Do Environmental Films Help the Environment? Here Are Some That Have - by Karen Hirsch http://www.mediarights.org/news/article.php?art_id=00014 There may be no environmental network on U.S. television, but there is a network of environmentalists making extraordinary television, video, and film. This kind of media isn't trying to sell you anything other than a voice in the debate about the future of the planet.... Today, with the accessibility and low cost of camcorders, anyone anywhere can be a camcorder vigilante for the environment. All one needs is information, patience, chutzpah, and a commitment to getting the word out by every means necessary for as long as it takes. The same dedication to the mighty strength of the visual that Greenpeace used to save the whales is now being used by concerned citizens to shut down local polluters in towns across America. But the impact of environmental films and videos is manifest not only when a plant closes or a fisherman brings in his net. Environmental films and videos have a more subtle and no less powerful effect when they inspire people to join the fight. Contact Information: Karen Hirsch Email: firefly@speakeasy.net How Will Climate Change Impact the World's Forests? - by Roger Sedjo and Brent Sohngen http://www.weathervane.rff.org/features/feature037.html Experts generally agree that increased concentrations of greenhouse gases (GHGs) in the atmosphere will result in changes in the earth's climate. However, there is much less agreement about how such climate change could affect the earth's forests. The question of climate change's impact is important because forests are an important global source of both valuable market goods, especially timber, and environmental benefits, such as species habitat, biodiversity, and soil and climate stabilization. Contact Information: Roger Sedjo, Senior Fellow Resources for the Future Washington, DC USA Telephone: 202.328.5065   Fax: 202.939.3460 Email: sedjo@rff.org Land and Eco-Assets for Sale - by Katherine Ellison http://www.changemakers.net/library/temp/washpost012502.cfm This Washington Post article reports on what may be an unprecedented effort to showcase a new approach to conservation. In early 2002 Allegheny Energy Inc. is planning to sell roughly 12,000 acres of Canaan Valley land to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. What makes the plan remarkable is how the power company calculated the property's value for tax purposes. By including the worth of the land's ecosystems, it came up with a figure that more than doubled traditional estimates. "This really is the future," said Rick Herd, the Allegheny water resources manager who worked on the project for nearly five years. "There is no doubt in my mind that we're heading toward a market-based system for conservation." Poverty Reduction and Biodiviersity Conservation - by John W. Mellor http://www.panda.org/downloads/policy/mellor.pdf Agriculture practices in countries around the world have multiple and enduring impacts on the environment and on biodiversity conservation. Agriculture is one of the most widely-spread productive activities, using nearly 40% of the earth's land surface, providing sustenance for us all and generating direct employment or livelihoods for the vast majority of rural dwellers worldwide. As a result, agriculture occupies a central place in the quest for economic betterment for a large proportion of the people who are poor and live in rural areas. As stated in WWF's Global Agriculture Network Initiative, expanding the agricultural frontier in countries around the globe is largely responsible for the destruction of nearly 17 million hectares of forests each year. That land use conversion process has consequently become a leading driver in loss of topsoil and sedimentation of freshwater and marine systems. Moreover, excessive use of chemicals in input-intensive production systems has caused pollution of freshwater reserves with attendant consequences for the world's ecology and human health. In this paper, John Mellor looks at this dilemma — at the need for supporting agricultural productivity growth, on the one hand, and the challenges and opportunities for biodiversity conservation on the other. His analysis examines the complex interplay in countries with different levels of national income and different potentials for intensifying agricultural production. Notable Feature(s): World Wildlife Fund offices around the world. Contact Information: WWF - USA 1250 24th St. N.W. Washington, DC   20037-1175 USA Telephone: 202.293.4800   Fax: 202.293.9211 Email: questions@wwfint.org UN Embarks on International Year of Freshwater 2003 http://ens-news.com/ens/dec2002/2002-12-12-01.asp