dogofwar
CCA Members
PlanetCatfish.com and its supporters want to raise cash to fund scientific research into the biodiversity of this region before it's too late. The aim is to record the biotope and biodiversity before the river is permanently changed by man's activities.
Planet Xingu is accepting donations to reach it's 2013 goal of $11,000 until January 2, 2014. They're almost there but could use more support.
Go here to donate. It just takes a moment: https://fundrazr.com/campaigns/aT4bd
Think of it this way: What does a pleco cost? $20...$30...$40...$50...or more. Think of your donation as saving a single wild pleco! Because when they're gone...they're gone. And if hobbyists like us can't be bothered, then there's no real reason for others to care.
Q1: Who is collecting the money?
All donations are made via a FundRazr page set-up for the project. Payments can be made globally and this route handles all the social media and interaction with donors as well as providing PayPal and credit card facilities. All donations are in US dollars. At the point of donation, the money (less a small handling fee) is automatically send from FundRazr into a PayPal account administered by me.
Q2: Who is received the money?
When the fundraising ends, I will make one transfer of the money to Mark Sabaj Perez who will be responsible for distributing amongst the research team.
Q3: What will the money be used for?
In 2013, we are aiming to raise US $11,000 (our fundraising goes up to 11)! The principal item is a laboratory grade water flow measuring device to record the rate of flow of the river at different points or depths. This will cost around $7,000. The remainder of the cash is to pay for additional travel, subsistence and communication costs to support the research team in informal interaction with the online aquarist communities via PlanetCatfish.com. Or, in short, to fund for outreach activities connecting the riverside team to the desktops and mobiles of the catfish aquarist community. Additionally, many photos and information gathered will be formally shared with the community well ahead of formal publication.
Q4: Why are you / PlanetCatfish.com doing this, what do you want to achieve?
There are really two aims I would highlight. The first is to support ichthyological research into a threatened habitat that contains fishes of significant interest to aquarists by providing financial support in return for informal access to the day-to-day activities of the research team. Hopefully this can bring the ichthyologists and aquarists closer together by giving both parties a better understanding of what makes the other tick. New species are as exciting to ichthyologists as they are to aquarists, but often for different reasons. The second aim is to more broadly test if crowdfunding (ichthyological) research projects like this can work – so it has the potential to be repeated again to further bring the research to a wider set of consumers (in this case aquarists).
Q5: What are the direct benefits to fish keepers if this project becomes fully funded and moves forward?
Specifically, it will help the ichthyologists record precise measurements of water flow in different habitats alongside the species of fishes common to those habitats. Such data will be useful not only to ichthyologists, but to aquarists trying to replicate certain conditions in their tanks. In a broader sense, the project will help provide a snapshot of the aquatic biodiversity, water chemistry and habitat conditions of the Lower Xingu River before it is altered by the completion of the Belo Monte dam complex.
Here's a link for more information: http://www.planetcatfish.com/general/general.php?article_id=492
More FAQs: http://www.planetcatfish.com/general/general.php?article_id=499
Thanks for considering this,
Matt
Planet Xingu is accepting donations to reach it's 2013 goal of $11,000 until January 2, 2014. They're almost there but could use more support.
Go here to donate. It just takes a moment: https://fundrazr.com/campaigns/aT4bd
Think of it this way: What does a pleco cost? $20...$30...$40...$50...or more. Think of your donation as saving a single wild pleco! Because when they're gone...they're gone. And if hobbyists like us can't be bothered, then there's no real reason for others to care.
Q1: Who is collecting the money?
All donations are made via a FundRazr page set-up for the project. Payments can be made globally and this route handles all the social media and interaction with donors as well as providing PayPal and credit card facilities. All donations are in US dollars. At the point of donation, the money (less a small handling fee) is automatically send from FundRazr into a PayPal account administered by me.
Q2: Who is received the money?
When the fundraising ends, I will make one transfer of the money to Mark Sabaj Perez who will be responsible for distributing amongst the research team.
Q3: What will the money be used for?
In 2013, we are aiming to raise US $11,000 (our fundraising goes up to 11)! The principal item is a laboratory grade water flow measuring device to record the rate of flow of the river at different points or depths. This will cost around $7,000. The remainder of the cash is to pay for additional travel, subsistence and communication costs to support the research team in informal interaction with the online aquarist communities via PlanetCatfish.com. Or, in short, to fund for outreach activities connecting the riverside team to the desktops and mobiles of the catfish aquarist community. Additionally, many photos and information gathered will be formally shared with the community well ahead of formal publication.
Q4: Why are you / PlanetCatfish.com doing this, what do you want to achieve?
There are really two aims I would highlight. The first is to support ichthyological research into a threatened habitat that contains fishes of significant interest to aquarists by providing financial support in return for informal access to the day-to-day activities of the research team. Hopefully this can bring the ichthyologists and aquarists closer together by giving both parties a better understanding of what makes the other tick. New species are as exciting to ichthyologists as they are to aquarists, but often for different reasons. The second aim is to more broadly test if crowdfunding (ichthyological) research projects like this can work – so it has the potential to be repeated again to further bring the research to a wider set of consumers (in this case aquarists).
Q5: What are the direct benefits to fish keepers if this project becomes fully funded and moves forward?
Specifically, it will help the ichthyologists record precise measurements of water flow in different habitats alongside the species of fishes common to those habitats. Such data will be useful not only to ichthyologists, but to aquarists trying to replicate certain conditions in their tanks. In a broader sense, the project will help provide a snapshot of the aquatic biodiversity, water chemistry and habitat conditions of the Lower Xingu River before it is altered by the completion of the Belo Monte dam complex.
Here's a link for more information: http://www.planetcatfish.com/general/general.php?article_id=492
More FAQs: http://www.planetcatfish.com/general/general.php?article_id=499
Thanks for considering this,
Matt
