Freeland Foundation
Encyclopedia
The Freeland Foundation (rendered FREELAND Foundation by the foundation) is an international 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...

 working across Asia on both environmental conservation and human rights and is headquartered in Asia. The organization is dedicated to stopping 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....

 and human trafficking
Human trafficking
Human trafficking is the illegal trade of human beings for the purposes of reproductive slavery, commercial sexual exploitation, forced labor, or a modern-day form of slavery...

 for the protection of the environment and vulnerable people.

The organization builds responses to combat the illegal wildlife trade
Wildlife trade
The international wildlife trade is a serious conservation problem, addressed by the United Nations' Convention of International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora CITES, which currently has 175 member countries called Parties. The 15th meeting of the Parties took place in Doha,...

 and habitat destruction
Habitat destruction
Habitat destruction is the process in which natural habitat is rendered functionally unable to support the species present. In this process, the organisms that previously used the site are displaced or destroyed, reducing biodiversity. Habitat destruction by human activity mainly for the purpose of...

. Its environmental conservation programs are designed to address imminent threats to endangered flora and fauna. This includes poaching
Poaching
Poaching is the illegal taking of wild plants or animals contrary to local and international conservation and wildlife management laws. Violations of hunting laws and regulations are normally punishable by law and, collectively, such violations are known as poaching.It may be illegal and in...

 and logging
Logging
Logging is the cutting, skidding, on-site processing, and loading of trees or logs onto trucks.In forestry, the term logging is sometimes used in a narrow sense concerning the logistics of moving wood from the stump to somewhere outside the forest, usually a sawmill or a lumber yard...

 in protected areas, smuggling, and the subsequent sale and consumption of wildlife across the region and worldwide.
With funding from the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), Freeland Foundation provides expertise and support to the Association of Southeast Asian Nations Wildlife Enforcement Network (ASEAN Wildlife Enforcement Network (ASEAN-WEN)
ASEAN Wildlife Enforcement Network (ASEAN-WEN)
The ASEAN Wildlife Enforcement Network was officially launched on 1 December 2005 as a regional inter-agency and inter-governmental initiative to counter the illegal cross-border trade in endangered flora and fauna. The network is a direct and proactive response against poaching and wildlife...

), a regional inter-governmental initiative to combat wildlife crime
Wildlife trade
The international wildlife trade is a serious conservation problem, addressed by the United Nations' Convention of International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora CITES, which currently has 175 member countries called Parties. The 15th meeting of the Parties took place in Doha,...

.

Mission/Vision

Freeland's environmental mission is to strengthen the protection of wildlife, to combat illegal wildlife trafficking
Wildlife trade
The international wildlife trade is a serious conservation problem, addressed by the United Nations' Convention of International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora CITES, which currently has 175 member countries called Parties. The 15th meeting of the Parties took place in Doha,...

, and to reduce global consumption and demand of endangered species
Endangered species
An endangered species is a population of organisms which is at risk of becoming extinct because it is either few in numbers, or threatened by changing environmental or predation parameters...

. The organization to free the world of human slavery
Slavery
Slavery is a system under which people are treated as property to be bought and sold, and are forced to work. Slaves can be held against their will from the time of their capture, purchase or birth, and deprived of the right to leave, to refuse to work, or to demand compensation...

 and wildlife trafficking by increasing law enforcement capacity, supporting vulnerable communities and raising awareness.
The motivation to fight, and increase government capacity to fight, these crimes is to mitigate the devastating consequences of both wildlife and human trafficking. Unchecked (nature crime
Environmental crime
Environmental crime can be broadly defined as illegal acts, which directly harmthe environment. International bodies such as the G8, Interpol, EU, UN Environment Programme and the UN Interregional Crime and Justice Research Institute have recognised the following environmental crimes:* Illegal...

