Conservation International (CI) is a nonprofit organization headquarted in Washington, D.C., that seeks to protect Earth's biodiversity "hotspots," high-biodiversity wilderness areas as well as important marine regions around the globe. The group is also known for its partnerships with local non-governmental organizations and indigenous peoples.

CI was founded in 1987 and now has a staff or more than 900 employees. Its work occurs in more than 40 countries, primarily developing nations in Africa, the Pacific Rim and the Central and South American rainforests.

Mission statement

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Conservation International's mission is to conserve the Earth's living natural heritage, our global biodiversity, and to demonstrate that human societies are able to live harmoniously with nature.

Administration

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Renowned primatologist, herpetologist and wildlife conservationist Russell A. Mittermeier has served as Conservation International's president since 1989. Peter A. Seligmann is chairman and CEO. Former NOAA chief scientist and National Geographic Explorer-in-Residence Sylvia Earle heads up the marine program.

Its board of directors includes prominent names such as Intel co-founder Gordon Moore, actor Harrison Ford, Queen Noor of Jordan, former Starbucks CEO Orin Smith, Rob Walton of Wal-Mart, and media mogul Barry Diller.

In addition, the non-profit hosts a series of events around the country throughout the year with high-profile keynote speakers such as Dr. Jared Diamond, E.O. Wilson, Dr. Jeffrey Sachs, Thomas L. Friedman, Bill Bryson, Wade Davis, and even Jimmy Buffett.

Projects and achievements

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In December 2005, as part of the organisation's Rapid Assessment Program (RAP), scientists from Conservation International surveyed a previously unexplored area of the Foja Mountains in Papua, Indonesia. They found 20 previously unknown frog species, four new butterflies, five new palms and a new species of honeyeater bird. The researchers also found the golden-mantled tree kangaroo -- a species not previously known to live in Indonesia, and hunted nearly to extinction elsewhere -- and took the first photographs of Berlepsch's six-wired bird of paradise. The area was so isolated that many of the animals they found had no fear of humans. Conservation International's findings were widely reported throughout the world in February 2006 including Nightline, The NBC Nightly News, and the New York Times.

Defying Nature's End: The African Context

During June 20-24, 2006, Conservation International organized a major symposium in Madagascar, one of the planet's most important biodiversity hotspots. The symposium, titled "Defying Nature's End: The African Context", aimed to help African nations prosper by protecting their natural habitats and brought together more than 450 international representatives from governments, the private sector, non-governmental organizations, and local African communities.

The symposium also presented the latest research on links between the environment, poverty and health, and new strategies on resource management and governance to realize the greatest benefits from nature.

This symposium produced a final document called the “Madagascar Declaration,” which CI’s Olivier Langrand read at the ceremony. Subsequent speakers including Jeffrey Sachs, head of the U.N. Millennium Project, CI President Russ Mittermeier and Prime Minister Jacques Sylla all heralded the declaration as a catalyst for making biodiversity conservation a pillar of development policies.

External links

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• Official site
• Global Symposium 2006 Madagascar

Conservation | Scientific societies | Educational organizations