Conservation
1: Indonesian Orangutan Conservation
Time: August 2017 - present
Location: East Kalimantan, Indonesia
Partner: COP (Centre for Orangutan Protection), CAN Borneo (Conversation Action Network Borneo)
In Indonesia, orangutans and other wildlife have lost their homes and lives due to deforestation caused by oil palm plantations, mining, and logging. To conserve orangutans, China House is working with CAN Borneo, a local NGO, to establish the first wildlife rescue and rehabilitation center in East Kalimantan. The center will provide rescue, medical care, and rewilding training for homeless wildlife and help them return to the forest. Meanwhile, we are working to protect natural habitats and promote sustainable economic
development in local communities.
Impact:
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BASE CAN, the first orangutan sanctuary in Southeast Asia to be funded by a Chinese non-governmental organization, was established in 2020 by China House in partnership with CAN Borneo.
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China House raised more than 100,000 CNY for the rescue center. The fund has been used in forest conservation base construction, wildlife conservation center construction, and wildlife rescue.
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A nursery funded by China House is cultivating 85,000 seedlings and is expected to restore 100 hectares of forest habitat for orangutans.
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China House built a Chinese website for CAN, allowing Chinese people to learn about orangutans and their habitat conservation.
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The rescue center is now 30% complete. A sun bear, a gibbon, and several birds are receiving medical assistance here.
2: Ol Pejeta Wildlife Conservation Base
Time: June 2018 - present
Location: Conservancies in Eastern and Northern Kenya
Partnet: Ol Pejeta Conservancy, ANAW (Africa Network for Animal Welfare）
In Africa, many wildlife is under severe threats due to poaching, smuggling, illegal trade, human-wildlife conflicts, etc. Ol Pejeta Conservancy has the last two Northern White Rhinos globally and the Sweetwaters Chimpanzee Sanctuary. The Conservancy is one of the only two nature reserves in Africa on the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Green List.
China House has worked with Ol Pejeta Conservancy to enhance local wildlife protection, including improving
and donating Lion Lights, investing in beehives, contributing camera traps, filming documentaries, conducting international business marketing, and raising public awareness.
Impact:
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China House students improved solar-powered Lion Lights invented by a local Kenyan. An improved Lion Light costs only one-third of its original price. Upon their return, the students led a fundraising campaign in China, commissioned a Chinese manufacturer for light production, and donated 620 Lion Lights to the Conservancy. The Lion Lights have been outstandingly effective in deterring wildlife from attacking farms, lessening the economic burdens and protecting the local wildlife from retaliation by villagers who would have suffered in the long-term human-wildlife conflict. China House’s work has been appreciated by the community department
of the Ol Pejeta Conservancy. -
China House students raised public awareness of wildlife conservation by designing and marketing a Northern White Rhino-themed
creative products. -
To protect the last two Northern White Rhinos and other wildlife, China House initiated student-led fundraising campaigns in China.
China House produced first Chinese student-made Northern White Rhino documentary, Meet the Last Three Northern White Rhinos in Africa .
Donated six monitoring camera worth8,000CNY, to the Ol Pejeta Conservancy.
Designed a Chinese brochure for Ol Pejeta Conservancy, impacting thousands of Chinese visitors.
China House partnered with Ol Pejeta Conservancy to host a live broadcast on Sohu, which gained 230,000 likes, was shown on Sohu’s homepage, and was reposted by Sohu's CEO.
China House students created a wildlife conservation charity brand, Animore+. They conducted a Northern White Rhino-themed offline concert, “Rhino’s Top Secret”, which attracted more than 60 participants. The event indirectly raised the awareness of wildlife conservation among students.
By applying low-interest loans, an internationally advanced poverty alleviation method, China House students supported local farmers to invest in 20 beehives. Bees can keep elephants away from human residential areas. Honey products can also empower local farmers financially.
3: Kenyan Anti - Poaching Petrol Project
Time: July 2014 - present
Location: Various locations in Kenya
Partner: Ol Pejeta Conservancy, African Network for Animal Welfare (ANAW)
In Africa, poachers hide snares in the bushes, grass, canopy, or around the tree trunks. When animals roam by, they are likely to be caught by these “traps”. As they try to break free from fright, the snares will clutch on tighter, and eventually, many animals die of infected wounds. In Kenya, nearly 100 lions die every year from the traps. Zebras, antelopes, African buffaloes, giraffes, and other animals are also common victims.