) not only ravages biodiversity
Biodiversity
Biodiversity is the degree of variation of life forms within a given ecosystem, biome, or an entire planet. Biodiversity is a measure of the health of ecosystems. Biodiversity is in part a function of climate. In terrestrial habitats, tropical regions are typically rich whereas polar regions...

, but the ultimate consequences can unravel entire ecosystems. The destruction of natural and biological resources Biological resource drags poor people further into poverty, as rural communities often depend on nature’s resources for their livelihoods. Human trafficking
Human trafficking
Human trafficking is the illegal trade of human beings for the purposes of reproductive slavery, commercial sexual exploitation, forced labor, or a modern-day form of slavery...

 targets vulnerable people for labor and sexual exploitation
Sexual exploitation
Sexual exploitation may refer to:*Sexual slavery*Sexual exploitation and abuse in humanitarian response...

.

Combating crimes against nature and humanity

Freeland works to reduce human and wildlife trafficking across Asia
Asia
Asia is the world's largest and most populous continent, located primarily in the eastern and northern hemispheres. It covers 8.7% of the Earth's total surface area and with approximately 3.879 billion people, it hosts 60% of the world's current human population...

 by providing training and technical assistance to police, customs and environmental agencies across the ASEAN region to combat poaching
Poaching
Poaching is the illegal taking of wild plants or animals contrary to local and international conservation and wildlife management laws. Violations of hunting laws and regulations are normally punishable by law and, collectively, such violations are known as poaching.It may be illegal and in...

, illegal logging
Logging
Logging is the cutting, skidding, on-site processing, and loading of trees or logs onto trucks.In forestry, the term logging is sometimes used in a narrow sense concerning the logistics of moving wood from the stump to somewhere outside the forest, usually a sawmill or a lumber yard...

 and human trafficking
Human trafficking
Human trafficking is the illegal trade of human beings for the purposes of reproductive slavery, commercial sexual exploitation, forced labor, or a modern-day form of slavery...

. Freeland cooperates with government task forces and facilitates cross-border inter-agency co-operation and civil society
Civil society
Civil society is composed of the totality of many voluntary social relationships, civic and social organizations, and institutions that form the basis of a functioning society, as distinct from the force-backed structures of a state , the commercial institutions of the market, and private criminal...

 action. The organization’s trainers are former government enforcement officers.

Sustainable communities

Freeland recognizes that poverty creates the conditions for both human and wildlife trafficking. Therefore, the organization works on helping vulnerable rural communities to develop sustainable and environmentally friendly
Environmentally friendly
Environmentally friendly are terms used to refer to goods and services, laws, guidelines and policies claimed to inflict minimal or no harm on the environment....

 businesses, such as plant nurseries, fish and mushroom farms. Freeland also supports communities to develop renewable energy
Renewable energy
Renewable energy is energy which comes from natural resources such as sunlight, wind, rain, tides, and geothermal heat, which are renewable . About 16% of global final energy consumption comes from renewables, with 10% coming from traditional biomass, which is mainly used for heating, and 3.4% from...

 sources and reforestation
Reforestation
Reforestation is the natural or intentional restocking of existing forests and woodlands that have been depleted, usually through deforestation....

 projects.

Raising awareness & political will

Freeland's public awareness campaigns expose the roles that consumer demand and apathy play in wildlife and human trafficking, while also highlighting the threats these crimes pose to natural ecosystems, global biodiversity
Biodiversity
Biodiversity is the degree of variation of life forms within a given ecosystem, biome, or an entire planet. Biodiversity is a measure of the health of ecosystems. Biodiversity is in part a function of climate. In terrestrial habitats, tropical regions are typically rich whereas polar regions...

 and everyone’s way of life. The urban, airports and border campaigns encourage positive action to reduce demand for endangered species
Endangered species
An endangered species is a population of organisms which is at risk of becoming extinct because it is either few in numbers, or threatened by changing environmental or predation parameters...

 and stop wildlife trafficking.

