Posts Tagged ‘Communities’
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CI Vice President Receives Conservation Award
Last week in New York City, Carlos Manuel Rodriguez, CI’s Vice President for Conservation Policy, received an award for his outstanding effort in the fight to conserve jaguar (Panthera onca) populations in Central America. The former Minister of the Environment and Energy in his home country of Costa Rica, Rodriguez has been instrumental to regional conservation efforts for many years. He has helped pioneer the concept of payment for ecosystem services, a system that CI is now implementing with local communities in ecosystems around the globe. The Rabinowitz-Kaplan prize was presented to Rodriguez by the Panthera Foundation, a nonprofit dedicated ... -
Global Security and the Climate
Whether they are facing stronger storms, agricultural declines or vanishing coastlines, communities and ecosystems across the globe are already dealing with the impacts of climate change. For years, CI has been sounding the alarm on the issue, emphasizing the need for immediate action in order to reduce the effects of climate change and empower communities to adapt to the changes that will occur. Now U.S. leaders agree on the direness of the situation. Military and intelligence analysts have acknowledged that climate change will pose an increasing threat to U.S. security as effects such as drought, flooding and food shortages cause ... -
Expansion of Protected Area Ensures Long-Term Water Security for at least 800,000 people
We are pleased to announce the expansion of the Três Picos State Park (Three Peaks State Park), located at the Serra do Mar Biodiversity Corridor, in the state of Rio de Janeiro, in southeastern Brazil. The park, which protects headwaters of important river basins that are the major freshwater sources for the densely populated state, was expanded from 46,350 hectares (114,533 acres) to 58,790 hectares (145,273 acres), an increase of 21 percent. To put the region’s fresh water importance into perspective, a single portion of the park’s headwaters was estimated to provide water for more than 800,000 people. With support ... -
Fresh Water and Cultural Stability
As CI prepares for World Water Week later this month, the human connection to fresh water is evident everywhere I look. Although we may take it for granted in developed countries, access to fresh water underlies all of our other concerns; without it, we would cease to exist. Yet despite this reliance, climate change and other man-made forces continue to threaten water security around the world. No one is immune to the issues facing freshwater ecosystems. However, it is becoming clear that small indigenous communities in isolated areas are among the first to feel the impacts of these threats. Members ... -
SCB 2009 Conference: Wrap up
The 23rd annual meeting of the Society for Conservation Biology, the premier professional conservation science association, was widely agreed to be a remarkable success. The first-ever SCB meeting held in Asia survived both the global recession and fears about swine flu threatened – although rumors of quarantine for suspicion of H1N1 were rampant, the absence of a number of lead authors and presenters was likely due to the pressures of recession on non-profits and academic institutions rather than health detainments. Conservation International (CI)’s delegation included roughly twenty staff who presented work on a range of topics, examining conservation ... -
Mt. Mantalingahan Protected Landscape has been officially proclaimed by the President of the Philippines
I’m excited to announce that Philippine President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo has extended the area of Palawan under formal protection and conservation by 30 percent with the recent signing of Proclamation 1815 last June 23, which officially created the 120,000-hectare (nearly 300,000 acre) Mt. Mantalingahan Protected Landscape (MMPL). Mt. Mantalingahan is home to indigenous Palaw’ans and is the highest peak along the central spine of mountains in southern Palawan. This largely forested mountain range is critical for providing various benefits to local communities with an estimated Total Economic Value (TEV) of $5.5 billion. These ecosystems services include water, soil conservation, flood ... -
SCB 2009 Conference: Day 2
A symposium on crane conservation in Eastern Asia, moderated by the International Crane Foundation, explored the ways in which successful community engagement has been critical to the success of crane conservation efforts in the region. Through efforts such as micro-lending programs, educational efforts in schools and community enterprise programs, crane conservation efforts in the region have galvanized communities around conservation of these beautiful birds – efforts that serve as a gateway to build stronger alliances in communities and broaden conservation efforts. On a less positive note, the freshwater conservation section featured a presentation detailing the decline of the Yangtze River Dolphin, or ... -
Day 20
Over the past month, CI scientists and experts in the field have shared 20 opportunities we are working around the clock to unleash. At Conservation International, we’re doing everything we can to assure that people have the necessities they need to thrive so that they can and want to protect the Earth and its resources. By linking protection of the Earth to positive human health outcomes, we have made conservation attractive to the people and governments around the world. In case you missed it, here are a few critical opportunities we featured in June: Saving lives by protecting fresh water in Madagascar Reviving the ... -
The Micronesia Challenge
Millions living on Pacific islands are in a race against time. Diminishing fisheries, struggling economies and a changing climate are having serious consequences for residents of low-lying islands. Their food, their livelihoods, and even their entire countries are in danger of disappearing. In response, a group of island nations including Micronesia, the Marshall Islands, Palau, Guam, and the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands signed a groundbreaking pact called the Micronesia Challenge. By signing, each country pledged to protect coastal areas totaling 200,000 hectares – an area twice the size of Portugal. The agreement helps protect people from the effects ... -
A New Day for Turtles
Religious festivals for the Ayau tribe in Papua, Indonesia used to center on one important delicacy – the green sea turtle. Today, thanks to a unique partnership between CI and community leaders, locals have turned to a sustainable alternative that has successfully reduced the killing of this endangered turtle. It all started when villagers began to notice that there were fewer turtles in nearby waters. A village headman began working with CI to find a worthy substitute for turtle hunting and found a solution – sustainable pig breeding. IN DEPTH: Learn more about sea turtles CI sent community leaders to nearby Bali ...