These snares are related to the Bushmeat trade, which refers to the trade of hunted wildlife. Poachers mix wildlife meat with livestock meat to make money. According to a report by ANAW, a local wildlife conservation organization, 40% of meat on the market in Nairobi, Kenya, comes from Bushmeat.
Impact：
Since 2014, China House has been working with ANAW to recruit volunteers to work at natural reserves around Nairobi to clear the snares that poachers have placed and to rescue wildlife injured by the snares.
In May 2021, students from China House organized online fund-raising event and raised around 14,000 yuan. The money will be used to subsidize anti - poaching workers and purchase patrol tools and medical supplies needed to rescue wildlife.
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1000+ Chinese and Kenyan Volunteers
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50+ Patrols and snare-cutting tours
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5000+ Snares removed
4: Wildlife Conservation Awareness Campaign
Time：2015 - 2018
Location：Kenya, Tanzania, South Africa, Namibia, Zimbabwe
Partner：Chinese Ambassador to S.Africa, Africa Network for Animal Welfare, Humane Society International, University of the Witwatersand, S.Africa, etc.
In 2017, the Chinese government declared prohibition on the ivory trade, which received appreciation worldwide.
Nevertheless, illegal wildlife product trades remain in some parts of the world despite the work of Chinese officials and civil
organizations.
There are currently one million Chinese living and working in Africa, many of whom have connections with the local wildlife trade. Some Chinese are involved in ivory and rhino horn smuggling and have negatively affected the image of China. On the other hand, Chinese people can make contributions to wildlife conservation in Africa in terms of the amount of funds and volunteers. However, the Chinese in Africa have always lacked the knowledge of and access to wildlife conservation.
With the support of HSI, China House conducted a three-year wildlife conservation awareness campaign aiming at Chinese in Africa. The campaign was designed and implemented strategically, from summit forums to community activities, offline to online, targeting different Chinese groups in Africa (state-owned enterprises, private enterprises, and individual households).
Impact：
We collected thousands of signatures in Chinese communities in Tanzania for the campaign “Boycotting the ivory and rhino horn trade.”
We are one of the wildlife conservation teams that have incorporated wildlife conservation activities into the construction sites of Chinese companies in Africa.
We organized the first color run in Africa with the theme of wild protection in Kenya. More than 500 Kenyans and Chinese participated.
China House facilitated the first donation to pangolin conservation by Chinese in Africa. The recipient was the African Pangolin Action, the most influential pangolin conservation organization in Africa. The event was reported on the official website of HSI, an international wildlife conservation
organization.
The first China-Africa wildlife conservation forum was held by China House in South Africa, with the attendance of the Chinese Ambassador to South Africa, Lin Songtian, as well as more than 100 representatives and journalists from China, South Africa, Nigeria, Congo, Zambia, Botswana, Japan, and other countries. China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs reported the forum.
We assisted the Chinese Embassy in Tanzania in organizing Africa’s first Chinese-sponsored public welfare walk for wildlife, Walk for Elephants, with more than 500 Tanzanians and Chinese participating.
The project encompassed more than 35 conservation activities over three years, covering Kenya, South Africa, Namibia, Tanzania, and Zimbabwe. In the project, more than 160,000 people were directly influenced, and thousands of Chinese in Africa were observed to have increased knowledge and positive transition in their attitudes towards wildlife conservation. The project received over 50 media reports, including newspapers, TV shows, and social media reports, with over 2.6 million views.
5: Marine Conservation Social Enterprise Marketing
Time: 2020
Location: Kenya
Partner: Ocean Sole
Ocean Sole, a Kenyan Social enterprise, produces and sells handicrafts made of plastic waste recycled from the ocean, thereby raising marine conservation funds. Since its inception, Ocean Sole has helped clean up estimated 750,000 flip-flops (more than 1,000 tons) from Kenya’s oceans and waterways each year. 10%-15% of Ocean Sole’s revenue is invested in local marine conservation and community education.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, zoos and aquariums in Europe and the US had to cancel their orders. Ocean Sole had almost no orders. China House assisted them in opening up the Chinese market and selling handicrafts to China. According to Ocean Sole’s marketing manager, the order from China House was their only large order during the pandemic. The work of China House provided vital financial support for their work in marine conservation.
Impact:
In early 2020, China House led a group of students to help Ocean Sole open the Chinese market for the first time. China House sold 126 handicrafts in China, and raised over 10,000 CNY, which was a rare income for Ocean Sole during the pandemic and much appreciated by them.
