Major Milestone Reached in $3 Billion Conservation Campaign for Wildlife, People

MEMPHIS, Tenn. – April 2, 2024 – A historic international fundraising campaign to protect and restore wetlands across North America has reached the $2 billion mark. The campaign, Conservation For a Continent. Our Wetlands. Our Legacy. aims to raise $3 billion by 2026 to provide cleaner water for communities and wildlife.

The united groups behind this effort are Ducks Unlimited, Inc., Ducks Unlimited Canada, Ducks Unlimited de México and Wetlands America Trust.

Conservation For a Continent is one of the largest fundraising efforts launched in North America devoted to landscape conservation and the future of our outdoors heritage. Much of the funding will support immediate large-scale projects to build back nature in all 50 states, Canada and Mexico. Other funding will support the legacy of conservation through long-term agreements and habitat commitments.

Together, the Ducks Unlimited organizations have already conserved more than 18 million acres of wetlands and grasslands across the continent since 1937. In addition, the partners are part of a multi-year effort to advance species and habitat conservation across 1 billion acres of Canada's Boreal Forest. This campaign builds on those achievements.

"This $2 billion milestone speaks to the trust our supporters have in these organizations to deliver new heights of conservation," said Ducks Unlimited President Chuck Smith. "But even with this impressive total, we still must raise another $1 billion within two years. It's a monumental goal, but a goal this coalition has proven we can accomplish."

Conservation For a Continent builds on the success of previous major Ducks Unlimited fundraising campaigns:

• The $2.34 billion Rescue Our Wetlands campaign, which concluded in 2018.
• The $1.88 billion Wetlands for Tomorrow campaign, which concluded in 2010.

Peacefully disguised as breathtaking marshes, wetlands relentlessly perform their job as powerhouses for biodiversity, water quality and recreational playgrounds. Yet more than ever, these landscapes, some of the most productive ecosystems on earth, are threatened and lost every day.

Wetlands provide food and shelter for more than 900 species of plants and animals and are crucial to the populations of waterfowl and other migratory birds. Encompassing just 6% of the Earth’s land surface, wetlands support the lifecycle needs of 40% of all plant and animal species.

These habitats are just as vital to people across North America. Environmental resilience, natural infrastructure and water sustainability are all critical to society. Wetlands are uniquely positioned to address climate adaptation by filtering pollutants from water, buffering coasts from rising sea levels and protecting communities from the impacts of flooding.

This campaign positions all the organizations to achieve significant milestones. Conservation For a Continent is built on five priorities guided by science and vital to the survival of wetlands, waterfowl, communities and ecosystems that rely on those resources:

Breeding Landscape Conservation - Supports DU initiatives to protect and restore threatened breeding habitats across the continent, a key conservation priority for Ducks Unlimited.

Migration and Wintering Landscape Conservation - Will support efforts to protect and restore wintering and staging habitat along North America's coasts and the central and southern United States.

Conservation Research and Education - DU is the world's leading science-based nonprofit organization dedicated to wetlands and waterfowl. This campaign will support the science needed to inform our conservation efforts on the most critical landscapes to wildlife and people.

Wetlands Forever - This priority focuses on funding programs to encourage volunteerism and mission-focused projects where the need is greatest.

Conservation Legacy - This component focuses on growing DU's endowment to ensure a strong organization sustaining critical conservation work for decades.

Learn more about where Ducks Unlimited works, how we conserve wetlands and who supports the organization by visiting www.ducks.org/campaign.

About Ducks Unlimited

Ducks Unlimited Inc. is the world's largest nonprofit organization dedicated to conserving North America's continually disappearing wetlands, grasslands and other waterfowl habitats. Established in 1937, Ducks Unlimited has restored or protected more than 18 million acres thanks to contributions from more than a million supporters across the continent. Guided by science, DU's projects benefit waterfowl, wildlife and people in all 50 states. DU is growing its mission through a historic $3 billion Conservation For A Continent capital campaign. Learn more at www.ducks.org.

To talk to representatives from the four organizations, contact:

Chris Sebastian
Ducks Unlimited Communications Director
(734) 649-4680
csebastian@ducks.org