http://www.unesco.org/water/iyfw2/ NEW YORK, New York, December 12, 2002 (ENS) – Today, four out of every 10 people worldwide live in areas experiencing water scarcity. By 2025, as much as two thirds of the world's population – an estimated 5.5 billion people - may be living in countries that face a water shortage. To address this crucial issue, the United Nations General Assembly has declared 2003 the International Year of Freshwater. The International Year of Freshwater provides an opportunity to accelerate the implementation of the principles of integrated water resources management. The Year will be used as a platform for promoting existing activities and spearheading new initiatives in water resources at the international, regional and national levels. The publication by the United Nations system of the World Water Development Report will be a major focus of the Year's public information activities. Its first edition will be launched at the Third World Water Forum in Kyoto, Japan in March 2003. Notable Feature(s): Contact information; world water facts and figures; official UN press release; media contacts. Contact Information: Email: wateryear2003@unesco.org wateryear2003@un.org Within and surrounding the Morro do Diabo State Park: biological value, conflicts, mitigation and sustainable development alternatives - by Claudio Valladares-Padua, Suzana M. Padua, and Larry Cullen Jr. http://www.wildlifetrust.org/padual.pdf This report gives a comprehensive account of the successful strategies employed by the NGO Instituto de Pesquisas Ecologicas (Institute for Ecological Research - IPE) to save trees, land, endangered species, and livelihoods in the Brazilian Atlantic forest in Pontal in the state of Sao Paulo. Contact Information: Claudio Valladares-Padua Email: cpadua@unb.br An Introduction to the Public Trust Doctrine - by Paul M. Bray http://www.responsiblewildlifemanagement.org/an_introduction_to_public_trust_doctrine.htm http://www.responsiblewildlifemanagement.org/ The Public Trust Doctrine is an historical and currently evolving concept relating to the ownership, protection and use of essential natural and cultural resources. It is receiving increased attention in the United State because of the growing awareness of the duty of care owed the environment. The Public Trust Doctrine may prove useful as the nations of the world develop their own ecologically based real property law. The origins of the Public Trust Doctrine were the declaration of the Justinian Institute that there are three things common to all mankind: air, running water, and the sea (including the shores of the sea). Title to these essential resources or the common are held by the State, as sovereign, in trust for the people. The purpose of the trust is to preserve resources in a manner that makes them available to the public for certain public uses....The Public Trust Doctrine (PTD) became part of the English Common Law and the courts in the United States have applied the doctrine. Also, some State Constitutions incorporate the Doctrine like the Hawaiian Constitution which declares that, "All public natural resources are held in trust by the State for the benefit of the People." ....The common has been expanding in keeping with our changing ideas about the proper protection and management of natural and cultural resources fundamental to the welfare of society and future generations (intergenerational equity). Notable Feature(s): Links Library. Contact Information: Citizens for Responsible Wildlife Management P.O. Box 14245 Turnwater, WA   98511 USA Email: Chair@ResponsibleWildlifeManagement.org Commentary: More rights, less destruction? - by Jonathan Lash, president of World Resources Institute http://jlash.wri.org/letters.cfm?ContentID=883 In this article Lash presents the case that environmental and human rights abuses are often linked and asks whether ensuring individual rights will work as an effective antidote to environmental destruction. Will the environment gain from increasing individual access to information, opportunities to participate, and guaranteeing the right of judicial redress? ... The vindication of human rights deserves more attention than it ordinarily gets from environmentalists. Democratic participation and individual rights offer a great lever for change. They are a weapon against corruption and a catalyst to stir action by governments immobilized by complex global problems. Contact Information: Email: features@wri.org Fish Farming May Soon Overtake Cattle Ranching as a Food Source by Lester R. Brown http://www.earth-policy.org/Alerts/Alert9.htm This Earth Policy Alert reports on the increasing global potential of aquacultural resources for food