5,555 Pageviews Read Stories
Causes: Animals, Environment, Environmental Education, Forest Conservation, International Environment, Population & Sustainability, Wildlife Preservation & Protection
Mission: We at Ceiba envision a world where people and biodiversity thrive because of each other; a world where the value of nature is recognized, and its conservation is understood as being inextricably connected to human wellbeing. Our mission is to connect tropical nature and sustainable livelihoods through habitat conservation and environmental education. Tropical habitats contain 50% of the world's biodiversity, yet are threatened by accelerating rates of deforestation. Most of the remaining unprotected lands are privately held, and new means are needed to conserve these forests. Ceiba works to protect habitat and the biodiversity found there through by implementing legal conservation agreements with landowners, providing public education about the value of wild nature, conducting research on the relationship between humans and the land, and encouraging sustainable economic activities that improve livelihoods while safeguarding biodiversity.
Target demographics: We work with local communities to protect forests and foster sustainable livelihoods.
Geographic areas served: Ecuador, South America and other tropical regions
Programs: Establishing private reserves: such as the El Pahuma Orchid Reserve and the Lalo Loor Dry Forest reserve, owned and operated by local people. Conservation and Sustainable Use Areas: land use and conservation planning with landowners, ancestral communities, and local governments in coastal Ecuador. Incentives for Forest Protection: application of conservation easements, tax exoneration, and other approaches to help private landowners protect habitat on their land Study Abroad Programs: Training the next generation of conservation leaders through programs including the Tropical Conservation Semester: Galapagos, Andes and Amazon, Coral Reef Ecology in Belize, Water for Life: Sustainability and Community Health, and Conservation Internships.