U.S. Student Environmental Leaders Study Brown Hyenas in South Africa through Nissan-World Wildlife Fund Partnership

WASHINGTON--Aug. 3, 2006--Fifteen American students have begun a two-week research expedition in South Africa to study endangered brown hyenas and other critical conservation issues through a partnership between Nissan North America (NNA) and World Wildlife Fund (WWF). The expedition, supported by their South Africa counterparts, is part of the new Nissan-WWF Environmental Leadership Program, which aims to empower young leaders on U.S. college campuses to become effective advocates for the environment.

The partnership was officially announced in March 2006, when funding of $1 million was made available by NNA to support WWF conservation projects and give outstanding student leaders the opportunity to examine global environmental issues through the leadership program.

The student winners, selected from colleges and universities in five states, each received a $5,000 cash award, an opportunity to participate in a four-day environmental summit in Washington, D.C. and an all-expenses-paid research expedition to South Africa organized by Earthwatch Institute.

The trip to South Africa's Pilanesberg National Park and private game reserves in the North West province, August 2-14, allows the students to work with conservation scientists, who are assessing the conservation value of areas with different levels of protection for a range of carnivores, with special emphasis on brown hyenas.

Like other carnivores, brown hyenas are suffering from shrinking habitats and conflict with humans. Protected areas are increasingly surrounded by other land uses, such as farmland and game ranches, where hyenas are poisoned, trapped or hunted as pests. With fewer than 1,700 remaining in South Africa, the brown hyena is in danger of becoming extinct. It should be noted that the density of brown hyenas in the Pilanesberg National Park is seven and a half times higher than in other areas.

Nissan South Africa's (Nissan SA) General Manager of Corporate Affairs and Communications, Pat Senne, says the company is thrilled to be part of the Environmental Leadership Program. "It is a wonderful opportunity for the students to sample African wildlife 'up close and personal', and to be involved in the conservation efforts around carnivore species that are under threat on our continent. We trust that the students will return home with a wealth of experience, which they can put to good use in their role as environmental ambassadors," said Senne.

"These students are some of America's best and brightest, and the expedition gives them a first-hand look at real, muddy boots conservation work," said Shaun Martin, director of conservation leadership programs at WWF. "By exposing them to both the political side of conservation, through the Washington, D.C. experience, and the hands-on side through work in the field, we're preparing them for leadership positions in the future."

Prior to the Pilanesberg expedition, Nissan SA will invite the student delegation to take part in a tour of some of Johannesburg's famous landmarks.

For more information on the Nissan-WWF Environmental Leadership Award winners and the program, visit www.worldwildlife.org/nissanleaders.

(1) Please see below for a listing of students selected to participate
    in the 2006 Nissan-WWF Environmental Leadership Program. 

About Nissan North America, Inc.

In North America, Nissan's operations include automotive styling, engineering, consumer and corporate financing, sales and marketing, distribution and manufacturing. Nissan directly employs more than 24,000 people in the United States, Canada and Mexico and generates an additional 70,000 jobs at about 1,200 Nissan and Infiniti dealerships in the United States.

Nissan's global approach to environmental protection focuses on the symbiosis of people, vehicles and nature by managing CO2 emissions; protecting the air, water and soil; and recycling of resources. Nissan places a high priority on effective environmental management, and that discipline is evident among Nissan's research, design, engineering, manufacturing and distribution operations around the world.

More information on Nissan in North America and the complete line of Nissan and Infiniti vehicles can be found online at www.NissanUSA.com and www.infiniti.com.

About World Wildlife Fund

World Wildlife Fund is the largest conservation organization in the world. For 45 years, WWF has worked to save endangered species, protect endangered habitats, and address global threats such as deforestation, overfishing, and climate change. Known worldwide by its panda logo, WWF works in 100 countries on more than 2,000 conservation programs. WWF has 1.2 million members in the United States and nearly 5 million supporters worldwide. For more information on WWF, visit www.worldwildlife.org.

(1) Rachel Barge, University of California, Berkeley; Nicole Bonoff
    and Christine George, Stanford University; Leslie Chinery and
    Ashley Yeager, University of Tennessee, Knoxville; Armando
    Gutierrez, Prairie View A&M University; Carmella Jefferson, Texas
    Southern University; Shakevia Johnson, Jackson State University;
    Gregory LeFevre and Sunny Pereira, Michigan Technological
    University; James Liacos, University of Southern California; Lisa
    Zhao Liu and Brenda Pulido Villanueva, University of California,
    Los Angeles; Jennifer Magill, Vanderbilt University; Richard
    Taplin Moore, Southern Methodist University; Michael Murray,
    Michigan State University; Priyanka Pathak, University of
    Michigan, Ann Arbor; and Jamiel Wiggins of Tougaloo College.