We're funding 28,000+ species assessments with @IUCN to help protect biodiversity: https://t.co/wGteGwkSku pic.twitter.com/rOO0NUnMbL
— ToyotaGB (@ToyotaGB) May 10, 2016
On May 10, Toyota announced a new five-year partnership with the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) -- one of the leading organizations in biodiversity research. Over the next five years, grants from Toyota will fund threat assessments for over 28,000 species.
Assessing the present and future dangers to wildlife populations is a critical first step in understanding what conservation efforts to take. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species is an important resource used by conservation biologists worldwide.
The partnership with IUCN is part of the Toyota Environmental Challenge 2050, which began in October of 2015 as a way to reduce the negative environmental impact of cars.
Didier Leroy, Executive Vice President of Toyota Motor Corporation, explains that the automaker already has a long history reducing its carbon footprint. "We did it in 1997 with Prius, and more recently with the hydrogen fuel cell Mirai," he says. "But protecting the environment is not just about CO2 and emissions: biodiversity is equally important to human lives. By entering this partnership with IUCN, we are very proud to take an additional step toward the challenge of establishing a future society in harmony with nature."
The IUCN will be using the grant to focus on plants and fish that are vital to humans as food and for livelihood.
Local Toyota dealerships, like DCH Toyota of Oxnard, have also been known to take a stand for the environment locally. Check out the Wild 4Conservation initiative at the Santa Barbara Zoo.