History & Evolution

Freeland Foundation was founded in 2000. Previously known as WildAid (Thailand), the organization works in partnership with governments, communities, corporations, and other NGOs worldwide.
Since then, the organization’s scope of work has been expanding both geographically and thematically. In addition to protecting natural habitats and preventing the illegal trade in endangered species
Endangered species
An endangered species is a population of organisms which is at risk of becoming extinct because it is either few in numbers, or threatened by changing environmental or predation parameters...

, the organization is now helping communities, governments and international agencies tackle human trafficking
Human trafficking
Human trafficking is the illegal trade of human beings for the purposes of reproductive slavery, commercial sexual exploitation, forced labor, or a modern-day form of slavery...

.
The organization has an environmental crime investigation and enforcement training team that aims to contribute to the fight against this inhumane and exploitative trade, given the similarities and increasing connections between trafficking crimes.
To reflect this expanded scope, the organization changed its name to Freeland Foundation in early 2009.

Awareness

In cooperation with national and local governments, as well as non-governmental organizations, this organization designs and coordinates public campaigns to increase awareness of the threat posed by illegal trade in endangered specie and the benefits of protecting the planet’s biodiversity
Biodiversity
Biodiversity is the degree of variation of life forms within a given ecosystem, biome, or an entire planet. Biodiversity is a measure of the health of ecosystems. Biodiversity is in part a function of climate. In terrestrial habitats, tropical regions are typically rich whereas polar regions...

.
Freeland's collaborations with international advertising firm JWT
JWT
JWT is one of the largest advertising agencies in the United States and the fourth-largest in the world. It is one of the key companies of Sir Martin Sorrell's WPP Group and is headquartered in New York. The global agency is led by Worldwide Chairman and Global CEO Bob Jeffrey who took over the...

, major international television channels, such as the Discovery Channel
Discovery Channel
Discovery Channel is an American satellite and cable specialty channel , founded by John Hendricks and distributed by Discovery Communications. It is a publicly traded company run by CEO David Zaslav...

, CNN
CNN
Cable News Network is a U.S. cable news channel founded in 1980 by Ted Turner. Upon its launch, CNN was the first channel to provide 24-hour television news coverage, and the first all-news television channel in the United States...

and other media outlets help put wildlife crimeWildlife smuggling
Wildlife smuggling
Wildlife smuggling or trafficking involves the illegal gathering, transportation and distribution or animals, and their derivatives. This can be done either internationally or domestically...

 in the global spotlight – reaching millions of people, changing attitudes and encouraging political leaders to act.

Selected Freeland awareness campaigns

  • Sold Out presents outdoor billboards and magazine ads bearing the message Permanently Sold Out over striking photographs of endangered species, combined with telephone hotlines for reporting wildlife crime. This campaign has been featured throughout Bangkok, at airports and the region’s borders in multiple languages.
  • Wildlife Trafficking Stops Here is another visual campaign that has featured at Bangkok’s Suvarnabhumi Airport
    Suvarnabhumi Airport
    Suvarnabhumi Airport , also known as Bangkok International Airport, is an international airport serving Bangkok, Thailand. It was officially opened for limited domestic flight service on 15 September 2006, and opened for most domestic and all international commercial flights on 28 September...

     (including all 450 check-in counter screens) to remind travelers that transporting protected wildlife is illegal.
  • Piece of Responsibility utilizes visuals, facts and practical advice to explain some of the critical environmental services wildlife provides, as well as what people can do to protect wildlife and live more harmoniously with nature. With the tag-line If we keep a place for nature, nature keeps a place for us, this campaign featured on Bangkok’s metro commuter rail with full train wraps and in-car ads, along with an interactive online component.

