1 in 4 people depend directly on forests for their livelihoods.
As many as 120 prescription drugs worldwide derive directly from plants found in forests.
Deforestation accounts for 11 percent of human-caused greenhouse gas emissions.
The world has lost nearly half its forests for agriculture, development or resource extraction. Yet the value of the benefits that standing forests provide is immense: Tropical forests alone account for at least 30 percent of the global mitigation action needed to halt climate change. Yet this value remains largely invisible.
Conservation International strives to protect tropical forests around the world, working directly with the communities who live in, and depend on, these forests. Through science, policy and partnerships, we work to show that forests are worth more standing than cut down.
Conservation International uses a science-based approach to prioritize the most important forests and the benefits they provide; to quantify the value of those benefits for decision-makers; to protect them sustainably for the long term; and to monitor their ongoing protection and health.
Conservation International teams with local partners, communities and experts to identify and map the world’s “natural capital” — the ecosystems that provide the most benefits to humanity. The world’s forests are key stores of this natural capital, as they regulate climate, harbor biodiversity and regulate water flows.
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Knowing the economic value of the benefits that forests provide can make forests’ contribution to livelihoods and economies visible, enabling smarter decisions. Conservation International has developed innovative ways to quantify the value of forests so that countries and companies can measure their impact — and reliance — on forests.
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Conservation International employs an array of tools and approaches to create long-term protections for forest ecosystems and the benefits they provide, including livelihoods and community well-being.
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Around the world, Conservation International monitors forests to both ensure their health and to ensure the long-term success of our work. Monitoring serves as an early-warning system for destructive trends and helps us target conservation efforts.
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The pandemic cratered ecotourism in Africa last year, depriving local communities of life-sustaining revenues. However, the people of Chyulu Hills in southeast Kenya were able to tell a different story — and make a number of investments toward their futures. Here's how.
Across Peru, the COVID-19 pandemic has left millions without jobs. But in the Alto Mayo Protected Forest, where the Amazon meets the Andes, coffee farmers were spared much of the economic devastation that gripped Peru’s cities and towns.
With support from Conservation International, the municipality of Guanay in Bolivia established a law to protect one-third of its land.
If deforestation continues to accelerate, the Amazon could be at risk of becoming ground zero for the world’s next pandemic, according to a study published today.
In partnership with Conservation International and NASA, the government of Liberia recently mapped the country’s diverse ecosystems — from lush forests to coastal mangroves — and analyzed how they have changed over time.
A new study found that more countries undermined rather than supported nature in decisions made after the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, such as their national pandemic recovery policies.
Stay up to date on our work protecting the most critical forest around the globe.
