| Dear Friends,
We are a conservation organization. But as you turn the pages of our 2021 Impact Report, you’ll find not untouched natural landscapes, but people — the faces of the people we work with every day.
“Conservation,” in the sense of putting up a fence around a pristine area, is a 20th-century idea. That approach may still be appropriate in a few special cases, but it’s not scalable. Often it is not ethical, either. Traditional and indigenous communities have long been part of these landscapes. Eighty percent of the world’s remaining biodiversity is found on their lands. In the 21st century, I predict that we will find ourselves looking anew at ancient traditions of caring for the land, re-imagined for a modern, globalized economy.
In this year’s Impact Report, you’ll find stories about this kind of conservation ethic in action, from building a new Amazon “bioeconomy, to re-thinking infrastructure investments to work with nature, rather than against it. We highlight the hard work of our staff and partners, results of our programs, and important developments from the places where we work.
As I write to you from Washington D.C., I can feel momentum gathering. We are poised at the beginning of a very busy, very critical time. As we continue to address new goals and challenges, we ask you to join us in in this vital work with a tax-deductible gift of $500, $250, $100, or whatever you are able. |
