About ITNC

THE INTERNATIONAL TRUST FOR NATURE CONSERVATION

The ITNC is a British registered charity founded in 1980 by the late A.V. Jim Edwards, former Chairman of the Tiger Mountain Group of Companies, and a group of likeminded people united in a determination to try and protect parts of the world where wildlife is threatened by human activities. ITNC

When forests and jungles are cleared, animals and plants lose the environment in which they have flourished. Many species disappear, others barely survive, and in the long term people also lose out. Indiscriminate tree felling leads to soil erosion and flooding which causes much human suffering in many countries. Conserving natural habitats and wildlife also benefits human communities.

ITNC works for conservation in various ways. Sometimes we initiate projects, handing them over to local people once established. Deforestation is particularly severe in places where the only way to earn a living is to cut down trees, selling the wood for fuel or as building material; in those areas, in addition to promoting tree-planting and soil improvement ventures, ITNC supports schemes which provide alternative sources of income for local communities. Sometimes we contribute to another charity's programme or support individuals with grants, in cash or kind, for scientific research.

Although we support conservation projects worldwide, ITNC's primary focus of interest is South Asia - notably Nepal and India. Several Trustees have specialised knowledge and local contacts in the region, ensuring resources are used to maximum effect.

ITNC receives its income from private donations, fund-raising events, charitable trusts, public and private companies.

The Trust has a policy of never using for administration expenses funds contributed for conservation purposes. Donors can specify the particular project they wish to support; the trust guarantees all monies will be spent on that project, and keeps them informed of its progress.

TRUSTEES

Chairman: Julia Thorold

Vice Chairman: James MacEwen

Vice Chairman: Hattie Broadhead

Vice Presidents: Lisa Choegyal, Edward Hoare, Philippa Tyrwhitt-Drake, Richard Howard

Trustees: Minnie Churchill, Bruce Coles, Marcus Cotton, Kristjan Edwards, Arabella Heathcoat Amory, Dr. Charles McDougal, Christopher Savage, John Roberts.

Conservation Advisor: John A. Burton

John Burton started his career as an Information Officer in London's Natural History Museum, leaving in 1969 to go freelance. He has been involved with international conservation since 1971, when he was an advisor to the newly formed Friends of the Earth. Since then he has been the Executive Secretary of the Fauna and Flora Preservation Society (now Fauna & Flora International), and was the founder of the TRAFFIC International network which monitors trade in wildlife. In 1989 he was one of the founders, of the World Land Trust (http://www.worldlandtrust.org/) which he now directs. The WLT has helped purchase thousands of acres of threatened habitats in Belize, the Philippines, Ecuador, and Patagonia. John Burton is also a writer and broadcaster, and has written over 30 books on wildlife, including several field guides, as well as books on endangered species and the conservation of wildlife. He has carried out consultancies for many organisations, including CITES, the World Bank, the UK Department of Environment, Department for International Development, Wildscreen Trust, and many companies. He has been a member of the Advisory Panel to the Scottish Widows Environmental Investment Fund (since its foundation by the TSB in 1990).