Conservation International

Conservation International (CI ) is a non-profit organization based in Washington, DC Your goal is to maintain global biodiversity of plants, animals and landscapes. Here Conservation International puts a special focus on the " biodiversity hotspots ", ie areas with special biodiversity on land and in the sea world.

CI in 1987, inter alia, founded by Spencer Beebe and now employs a staff of around 900 employees. CI works in 45 countries, with a focus on developing countries in Africa, Asia, Oceania and Central and South America. Russell Mitter Meier, founder of the biodiversity hotspots concept is now president of CI.

The organization was also known for her collaborations with local NGOs and indigenous peoples in protected areas.

Projects

Through the work of CI new habitats have been discovered and described scientifically in the past. In December 2005, CI scientists of the Rapid Assessment Program ( RAP) discovered a hitherto blank area in the Foja Mountains in Papua, Indonesia. There they found 20 previously undescribed frog species, four undiscovered species of butterflies, five undescribed species of palm trees and new sub-species of honeyeater ( Meliphagidae ). The researchers also found the Golden-mantled tree kangaroo, a hitherto sighted in Indonesia kind that was hunted in other parts of the world to the point of extinction. The area is so isolated that it remained largely free of human influence. The results of this work of Conservation International have been published both in scientific publications and in popular U.S. media ( Nightline, The NBC Nightly News, and New York Times) in February 2006.