Earthtrust is a non-governmental organization

Non-governmental organization

A non-governmental organization is a legally constituted organization created by natural or legal persons that operates independently from any government. The term originated from the United Nations , and is normally used to refer to organizations that do not form part of the government and are...

 (NGO) dedicated to wildlife

Wildlife

Wildlife includes all non-domesticated plants, animals and other organisms. Domesticating wild plant and animal species for human benefit has occurred many times all over the planet, and has a major impact on the environment, both positive and negative....

 protection. Located in Hawai'i, Earthtrust has been involved in many high-profile activities, notably around using genetic analysis to demonstrate the prevalence of pirate whaling as well as public information campaigns around drift net

Drift net

Drift netting is a fishing technique where nets, called drift nets, are allowed to float freely at the surface of a sea or lake. Usually a drift net is a gill net with floats attached to a rope along the top of the net, and weights attached to another rope along the foot of the net to keep the net...

 fishing. Earthtrust serves as an official observer at the International Whaling Commission

International Whaling Commission

The International Whaling Commission is an international body set up by the terms of the International Convention for the Regulation of Whaling , which was signed in Washington, D.C...

.

Earthtrust was founded in 1976 and continues to be directed by Don White

Don White

Don White or Donald White may refer to:* Donald C. White , Pennsylvania state senator* Donald J. White , Environmental Strategist* Don White , English rugby union footballer...

, who also was involved in the founding of a related NGO, Greenpeace

Greenpeace

Greenpeace is a non-governmental environmental organization with offices in over forty countries and with an international coordinating body in Amsterdam, The Netherlands...

.

Accomplishments and History of Earthtrust

1. Kuwait Wildlife Campaign http://www.earthtrust.org/kuwait.html
2. Ohana Kai Campaign: Confronting Soviet Whalers http://www.earthtrust.org/ohanakai.html
3. Penghu: Stopping the Dolphin Slaughters http://www.earthtrust.org/penghu.html
4. North Pacific Driftnet Expedition http://www.earthtrust.org/npacific.html
5. Stopping the Japan Drive Kills http://www.earthtrust.org/drivekills.html
6. Whale Watching Industry Naturalist Program http://www.earthtrust.org/stwi.html
7. The Hector Protector http://www.earthtrust.org/hector.html
8. Tiger Campaign http://www.earthtrust.org/tigercampaign.html
9. The UNCED "Earth Summit" in Rio de Janeiro http://www.earthtrust.org/unced.html
10. Korean Pirate Whaling Expose http://www.earthtrust.org/korea.html
11. Rhino Campaign http://www.earthtrust.org/rhinocampaign.html
12. United Nations Campaign for Driftnet Moratorium http://www.earthtrust.org/undncampaign.html
13. Investigation into the Trade in Bear Gall Bladders http://www.earthtrust.org/bearcampaign.html
14. Earth Journal (Taiwanese Publication)http://www.earthtrust.org/earthjournal.html
15. River Dolphins
16. World's Largest Tuna Firm Adopts Earthtrust's Flipper Standard http://www.earthtrust.org/starkist.html

DriftNetwork

Earthtrust's DriftNetwork program is an effort to stop pirate driftnetting, as commercial driftnetting has been stopped. This is also to avoid the ecosystem damages caused by driftnetting In terms of biomass, species, fish populations, and number of creatures saved which would have been otherwise destroyed.http://www.earthtrust.org/dnpaper/contents.html

Endangered Wildlife Initiatives

Strategies to support the reduction of wildlife trade, and the protection of endangered species and their habitats.

Rhino Campaign

Keith Highley and Suzie Chang Highley, the managers of Earthtrust's field office in Taiwan created an awareness and education campaign to inform the public about the threat to African and Asian rhinoceros species resulting from the popularity of rhino horn-based medicinals.http://www.earthtrust.org/ewi.html

Tiger Campaign

An extensive market survey of tiger parts in Taiwan was completed in March 1993. http://www.earthtrust.org/tiger.html Earthtrust efforts have included providing information and documentation to Washington DC State Department and USFWS officials, regarding Taiwan's promises to take concrete steps to shut down the trade in rhino horn and tiger parts. They also developed a five-point Action Plan for Taiwan, which emphasizes effective law enforcement and education as necessary steps toward ending the consumption of tiger parts.http://www.earthtrust.org/ewi.html

