OTTER CAMPAIGN
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This campaign was launched in 1994 by WWF, together with 'Zeelandia', an industrial bakery which distributes the 'panda-bread' mix
to bakeries. They in turn sell the bread with part of the profits going to WWF-Belgium. The campaign's first aim was to acquire key
wetland areas on the rivers Yzer (western Belgium) and 'Sžre' (a smaller river near the Belgian - Luxembourg border, in the south of
the country) in partnership with the 'Reserves Naturelles-Natuurreservaten'. Its second aim was to increase general public awareness,
and especially schoolchildren's notably by using the European otter as a 'flagship species'.
Several important sites were purchased, and biotopes will be restored to encourage the return of the otter (there are residual
populations which could naturally colonize more sections of these rivers). Furthermore, a door to door information paper for the local
population and other information material was published.
Since its creation, WWF-Belgium has financially helped numerous other national or local nature groups in purchasing natural sites
and protecting them. From 1982 to 1996, a sum exceeding 45,000,000 Belgian francs was allocated for such land purchases.
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