Lauren Sánchez and Jeff Bezos.Photo:Bezos Earth Fund
Bezos Earth Fund
TheBezos Earth Fundis joining forces with theJane Goodall Institute USAto “continue and expand” conservation efforts in the Congo Basin, PEOPLE can exclusively announce.
In a video message,Jeff Bezos’ fiancéeLauren Sánchez, the Bezos Earth Fund Vice Chair, said she is “thrilled to partner” withDr. Jane Goodall,one of her “environmental heroes."
“Jeff and I were privileged to experience the Congo Basin’s rich biodiversity and breathtaking beauty firsthand, which fueled our determination to protect it,” Sánchez said in a statement. Now, they’re “teaming up to help safeguard it now and for future generations. Simply put, the world can’t afford to lose the Congo Basin.”
The Congo Basin is “a critically important region essential to the healthy functioning of our shared planet,” per the press release.
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The partnership “will increase JGI’s efforts to safeguard the integrity and significant environmental carbon value of the larger Congo Basin rainforest” as well as “preserve the cultures and values of local and Indigenous communities.”
“I would like to truly thank the Bezos Earth Fund for supporting our conservation work in Africa," the 89-year-old conservationist said in a statement. “The protection of these forests, with their rich biodiversity, is crucial not only for the survival of the great apes, but also in efforts toslow down climate change.”
Dr. Jane Goodall.Vincent Calmel
Vincent Calmel
JGI “has been a leader in community-led conservation” since 1977, as noted in the news release.
Over the years, the institute has supported local communities, governments and more “with resources, facilitating tools, and trainings” that “help to inform land-use and conservation action planning, implementation of these plans, and other decision-making on and monitoring of landscapes across these regions.”
In addition to working with Indigenous peoples and local communities, JGI will also collaborate with the Congolese Institute for the Conservation of Nature in the DRC and Ministry of Forest Economy in the RoC.
Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sánchez with grantees.Bezos Earth Fund
“We are very grateful for this support and partnership with the Bezos Earth Fund,” Anna Rathmann, executive director, Jane Goodall Institute USA said in a statement. “Not only can JGI continue to advance our efforts with this generous funding, but the project will contribute significant environmental benefit and biodiversity protection to the larger Congo Basin rainforest through this community-led work, with the added benefit of preserving the natural heritage of this incredibly rich region of Africa.”
source: people.com
