Founded by Camille Coudrat, French researcher who carried out her thesis on the conservation of Southern white-cheeked Gibbon in Laos.

The project acts on three levels:
– Scientific research: the aim being to develop the first permanent research center in one of the most important place for Indo-Burmese biodiversity: Nakai-Nam-Theun national park. This center makes it possible to conduct scientific research on endangered species but also to protect these species through the training of guard patrols.
– Capacity building for Laotians, especially students and young researchers.
– Environmental education for the populations living inside the park in order to empower them and give them an active role in the protection of nature through workshops, interventions in schools and training research assistants.

Indonesian Habitat Restoration Project
It is estimated that the Sumatran rhino may have as few as 50 rhinos left in the wild, which is fragmented into several subpopulations. The International Rhino Foundation along with the government of Indonesia and other NGO’s, have developed an action plan to save the Sumatran rhino from extinction called the Sumatran Rhino Rescue. The long term goal of this project will be to bring the subpopulations of rhinos into a managed breeding facility in Indonesia to increase their numbers, and then release them back out into the wild. In late 2019, a wildfire broke out in Way Kambas National Park, Indonesia, which is the habitat for some of the last remaining Sumatran rhinos. The International Rhino Foundation started the Habitat Restoration Project to replant that part of the forest. This will regrow that part of the forest as well as grow browse for the Sumatran rhinos that will be brought to the Sumatran Rhino Sanctuary for the breeding program. These rhinos are strictly browsing animals, making the habitat restoration project crucial to the proper care and nutrition for the Sumatran rhino. The International Rhino Keeper Association felt this was a perfect opportunity to help save a critically endangered species. To help support this project, the IRKA funded the Habitat Restoration Project to replant 10 acres of trees in the Way Kambas National Park.

The Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund International is working with government agencies and village communities in Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of Congo to protect and conserve Mountain and Lowland Gorillas and other wildlife. The primary geographic focus in Rwanda is the Volcanoes National Park and adjacent communities.

Zoos Victoria is partnering the Fund to mitigate human-driven threats to Mountain Gorillas and other wildlife in the Park, through projects that provide village communities with sustainable alternatives to entering the Park and impacting gorilla habitat and potentially transmitting diseases to the gorillas, strengthen community support for the Park and its wildlife, and generate increased well-being and income outcomes for those communities. These include training in husbandry and management of suitable livestock (sheep and cows) as a sustainable alternative to hunting wildlife; development of kitchen gardens and mushroom cultivation as a sustainable alternative to entering the Park in search of food; and Increased access to potable water by village communities bordering the National Park.

The Felid TAG is a committee of advisors with expertise in issues relating to wild cats. These advisors hold regular meetings attended by people from both AZA-member institutions and the private sector who have an interest in felids.

The mission of the Felid TAG is to bring together animal managers and scientists to:

further conservation of felids in the wild
effectively manage felids in AZA zoos throughout North America
support scientific research concerning felid species
The Felid TAG provides a forum for discussing husbandry, veterinary, ethical, and other issues that apply to the wild cats housed in AZA-member institutions. TAG advisors also examine animal management techniques based on scientific studies and assist SSP coordinators in developing animal care manuals to present best practices for the care and welfare of felid species. TAGs also promote cooperation and sharing of information between AZA and other regional and international conservation programs.