Bear Campaign

Earthtrust, in conjunction with the Humane Society of the United States, has done extensive field work to document the trade in bear parts, particularly bear gall bladders and bear paws, which are parts of the Chinese medicine and the "exotic gourmet" trend in East Asia, respectively.http://www.earthtrust.org/bear.html

Marine Activities

Driftnetting and dolphin-drive fisheries are also monitored on a regular basis. In the spring of 1990, Earthtrust campaigners from Hawaii, California, New Zealand, and Taiwan met on the island of Penghu, Taiwan to document the traditional capture and slaughter of migrating dolphins. Many of the dolphins and pseudorcas captured were released after Earthtrust recruited the support of educational, religious, and political leaders in negotiating with the local fishermen. Because of Earthtrust's activities to focus international attention on the issue, the Taiwan Council of Agriculture added dolphins to the list of protected species covered by their Wildlife Protection Law. http://www.earthtrust.org/ewi.html

Project Delphis

Dolphin Cognition Research http://www.elotouch.com/Solutions/CaseStudies/dolphins.asp

See also

• Conservation biology
  Conservation biology
  Conservation biology is the scientific study of the nature and status of Earth's biodiversity with the aim of protecting species, their habitats, and ecosystems from excessive rates of extinction...
  
  
• Conservation (ethic)
• Conservation movement
  Conservation movement
  The conservation movement, also known as nature conservation, is a political, environmental and a social movement that seeks to protect natural resources including animal, fungus and plant species as well as their habitat for the future....
  
  
• Ecology
  Ecology
  Ecology is the scientific study of the relations that living organisms have with respect to each other and their natural environment. Variables of interest to ecologists include the composition, distribution, amount , number, and changing states of organisms within and among ecosystems...
  
  
• Ecology movement
  Ecology movement
  The global ecology movement is based upon environmental protection, and is one of several new social movements that emerged at the end of the 1960s. As a values-driven social movement, it should be distinguished from the pre-existing science of ecology....
  
  
• Environmentalism
  Environmentalism
  Environmentalism is a broad philosophy, ideology and social movement regarding concerns for environmental conservation and improvement of the health of the environment, particularly as the measure for this health seeks to incorporate the concerns of non-human elements...
  
  
• Environmental movement
  Environmental movement
  The environmental movement, a term that includes the conservation and green politics, is a diverse scientific, social, and political movement for addressing environmental issues....
  
  
• Environmental protection
  Environmental protection
  Environmental protection is a practice of protecting the environment, on individual, organizational or governmental level, for the benefit of the natural environment and humans. Due to the pressures of population and our technology the biophysical environment is being degraded, sometimes permanently...
  
  
• Habitat conservation
  Habitat conservation
  Habitat conservation is a land management practice that seeks to conserve, protect and restore, habitat areas for wild plants and animals, especially conservation reliant species, and prevent their extinction, fragmentation or reduction in range...
  
  
• Natural environment
  Natural environment
  The natural environment encompasses all living and non-living things occurring naturally on Earth or some region thereof. It is an environment that encompasses the interaction of all living species....
  
  
• Natural capital
  Natural capital
  Natural capital is the extension of the economic notion of capital to goods and services relating to the natural environment. Natural capital is thus the stock of natural ecosystems that yields a flow of valuable ecosystem goods or services into the future...
  
  
• Natural resource
  Natural resource
  Natural resources occur naturally within environments that exist relatively undisturbed by mankind, in a natural form. A natural resource is often characterized by amounts of biodiversity and geodiversity existent in various ecosystems....
  
  
• Renewable resource
  Renewable resource
  A renewable resource is a natural resource with the ability of being replaced through biological or other natural processes and replenished with the passage of time...
  
  
• Sustainable development
  Sustainable development
  Sustainable development is a pattern of resource use, that aims to meet human needs while preserving the environment so that these needs can be met not only in the present, but also for generations to come...
  
  
• Sustainability
  Sustainability
  Sustainability is the capacity to endure. For humans, sustainability is the long-term maintenance of well being, which has environmental, economic, and social dimensions, and encompasses the concept of union, an interdependent relationship and mutual responsible position with all living and non...