Training

Freeland's training programs are designed to increase capacity to protect ecosystems and prevent poaching
Poaching
Poaching is the illegal taking of wild plants or animals contrary to local and international conservation and wildlife management laws. Violations of hunting laws and regulations are normally punishable by law and, collectively, such violations are known as poaching.It may be illegal and in...

 and trade of protected wildlife in Southeast Asia
Southeast Asia
Southeast Asia, South-East Asia, South East Asia or Southeastern Asia is a subregion of Asia, consisting of the countries that are geographically south of China, east of India, west of New Guinea and north of Australia. The region lies on the intersection of geological plates, with heavy seismic...

. The programs aim at local staff and communities to implement self-sustaining initiatives to protect biodiversity. Environmental programs build capacity to protect wildlife and habitats, improve wildlife law enforcement, and promote sustainable livelihoods for communities to live in harmony with wildlife and their habitats.
Freeland offered capacity building and support programs include:
Protected Area Training Program; the Investigations Training Program; the Border Inspection and Controlled Delivery Program; the Judicial and Prosecutor Awareness Program; and the Poachers to Protectors Alternative Livelihoods Program.

Reforestation

Freeland works with park authorities, local communities, schools and private sector
Private sector
In economics, the private sector is that part of the economy, sometimes referred to as the citizen sector, which is run by private individuals or groups, usually as a means of enterprise for profit, and is not controlled by the state...

 partners to regenerate habitat for wildlife and help mitigate global warming
Global warming
Global warming refers to the rising average temperature of Earth's atmosphere and oceans and its projected continuation. In the last 100 years, Earth's average surface temperature increased by about with about two thirds of the increase occurring over just the last three decades...

. Freeland reforestation
Reforestation
Reforestation is the natural or intentional restocking of existing forests and woodlands that have been depleted, usually through deforestation....

 activities are organized to have several positive ancillary benefits:
  • Employment - Local villagers grow saplings for the reforestation from seeds, nurturing them for months ahead of the planting.
  • Education - Student participation in the planting (which includes a full day of environment focused educational activities) builds awareness about the importance of forest preservation in future generations.
  • Community Engagement - Encouraging closer and more understanding relationships between local communities and park protection authorities.
  • Corporate Social Responsibility - Private sector businesses are given an opportunity to invest in conservation and actively participate in a project.

Alternative Livelihoods

Freeland's community outreach team encourages villagers to give up illegal poaching and logging
Logging
Logging is the cutting, skidding, on-site processing, and loading of trees or logs onto trucks.In forestry, the term logging is sometimes used in a narrow sense concerning the logistics of moving wood from the stump to somewhere outside the forest, usually a sawmill or a lumber yard...

 activities through a combination of environmental awareness and the development of their own small-scale income generating sustainable and environmentally friendly businesses.
Farming activities, such as organic mushroom cultivation, improve villagers’ standard of living and consequently reduce poaching and habitat destruction. This, in turn, helps maintain a healthy ecosystem for both people and wildlife.
Freeland's community outreach projects are a model for rural community engagement promoting sustainable alternative livelihoods
Alternative Livelihood
Alternative Livelihood Programs are the name given to government attempts, especially in South America to replace the illicit cultivation of banned substances, such as opium or coca, with alternative, legal crops or other activities as a source of income....

 and forest stewardship. Freeland is working to expand these pilot projects and facilitate their replication across Southeast and South Asia.

Law Enforcement Support

Freeland provides direct training and technical assistance to police, customs and environmental agencies to combat poaching, illegal logging, illegal wildlife trade and human trafficking. This includes extensive region-wide training for park rangers and protected area managers to help them safely and effectively protect national parks and reserves. Freeland is helping governments form task forces and facilitates cross-border inter-agency co-operation and civil society action.

Surviving Together Wildlife Monitoring & Mobile Education Unit

Freeland conducts wildlife monitoring efforts under its Surviving Together program focusing on Central Thailand’s the Dong Phayayen - Khao Yai Forest Complex
Dong Phaya Yen mountains
Dong Phaya Yen is a mountain range in central Thailand.-Description:Dong Phaya Yen is the southeastern extension of the Phetchabun mountains, dividing the Chao Phraya river valley of Central Thailand and the Khorat Plateau of the northeast...

