Chinese Crested Terns © Pete Morris / Birdquest

OBC Conservation Fund

Overview

The Oriental Bird Club supports conservation work in the Oriental region by funding projects which encourage an interest in wild birds and their conservation and support research and conservation of threatened birds.

Through the generous support of members, corporate sponsors and other donors, OBC has now supported hundreds of projects throughout Asia. Over £600,000 has been invested in conservation in the region since 1984.

Project reports can be found here.

Summaries of all completed projects are published in BirdingAsia. Grantees are also encouraged to publish full articles in BirdingASIA or The Journal of Asian Ornithology (formerly known as Forktail).

CONSERVATION PRIORITIES

The OBC Conservation Fund prioritises projects that promote the conservation of birds in the region and the important places where they live, particularly those that meet one or more of the following priorities:

• Bird species which are Critically Endangered and Endangered on the Red List of Threatened Species.

• Migratory shorebirds and birds threatened by trade (especially songbirds).

• Research to better understand the status and threats and identify conservation actions for threatened bird species.

• Projects which implement critical actions to better manage and protect important places for birds (e.g. Important Bird and Biodiversity Areas – IBAs).

• Projects delivering direct bird conservation actions on the ground, especially those that involve local communities.

• Projects where OBC can complement and add significant and distinct value to other initiatives, including by supporting components of species conservation action plans.

• NGOs or individuals from the country where the project takes place.

Geographic scope:

Special note regarding China: we are currently not funding new projects in China as we work to comply with Chinese legislation concerning foreign funding for NGOs and research.

SMALL CONSERVATION GRANTS

OBC small grants are typically between £1,000 and £2,000. In exceptional cases, we will fund projects up to £3,000.

Projects would usually be expected to be completed within 12 months of receipt of funding.

Small grants are offered twice a year with deadlines for applications being 1st March and 1st September. Please note these new deadlines start from 1st September 2024.

To apply for funding complete the grant application form and send it to conservation@orientalbirdclub.org

Guidelines are included within the application form.

OBC will consider follow-up small grants for projects where there is a clear need and all reporting requirements of previous projects have been completed.

SPONSORSHIP OF OUR CONSERVATION FUND

We thank all our members and support who have enabled us to run and fund the OBC’s Conservation Grant Programme. In particular the March Conservation Fund, which provides annual support to the OBC Conservation Fund. Occasionally individuals or companies sponsor projects directly, for which their support is acknowledged directly on the report and in BirdingASIA. If you would like to sponsor a project please contact conservation@orientalbirdclub.org. The OBC is run entirely by volunteers so 100% of donations to our conservation fund go directly to projects in the region.

To donate to OBC please visit our donate page or consider leaving us a legacy in you will.