Conservation International works work to ensure a healthy and productive planet for us all — because people need nature to thrive. Building upon a strong foundation of science, partnership and field demonstration, CI empowers societies to responsibly and sustainably care for nature, our global biodiversity, for the well-being of humanity. Human beings depend on nature for more than we can imagine. Yet these days, we're taking more from nature than it can replace -- and that means the clean air, fresh water, and food we depend on are in trouble. At Conservation International (CI), we work with governments, industries, and community leaders to find a better balance... because people need nature to thrive.
Nature Is Speaking — and The Rainforest is a bit of a wiseacre. “They do breathe air and I make air," it says. “Have they thought about that? Humans … so smart. They’ll figure it out. Humans, making air? That’ll be fun to watch.” Well, it has a point.
Happy World Food Day! If you are unfamiliar, its an international observance dedicated to raising awareness about the challenges and opportunities of working to feed a people. With our global population growing fast, it will be one of the great challenges of this century. Domesticated plants and animals (or products derived from them) probably make up the majority of your diet, but everything you eat originates with wild species. That is a worrying fact, considering that human activities have elevated the extinction rate to 1,000 times its natural level. Here are just seven examples of wild species that help put food on our plates.
In case you have not been listening, Nature Is Speaking and The Ocean, in particular, is kind of angry. Why? Everyone on Earth needs a healthy ocean. Even if you live thousands of miles from a coast, the ocean affects you every day. You can thank the ocean for every other breath you take, for food, medicine and protection against storms. But humans aren’t showing our thanks. Instead, we’re taking more than we need, and now overfishing, pollution and warming waters threaten the ocean’s health. Here are five things everybody should remember about the ocean.
When it comes to prosperity, profit and peace, people are better off when we listen to nature, because nature does not need people – people need nature. We need it for food, water and air. We even look to nature for inspiration. As the world’s population grows from 7 billion to over 9 billion by 2050, global demand for food, water and energy will double, further testing nature’s ability to provide for people. The unprecedented drawdown of natural resources poses enormous challenges—not only for the United States, but across the globe. Here are a few reasons why we need to change how we think about Mother Nature.
Shawn Heinrichs is your average run-of-the-mill ocean conservationist rock-star. He is an Emmy Award winning cinematographer, photographer and marine conservationist. He has been working with communities across Indonesia, the world’s largest shark fishery, to document and educate about the importance and need people have for sharks. His most recent film ‘Guardians of Raja Ampat’, done in conjunction with Conservation International, will be released late this year to communities across Raja Ampat.
Sharks fascinate people. That is why they get their own week every summer. But most people don’t realize that people kill 100 million sharks a year. They also don’t recognize that sharks are worth more alive than dead, but that is changing — and here’s why.
This Shark Week we will see plenty of the “big three”: the great white, tiger and bull sharks. As important as these are, they are just three members of the shark group, which includes over 400 species — and some of the most amazing sharks in our ocean don’t get as much notice. Tuesday at 9 p.m., “Alien Sharks: Return to the Abyss,” the sequel to “Alien Sharks of the Deep” will shed some light on the mysterious life of these lesser known sharks. This year, the show will Paul Clerkin as he investigates the ocean’s depths to better understand these mysterious fish. Here are just a few things you should know about these hidden stars of Shark Week.
Sharks have always struck a chord in the human psyche. In the 1975 movie “Jaws,” Steven Spielberg managed to capture the world’s imagination with his fictional monster shark and jumpstart both a collective fear and fascination with these boneless fish. Often, though, fear wins out over fascination — even if you are more likely to be killed by your toaster than a shark. If sharks were to disappear, it would be bad news for us because believe it or not sharks do a lot of things for you. Yes, YOU!
Did You know June 9th is Coral Triangle Day? We bet you didn’t. Its a day to celebrate and connect with the underwater Amazon of the world, a spectacularly diverse marine environment in the Asia-Pacific that covers an area half the size of the United States, passing through Philippines, Indonesia, Malaysia, Papua New Guinea, the Solomon Islands and Timor-Leste. This biological powerhouse touches the people of the Coral Triangle and people all around the globe!
Raja Ampat is an archipelago in Indonesia off the west coast of the Bird’s Head Peninsula on the island of New Guinea. It is an area of unparalleled ocean life. And it’s also an example of how successful conservation depends on community involvement and action. Filmmakers and conservationists Shawn Heinrichs and John Weller traveled to Raja Ampat to produce, in conjunction with CI, the film “Guardians of Raja Ampat” and record the stories of communities reclaiming and protecting their marine treasures. They aim to use these stories to drive more conservation. But what has made these distant islands a good model for ocean conservation?