Frankfurt/Main, Sept. 2, 2009 – FedEx Express, a subsidiary of FedEx Corp. (NYSE: FDX) and the world’s largest express transportation company, has donated 22,000 US Dollars to the German environmental protection association, Naturschutzbund Deutschland e. V. (NABU). The funds will support a NABU project investigating the effects of climate change on the migratory pattern, wintering grounds and breeding behavior of white storks.
As part of the program, NABU is using GPS signals to track the birds’ flight to their wintering grounds in Africa as well as their return to Germany in spring. The number of birds returning later than usual has risen dramatically in recent years and environmental conservationists believe that climate change is one of the primary causes of this development. According to NABU, the delay has a devastating effect on breeding behavior, and thus on the population of white storks. According to information reported by the organization, only approximately 5,500 young storks have fledged in the past year; in 2008 this number was 7,700.
“The white stork population in this year has decreased dramatically in Germany,” says NABU president Olaf Tschimpke. “The impact of the climate on their African wintering grounds plays a major role in influencing the storks’ migratory behavior. That’s why I am so pleased that FedEx is supporting us in this important project that, among other things, is meant to form the foundation for future preservation programs.”
“As a worldwide operating express transportation company, we regard it as our duty to conduct ourselves in both an economical and ecological manner,” says Bernhard Schloemer, managing director, Operations for Central and Eastern Europe at FedEx Express. “Collaborating with NABU is a reflection of this conviction, and it is just one of many other international environmental projects and social activities in which FedEx is engaged.”
Supporting NABU, one of the largest environmental protection organizations in Germany, is only one example of FedEx’s commitment to the environment. The company operates the largest hybrid vehicle fleet in the express transportation industry, supports the European express freight train project CAREX, constructs solar energy systems to supply power to its hubs, and also uses recycled materials in its packaging. “The FedEx 2008 Global Citizenship Report” provides an overview of the ecological and environmental efforts and goals of the company. Further information is available at: blog.fedex.com.
You can track the current location of the southbound white storks at the following internet address:
http://www.nabu.de/aktionenundprojekte/weissstorchbesenderung/