International Conservation Projects Nominated to Receive Funding to Support the Future of Adventure Travel

SEATTLE, Oct. 10, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- The Adventure Travel Conservation Fund (ATCF), an international nonprofit, today announced nine international organizations were nominated to receive funding for global grassroots projects. Projects span the protection of natural resources and cultural assets, the creation of outdoor infrastructures, and business development. ATCF members will vote on projects to be funded and those selected will receive grants to implement their local conservation efforts and positively impact adventure travel.

Focused on supporting on-the-ground tourism-based projects around the world, the ATCF unites members in their efforts to protect threatened communities, cultures and wild places across the globe. Membership provides companies with an avenue to directly support projects that are crucial to the future of adventure travel, which is an industry highly dependent on the conservation of natural resources.

"The common thread that runs through the adventure travel industry is a desire and passion to make an incredible impact on the world, which is also a responsibility we all take very seriously," said Steve Barker, outdoor industry pioneer as founder of Eagle Creek and ATCF Board Chair. "The ATCF allows like-minded companies to unite their power and resources to support organizations like our nine nominees in their critical missions to protect, preserve and improve destinations, resources, and indigenous cultures for generations to come."

Once a year, the ATCF awards grants to organizations seeking conservation funding. Members of the ATCF nominated 24 organizations in the spring and the nine selected projects are voted on by members in the fall, then grants are fully funded by ATCF membership dues. Organizations and their proposed projects on the 2017 ballot include:

• Save the Waves Coalition: Permanently and legally protect 143 acres of Mexico's San Miguel watershed, one of the last intact watersheds.
• The Conservation VIP and Torres del Paine Legacy Fund: Build 1,000 feet of boardwalk to prevent damage to an ecologically sensitive area in Chile, one of the world's most iconic adventure travel destinations. 
• Crooked Tails: Launch a self-sustaining coffee shop in support of a community center focused on women's health and education in Limbe, Cameroon.
• Wildcoast: Support the conservation of coral reefs in 687,767 acres of six protected areas in the Mexican Pacific.
• The Moroccan Association for Ecotourism and the Protection of Nature: Establish a model eco-tourism product for protected areas and work to change the behavior of tourists in Morocco's Ifrane National Park.
• Nicaraguan Indigenous Weavers: Build the Indigenous Weaving Historical Museum to promote the historical significance of the weaving tradition in Nicaragua.
• Volcanoes Safaris Partnership Trust: Provide a permanent settlement in Uganda dedicated to the Gahinga community of Batwa pygmies, a group of 90 adults and children who were displaced from their ancestral home due to the designation of their land as national park to promote mountain gorilla conservation.
• Gunung Palung Orangutan Conservation Program: Work to conserve orangutans and one of their last primary rainforest refuges in Indonesia.
• Sagarmatha Pollution Control Committee: Strengthen the waste management system of Nepal's Khumbu Region along trails that lead to the tallest mountain of the world, Mt. Everest.

Voting continues through November 13, 2017 and the selected projects will be announced in December 2017. Funding amounts range between $10,000 to $30,000 each depending on the size of the project and the proposed goals. Results from the projects are closely monitored by the ATCF to ensure organizations are delivering a positive global impact.

Both nonprofit and for-profit organizations, which may include conservation groups, indigenous people groups, tour operators, or accommodations, can receive project funding from ATCF, but must be nominated by a member. To learn more about joining ATCF and becoming a member organization supporting global conservation, please visit adventuretravelconservationfund.org.

ABOUT THE ADVENTURE TRAVEL CONSERVATION FUND (ATCF)
The mission of the Adventure Travel Conservation Fund (ATCF) is to directly fund local projects engaged in the conservation of unique natural and cultural resources of adventure travel destinations. The ATCF is an international nonprofit focused on funding conservation projects primarily outside the United States and Canada. The ATCF members are a diverse group of leading adventure travel and outdoor recreation businesses who share a common ethos and commitment to protecting the resources from which the adventure tourism industry depends on. For more information, visit adventuretravelconservationfund.org.

SOURCE Adventure Travel Conservation Fund