supply. ...record aquacultural growth is signaling a basic shift in our diet. Over the last century, the world relied heavily on two natural systems-oceanic fisheries and rangelands-to satisfy a growing demand for animal protein, but that era is ending as both systems are reaching their productive limits. Between 1950 and 1990, beef production, four fifths of it from rangelands, nearly tripled, climbing from 19 million to 53 million tons before plateauing. Meanwhile, the oceanic fish catch grew from 19 million to 86 million tons, more than quadrupling, before leveling off. Since 1990, there has been little growth in either beef production or the oceanic fish catch. Contact Information: Reah Janise Kauffman Earth Policy Institute 1350 Connecticut Ave. NW Suite 403 Washington, DC   20036 USA Telephone: 202.496.9290   Fax: 202.496.9325 Email: epi@earth-policy.org Flocking Together Through the Web: Bird Watchers May Be a Harbinger of a True Global Consciousness - by Joel Garreau http://www.changemakers.net/library/temp/wpost050901.cfm The community of bird watchers is effecting social change that no one could have imagined. Garreau's May 2001 article in The Washington Post reports on the global phenomenon made possible through the power of Internet communication. "It drives a huge growth in citizen engagement. We're definitely feeling the power. It's the greatest thing. All of this is being done by school kids, families, retired folks....If you look at the conservation of birds, you're really looking at the stewardship of the landscape, using birds as indicators," says Gill. "We're starting to manage the landscape in real time. What the Web does is transform this into a global community on a local scale. That ranges from rain forests in Guyana to urban America and everything in between." Genetically Modified Outcome: Drifting Pollen May Settle Debate Over Transgenic Food - by Karen Charman http://www.tompaine.com/feature.cfm/ID/6157/view/print According to this August 2002 article at TomPaine.com, biotech supporters claim that genetically modified food is no different than food derived from conventional breeding techniques and that the technology of genetic engineering simply enables scientists to improve crops more quickly and with greater precision. Credible scientists question both claims. Biotechnologists have no control over where the genes they are inserting end up in the modified species' genome, leading one geneticist to dub the technology "genetic randomeering." The location is important, because where the gene ends up -- actually it's a package of several genes, because several different genes are needed to make the technology work -- will determine whether toxic byproducts or allergens are created, or whether the nutritional value of the modified food is altered. Now GM plants that produce pharmaceutical and industrial compounds are spicing up the mix. According to the USDA's Animal Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS), the government agency with chief responsibility for regulating field trials of bioengineered crops, 30 sites totaling some 100 acres are now testing such crops in the open environment. But it is impossible to find out where or what is being tested, because the identity of the compounds is considered "confidential business information." Todd Leake, a conventional wheat farmer from the Red River Valley in North Dakota who opposes GM crops, says corn and soybeans that produce veterinary vaccines or contain antibiotics have already been field tested. If they proceed to commercial production, he believes contamination will be impossible to prevent. "So your kids will be eating, say, gastroenteritis vaccine with their cornflakes and cattle antibiotics in their bread," he said. Leake might have added that also applies to the rest of us. Contact Information: John Moyers, Editor and Publisher, TomPaine.com The Florence Fund P.O. Box 53303 Washington, DC   20009 USA Email: editor@tompaine.com Global Change - Electronic Edition http://www.globalchange.org/gcintro.htm http://www.globalchange.org/current.htm Global Change seeks to familiarize the public with the issues associated with climate change and ozone depletion. Since July 1996, the magazine has been published by the Pacific Institute for Studies in Development, Environment, and Security (Oakland, California). The publication originally was launched in July 1995 by the University of Maryland's Center for Global Change. Notable Feature(s): Latest postings, news, alerts, and reports; Global Change Digest archives; e-mailing list for news. Contact Information: Global Change Center for Environmental Information 55 St. Paul Street Rochester, NY   14604 USA Telephone: 