, one of Southeast Asia’s largest and most important intact forest corridors. Freeland's wildlife biologists work with local park staff to survey areas, where little is known about wildlife populations. This work helps evaluate the effectiveness of patrols and identify where park protection efforts should focus.
The Surviving Together program also incorporates youth education. Freeland's Mobile Education Unit visits thousands of rural school children every year to emphasize the importance of wildlife and 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...

 through fun, hands-on activities, songs and games. These efforts are encouraging rural families to live more harmoniously with nature and nurture the next generation of wildlife conservationists.

ASEAN-WEN Support Program

Freeland Foundation, together with TRAFFIC
Traffic
Traffic on roads may consist of pedestrians, ridden or herded animals, vehicles, streetcars and other conveyances, either singly or together, while using the public way for purposes of travel...

 Southeast Asia, implements a USAID-funded Support Program to the ASEAN Wildlife Enforcement Network (ASEAN-WEN)
ASEAN Wildlife Enforcement Network (ASEAN-WEN)
The ASEAN Wildlife Enforcement Network was officially launched on 1 December 2005 as a regional inter-agency and inter-governmental initiative to counter the illegal cross-border trade in endangered flora and fauna. The network is a direct and proactive response against poaching and wildlife...

. The Support Program conducts national assessments, helped set up the structure of ASEAN-WEN and its Secretariat (Program Coordination Unit), and provides trainings and workshops to enhance capacity among ASEAN Member Countries’ wildlife law enforcement officials, prosecutors and the judiciary to counter wildlife crime. The Support Program promotes is helping governments form task forces and facilitates cross-border inter-agency co-operation and civil society
Civil society
Civil society is composed of the totality of many voluntary social relationships, civic and social organizations, and institutions that form the basis of a functioning society, as distinct from the force-backed structures of a state , the commercial institutions of the market, and private criminal...

 action. It has also developed key resources including species identification guides and training manuals to help authorities institutionalize further capacity building efforts.

Partners

Freeland Foundation works with local communities and a wide variety of local and international agencies, organizations, governments, donors and private sector groups across the world to implement and enhance projects to protect biodiversity and human rights. Freeland has a strong track record for bringing diverse stakeholders together to form consensus and plan joint action, for example the development of the “Pattaya Manifesto on Combatting Wildlife Crime in Asia” in 2009.
Key partners include: the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), U.S. Department of State, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and various other U.S. Government agencies, the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), the Thai Government and departments, Blue Moon Fund, Free the Bears Fund
Free the Bears Fund
The Free the Bears Fund is an Australian charitable wildlife-protection organisation. It was started by Mary Hutton, after she watched a documentary in 1993 on bears kept in small cages for bile farming. The fund was registered as a not-for-profit charity on the 23rd March 1995...

, Care for the Wild International, TRAFFIC
Traffic
Traffic on roads may consist of pedestrians, ridden or herded animals, vehicles, streetcars and other conveyances, either singly or together, while using the public way for purposes of travel...

 Southeast Asia, Wildlife Alliance
Wildlife Alliance
Wildlife Alliance is an international non-profit wildlife and forest conservation organization with current programs and partnerships in Cambodia, Thailand, and the Russian Far East...

, Smithsonian Institution
Smithsonian Institution
The Smithsonian Institution is an educational and research institute and associated museum complex, administered and funded by the government of the United States and by funds from its endowment, contributions, and profits from its retail operations, concessions, licensing activities, and magazines...

, Save the Tiger Fund, Global Tiger Initiative, creative advertising agency JWT
JWT
JWT is one of the largest advertising agencies in the United States and the fourth-largest in the world. It is one of the key companies of Sir Martin Sorrell's WPP Group and is headquartered in New York. The global agency is led by Worldwide Chairman and Global CEO Bob Jeffrey who took over the...

and AsiaWorks Television.

External links

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