By: Priya Migneault Conservation International just released their impact report for 2019 and it covers all of their top conservation efforts worldwide. The report brings home the concept that conservation in todays day and age in an absolute necessity and it also shows how far we have come in the past few years. This 20 page report was sent to donors of the organization to show them the impact their dollars is making around the globe. The first few pages drive home the significant importance that Costal Mangrove Forests have to their ecosystems and to marine life as a whole. Mangroves are crucial to our planet because they can store up to 10 times more carbon than trees in terrestrial forests. They are one of the top plants for carbon sequestration and combating climate change to date. However, since the 1940's humans have destroyed over half of the mangrove forests world wide. When mangroves are chopped down, typically for firewood or to expand fish farming, the carbon they have been storing for centuries enters our atmosphere. This year Conservation International has directly prevent the clearing of 9,600 hectares of mangrove trees and are actively restoring 1,800 hectares. They are working with the Colombian government to replicate this process of restoration at 10 different significant sites for the mangrove population. For the first time in history the seven Amazonian countries were called together by Colombian President Iván Duque to work together to protect the Amazon river basin. This was during the recent fires in the world's largest tropical rainforest. All seven countries, Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, Guyana, Peru, and Suriname, came together in an agreement to collaborate on reforestation initiatives, developing educational tools for communities and schools, and to increase the role indigenous communities play in sustainable development. Moving farther into the report Conservation International covers the topic of ocean health and the major strides they are making in ocean conservation across the globe.
Conservation International believes that in order for ecosystems to thrive the surrounding communities have to be on board, which is why they spent time this past spring in Western Africa educating the public about ocean sustainability and policies. They also are working to end human rights abuses in the fishing industry by recruiting major seafood businesses and non-profits to increase transparency about their sourcing. Two projects Conservation International has been working on in the past year have been about showing the world that conservation and economic growth are inseparable. One example of this has been shown from their work in West Papua, where the province has declared it's self a Conservation Province. This is the first Conservation Province in the world. They are putting sustainable development and environmental protection at the forefront of their province's economic growth. Conservation International did many other amazing things over the course of 2019 and to learn about them all please visit their website here. Conservation International has been on the front lines of environmental protection and conservation since starting in 1987. Their mission is "Building upon a strong foundation of science, partnership and field demonstration, Conservation International empowers societies to responsibly and sustainably care for nature, our global biodiversity, (and) for the well-being of humanity."
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