Internews’ Earth Journalism Network (EJN) is offering reporting grants of up to $2,000 to support the production of in-depth stories that highlight previously untold threats to global biodiversity and explore new conservation-based solutions.
The Earth is home to millions of species whose interactions keep our ecosystems and our planet in balance. This biodiversity provides the clean air we breathe and the food we eat, as well as a wide variety of other goods and services that enable us to thrive. Despite the important roles these species play in our daily lives, human activity poses the gravest threat to biodiversity at local to global scales. Forests are being cleared to make room for agricultural production, oceans are overfished and wildlife is in decline due to poaching and lost habitat.
Some experts estimate that the rapid species loss seen today is 1,000 to 10,000 times higher than the natural extinction rate, or what would occur in the absence of human intervention. As habitats shrink and species disappear, so do the many important benefits they provide us, from reducing the impact of natural disasters such as floods to being an important source of pharmaceuticals.
EJN is looking to capture the importance of these losses by commissioning a series of stories that investigate new threats to species diversity around the world, as well as innovative, potentially-scalable conservation solutions.
Journalists (online, print, television) and other expert media practitioners with a track record of reporting on environmental issues are encouraged to apply. All story ideas are welcome, but special consideration will be given to applicants looking to conduct investigative or enterprise reporting on these topics.
Funding for this series is being provided by the Arcadia Fund. The deadline to submit an application is February 18, 2016 at 5pm EST.