs on local farms to avoid the conflict between humans and animals.
If necessary, also after the last forest fires in January 2020 in Australia , AGA provides emergency aid to care for injured and rescued animals. For example, koalas that have been rescued with severe burns after violent bushfires can sometimes only be released back into the wild after a year of care. In cooperation with the Australian partner organization Foundation for National Parks and Wildlife (FNPW), after Cyclone Yasi 2011, feeding stations were set up as emergency aid for the threatened cassowaries and reforestation measures were supported.
In Chad , the AGA protects the Kordofan giraffes by supporting the organization Wings for Conservation in researching the giraffe's habitat, designating protected areas and in the fight against poaching.
Bears have been extinct in Germany and other European countries for many years. In Romania, AGA works together with the Group Bear Program for the protection of bears and the peaceful coexistence of bears and humans.
The AGA is also active in Germany and participates, for example, in the fox alliance to emphasize the demand for an end to the hunt for foxes.
To raise awareness of the environment, species protection, animals and fair trade , AGA has created exhibitions and teaching guides. These can be borrowed free of charge.
The AGA receives prominent support from the actor and documentary filmmaker Hannes Jaenicke , who has long been known for his commitment to nature conservation.
AGA has developed a souvenir guide for protecting species on vacation. The focus is on creative solutions to avoid harmful effects of one's own consumer behavior on people and nature at home and in the holiday destination.
Literature and press
- Mondberge magazine for environmental, nature and species protection April to July 2020, pp. 96–101
- Mondberge Magazine for environmental, nature and species protection December 2019 to March 2020, pp. 97–103
- Report Aktiongemeinschaft Artenschutz (AGA) eV introduces itself in Fascination Animal and Nature, Aug / Sept. 2012, pp. 74-77
Web links
Individual evidence
- ^ Report on the exhibition in the Blooming Baroque / Ludwigsburg in the Ludwigsburg newspaper of August 4, 2006