About Respect Wildlife
Our mission is to reduce disruptive human encounters with coastal marine wildlife.
About Us
We are a team of collaborators who are committed to helping protect coastal wildlife from disruptive human encounters.
Our strategy is to define, establish, and instill a norm of responsible human behavior in the presence of marine wildlife by:
Raising awareness of the impact disturbance can have on wildlife
Positively influencing human behavior near wildlife
Encouraging and spreading the word about respecting wildlife
Engaging existing and fostering new partnerships
Unifying existing wildlife protection communication and education
Our projects include:
Hosting the Annual California Coastal Wildlife Disturbance Symposium
Developing innovative materials and messaging to promote respectful wildlife viewing
Publishing literature related to wildlife disturbance issues
Our Team
Our History
In 2015, individuals representing state and federal agencies, non-governmental organizations, local businesses, and others convened for the first annual California Coastal Wildlife Disturbance Symposium to share and discuss marine wildlife disturbance issues. From the summit, Respect Wildlife was born to address wildlife disturbance issues and educate the public about safe wildlife viewing practices.
Our Funding
In 2020, Respect Wildlife received funding from the Ocean Protection Council (OPC) through the Marine Protected Area (MPA) Outreach and Education Small Grant Program administered by Coastal Quest. This OPC grant is being used to develop a campaign designed to change human behavior in the coastal environment, resulting in reduced human disturbance to marine wildlife. Respect Wildlife worked with Gigantic Idea Studio to develop the campaign. We are grateful to Oceans Unmanned for serving as our fiscal sponsor.