Aage V. Jensen Charity Foundation

= The legacy =

The Aage V. Jensen Charity Foundation was founded by aDanish master carpenter and businessman with a deep interestin nature and in wild animals and birds. He bequeathed part ofhis fortune to the primary objective of nature conservation and
wildlife protection.Recognising the founder’s nationality and wishes forspecial emphasis on projects in Denmark, a new foundation forDenmark, Aage V. Jensen Naturfond, was established in 2007.

The Foundation

The Aage V. Jensen Charity Foundation operates all over theworld via ownership as well as support of research and natureprojects. The objective of the Foundation is to contribute to thepreservation of nature in all its diversity. Through the acquisition of conservation areas, and throughthe participation in projects.

Nature reserves

The Foundation owns a number of nature reserves in Scotland,
South Africa and Denmark. These nature reserves areto be protected or developed for the benefit of plants, wildlife,birds, fish – and people.An example is the Maremani Nature Reserve northeastof Johannesburg in South Africa. This reserve has beenacquired to once again restore the tropical savannah withthe indigenous plants and animals that were beingthreatened by human activity. The vision and mission forthe nature reserves envisage the restoration of the naturalhabitats, as closely as possible, to their pristine state.

Supported projects

The Aage V. Jensen Charity Foundation supports a numberof large organisations as well as governments or localauthorities involved in nature projects. The Foundationseeks co-operation and aims to create synergies, therebysignificantly improving the collective chances of makingsignificant and lasting changes. Preference is given toprojects that show a strong local engagement, uncover localknowledge or improve access and the experience of thesurrounding nature. Another preference is given to projectsthat provide tools for conservation efforts on a global basis.One example is the Foundation’s work with localconservation groups in setting up the Kinangop GrasslandReserve in Kenya. These local conservation groups are alsopart of a BirdLife International project. Another internationalproject is with World Conservation Union (IUCN) on thelegal framework for nature reserves. Through WWF we helpthe dolphin and fish populations in the Mekong River inCambodia, Laos and Thailand. We have supported SAVEBrasil in mapping the important bird areas in the AmazonRainforest, and helped WSPA protect the bonobo ape inCongo.

To ensure optimum access for the scientific community to allrelevant information gathered around the world, theFoundation sponsored the Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF) headquarters in Copenhagen. And toprovide a window to all this knowledge the Foundationsupports a large number of printed publications. Amongthese are The Birds of CITES (1993), The Prespa Project(1999), World Catalogue of Insects (2005), and KrugerNational Park History (2007) plus numerous educationalbooks on Greenland.

External links

* [http://www.avjcf.org Aage V. Jensen Charity Foundation]
* [http://www.maremani.com Maremani Nature Reserve]
* [http://www.avjf.dk Aage V. Jensens Fonde]