Ecosystems

Long-Term Goal #4: Net positive impact on ecosystems

Healthy ecosystems provide many benefits to Disney and the communities in which we work and live. The company is developing an ecosystem management strategy designed to deliver a net positive impact. As part of this strategy, ecosystem impacts will be identified during the design-review process of new projects. Then, habitat and restoration solutions will be developed based on the best-available science and engineering to mitigate these impacts. Additionally, the Disney Worldwide Conservation Fund (DWCF) will continue to provide community and nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) with grants that have a significant direct and positive impact on protecting local ecosystems and species.

Medium-Term Targets

In pursuit of our long-term goal, we have adopted the following medium-term targets:

  • By 2010, develop and implement an integrated approach to design, engineering and habitat protection for all new construction projects
  • Increase the level of support from the Disney Worldwide Conservation Fund each year for the next five years

Initiatives

Disney Worldwide Conservation Fund

Recognizing that ecosystems are the basis of the planet's health, the Disney Worldwide Conservation Fund (DWCF) supports not only the study of wildlife but also protection of habitats, land management plans and community conservation and education. In 2008, DWCF, along with help from Disney Guests, supported 104 projects by contributing $1.845 million to 72 nonprofit organizations working in 43 countries.

Appropriately on Leap Day 2008, the DWCF presented a $250,000 donation to the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA) Amphibian Fund, which supports the breeding and protection of hundreds of amphibian species threatened with extinction. Kermit the Frog also joined the cause by visiting Capitol Hill and taping a public service announcement asking the public to help protect frogs and other amphibians.



The DWCF also helps address conservation needs brought on by crisis situations. Last year, the Fund gave $10,000 to assist in earthquake recovery in China. This contribution helped support the safe housing and care of China's pandas and provided support to the animal care staff that relocated from Wolong Panda Center to the Chengdu Panda Base.

For more information about our charitable giving, please see the Community section of this report.

Animal Programs

The world's biodiversity is a key focus for Disney's global animal programs, which through Disney's Animal Kingdom park and The Seas at Epcot work to manage and breed endangered and threatened species. Both facilities are accredited by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA) and are involved in many �Species Survival Plans" (SSPs). AZA SSPs have been instrumental in the cooperative breeding of many endangered animals, including black rhinos, white rhinos, lowland gorillas, African elephants and many rare birds, reptiles, invertebrates and fish. On June 28, 2008, Walt Disney World Resort welcomed an addition to the largest herd of African elephants in North America. Twenty-six-year-old Moyo gave birth to a 327-pound male elephant, Tsavo, the fourth elephant born at Disney's Animal Kingdom.

In September 2008, Disney announced it is donating both cash and staff expertise to help create the first East Africa rehabilitation center for orphaned gorillas in the Democratic Republic of Congo. Created through a partnership with The Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund and Pan African Sanctuary Alliance, the center will care for and ultimately reintroduce gorillas into the wild.