Striving to Preserve and Protect the Natural Beauty and Environment of the Islands
Edmiston is delighted to be supporting ‘The Island Preservation Funds’. These funds have been set up to help restore and protect the exceptional natural environment of some of the most beautiful islands in the world, by providing support to the most effective environmental campaigns and projects in those islands.
Background
Founded by leading environmentalist and participant in sustainable investment, Ben Goldsmith, the three island preservation funds are the Ibiza Preservation Fund (IPF), the Aeolian Islands Preservation Funds (AIPF) and the St Vincent & the Grenadines Preservation Fund (SVGPF). Created in partnership in each case with influential individuals who share Ben’s desire to preserve the natural beauty of these islands, the funds aim to bring like-minded people together to promote sustainable development, at a time when the future of these islands is threatened by the depletion by factors that include rapidly expanding tourism, ill-considered development, industrial fishing, agricultural intensification - of the very thing on which they depend – their natural environment. The Funds back local projects which support marine and terrestrial conservation, local food production, renewable energy and local heritage. Ben Goldsmith commented: “I have found that ‘place-based’ environmentalism – people supporting projects to restore and protect the places they love, is an effective way of tackling the huge environmental challenges we face.”
Photo credit: Kay Wilson
The Aeolian Islands Preservation Fund
The Aeolian Islands Preservation Fund’s first grant supports Italian NGO, Marevivo, working to educate the children of the Aeolian Islands about the magnificent environment in which they live. The objective is to cultivate a sense of pride, belonging and responsibility amongst the younger generation, to inspire them to develop a strong desire to protect their own islands. The students who have obtained the certificate have the right to report any attacks on the environment to the Commander of the Port or the Mayor, without having to be accompanied by adults. The AIPF has supported the project with the initial donations we received from our generous donors and would like to support it for the next three years.
The Ibiza Preservation Fund
Along with Dutch-based foundation Adessium, the Ibiza Preservation Fund is supporting work co-ordinated by the local NGO GEN-GOB Eivissa to achieve the much more thoughtful management of Ibiza’s marine environment. Overfishing, the destruction by anchors of Posidonia sea grass, pollution running off the land into the sea, the regulation of boat parties and marine prospecting for gas and oil will be addressed by this project. And the overarching aim is to see a network of marina protected areas created around Ibiza.
The St Vincent and the Grenadines Preservation Fund
The first grant of the new St Vincent and the Grenadines Preservation Fund aims to lay the foundation for a one year scientific field study to determine the specific species of whales and dolphins that are in the territorial waters of St. Vincent and the Grenadines, including their migratory habits. Whales are declining rapidly in the area – killed by hunters and as by-catch in industrial fishing nets, and struggling to find enough food as fish stocks disappear. The study is the first of a series of planned initiatives to reverse this frightening trend.
Cala d'Hort | Photo credit: Mariano Mari
Testimonials
Bryan Adams, chair of the St Vincent Fund, commented: "I started the SVGPF as a way to give something back to the local community of St. Vincent and the Grenadines. It’s a place that I’ve enjoyed visiting with friends and family since 2002, and we’ve all fallen in love the amazing coastlines, forests and wildlife year on year. The fund is a way to make sure that the environment is protected going forward into the future.”
John Frieda, who chairs the Ibiza fund, commented: "For those of us who have long understood that Ibiza is not only a very beautiful and rare part of the Mediterranean with unique qualities that cannot be found anywhere else, the IPF is an absolutely critical and vital organisation that works effectively and tirelessly to preserve the extraordinary features of this magical island. It is truly an organisation worthy of our support.”
And in Italy, Luca Del Bono, chair of the Aeolian Islands Fund said: “I regularly go to Sicily to visit my home in the Aeolian Islands, spending time between Lipari, Panarea and the magnificent active volcano, Stromboli. The natural environment that these islands have is so precious and that has now led us to launch the Aeolian Islands Preservation Fund, where we are dedicated to preserving the heritage and natural environment of the archipelago, for it to be protected.”
Jamie Edmiston, Chief Executive of Edmiston & Company said: “I am delighted that Edmiston is able to support Ben and his team by creating additional awareness of this fantastic initiatives. As an environmentalist, philanthropist and businessman, Ben brings unique perspective to these extremely important causes”.
How You Can Help
If you are visiting any of these islands in 2016, please let your Edmiston broker know and we would be delighted to connect you with local representatives who can tell you more about the projects we are supporting and how you can get involved. And if, like us, you love these islands and wish to continue to be able to see them in their present splendour for many years to come, please join us in supporting a fund.
www.aeolianpreservationfund.org
info@aeolianpreservationfund.org
sandra@ibizapreservationfund.org
3rd February 2016