View of a Merbau tree looking up into the canopy, West Papua, Indonesia. © EIA
Tiger skin costumes at Litang Horse Festival in Sichuan Province of China, August 2005. © EIA
In 2007/08 The Rufford Maurice Laing Foundation provided a grant of £200,000 for several projects.
The Environmental Investigation Agency (EIA) is dedicated to exposing environmental crime and the illegal trade in natural resources, environmentally harmful chemicals and endangered species. Combining undercover investigations with expert research, EIA lobbies governments and effects change.
Tigers and Other Asian Big Cats
Focussing on efforts to combat the illegal trade in tigers and leopards, particularly between India, Nepal and China, EIA has been working with the Wildlife Protection Society of India to investigate and document this trade, exerting pressure on relevant government authorities to take meaningful action before it is too late.
Trafficking in Environmentally Harmful Chemicals
At the forefront of tackling illegal trade in ozone-depleting chemicals, and an acknowledged expert in this field, EIA is now expanding its focus to other chemicals which are harmful to the environment. Looking at the emerging illegal trade in these substances, the ultimate aim of this innovative work is to achieve improved enforcement of international conventions that regulate their trade.
Protecting Papua’s Forests from Conversion to Plantations
This work is aimed at countering the emerging threat to precious rainforests – massive expansion of biofuel plantations. Focussing on the Papuan Provinces of Indonesia, EIA is looking at the companies and financial institutions behind planned conversion projects which threaten to destroy natural forests.
Okavango Delta
The Foundation also supports EIA’s programme of work in Botswana: conserving the ecological integrity of the Okavango Delta and the biodiversity and economic potential of the Makgadikgadi National Park.
Visit the Environmental Investigation Agency website.