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BGL Group Supports WWF-UK With a Further £52k Donation

Immediate release: 9 January 2012

As part of its pledge to raise one million pounds for good causes by July 2012, the BGL Group has donated a further £52,000 to its charity partner, WWF-UK. The conservation charity, which received its first £52,000 donation from the Group in 2010, will use the funds to continue its work to help combat the poaching of tigers in the Terai Arc, Nepal. This project is part of WWF’s wider programme to protect bio-diversity and stop the deterioration of the region’s natural environment.

The Terai Arc is home to one of the most recognisable species in the animal kingdom, the Bengal tiger. Support from organisations like the BGL Group enables WWF to achieve real results. The last 12 months have seen WWF achieve success in many different areas. More than 100 people have been arrested for their involvement in poaching and illegal trade, no tigers are known to have been poached in two of the main National Parks and, more recently, a joint resolution was signed between the governments of Nepal and India to strengthen efforts in protecting tigers.

Diane Walkington, Head of the Species Programme at WWF-UK, said: “A century ago, there were around 100,000 wild tigers; today the figure is believed to be as few as 3,200. Nepal’s tiger population currently stands at around 150. WWF, with the help of companies like BGL, has been able to help protect endangered animals such as the Bengal tiger population in the Terai Arc.”

She continued: “Working with partners like the BGL Group enables WWF to strengthen its efforts to combat poaching, help eradicate illegal wildlife trade and monitor animal populations to help numbers recover.”

BGL Group Chief Executive, Peter Winslow, added: “At BGL we are honoured to have played a role in the positive developments that have taken place in Nepal. WWF-UK works tirelessly to help safeguard our planet’s endangered species, like the Bengal Tiger, and provide them with an environment in which they can grow in numbers and flourish. Everyone at the BGL Group is very much behind the WWF's important work. Last year some of our employees even visited the region to gain an insight into what the WWF have achieved; something that they all found highly rewarding.”

For additional information please visit http://www.wwf.org.uk/