716.262.2870   Fax: 716.262.4156 Email: editor@globalchange.org Green Power Purchases Growing by Leaps and Bounds - by Bernie Fischlowitz-Roberts http://www.earth-policy.org/Updates/Update9.htm http://www.earth-policy.org This April 2002 update from the Earth Policy Institute details examples from around the world of cities, businesses, universities, and individuals who are buying "green power" from renewable sources like solar and wind energy to meet their energy needs. Contact Information: Email: bernie@earth-policy.org Grist Magazine http://www.gristmagazine.com/grist/ http://www.gristmagazine.com/grist/about/about.stm Grist Magazine, a project of Earth Day Network, tackles environmental topics with energy and fresh perspective. The online magazine's goal is to inform, entertain, provoke, and encourage creative thinking about environmental problems and solutions. It publishes new content each weekday -- in-depth reporting, cartoons, summaries of breaking news stories, diary entries from activists, book reviews, green investment advice, and lots more. The publication is based in Seattle, and its contributors are scattered around the world. Notable Feature(s): Writers' Guidelines. Contact Information: Publisher and Editor, Grist Magazine 811 First Avenue, Suite 454 Seattle, WA   98104 USA Telephone: 206.876.2000   Fax: 206.876.2016 Email: grist@gristmagazine.com letters@gristmagazine.com Human rights and environmental protection: who should build the bridge? by Jonathan Easton http://www.iue.it/WGES/Iss13/art2.html#Jon The second half of the twentieth century has witnessed two major changes in legal theory and legal practice. First, human rights and later, the environment were institutionalised as fundamental social values. Nevertheless, for decades the environmental and the human rights movements have run on separate tracks. Environmentalists focused on protecting land, air and water; human rights advocates concentrated on securing rights for people. Today a bridge connecting the two is nearing completion. As with any large engineering project, there will be teething troubles and improvements and modifications will have to be made, but what has been accepted is that there is an inevitable convergence between human rights and the protection of the environment. It is contended that there is an inevitable convergence between human rights and the protection of the environment. Humans do not live in a hermetically sealed society separated from nature, and so the deterioration of the environment will necessarily have an impact on them and their rights. Contact Information: Jonathan Easton, EUI Researcher in Law Email: easton@datacomm.iue.it Preserving Rwanda's Medicinal Plants: a profile of Léopold Ntezurubanza - by Geneviève-L. Picard http://www.idrc.ca/reports/read_article_english.cfm?article_num=1063 In 1974 Léopold Ntezurubanza first became interested in the astonishing properties of medicinal plants. In short order he turned his passion for medicinal plants, nature, and traditional therapies into a career that would address problems linked to conservation and biodiversity. He believes that Rwanda's industrialization "must necessarily be based on a rational use of primary sector resources. In this connection, the valorization of plant products, and in particular of medicinal and aromatic plants, constitutes a very promising avenue in the agro-industrial sector. He advocates for a rational and sustainable use of such plants to maintain the ecological balance of both habitats and species. Contact Information: Léopold Ntezurubanza LASEVE 555 University Boulevard, Chicoutimi Québec Canada G7H 2B1 Telephone: 418.545.5011   Fax: 418.545.5012 Email: lebanza@hotmail.com Audubon http://www.audubon.org/ Audubon is dedicated to protecting birds and other wildlife and the habitat that supports them. Our national network of community-based Audubon nature centers and chapters, environmental education programs, and advocacy on behalf of areas sustaining important bird populations engage millions of people of all ages and backgrounds in positive conservation experiences. Founded in 1905, the National Audubon Society is named for John James Audubon (1785-1851), famed ornithologist, explorer, and wildlife artist. Notable Feature(s): News, information, action opportunities; updates and contact details for vast Audubon network. Contact Information: Audubon 700 Broadway New York, NY   10003 USA Telephone: 212 979 3000   Fax: 212 979 3188 ( Email: webmaster@audubon.org Biodiversity and Environment: Root Causes of Biodiversity Loss - Edited by Johanna Mang, Alexander Wood and Pamela Stedman-Edwards http://www.earthscan.co.uk/asp/bookdetails.asp?key=3094 The world is losing species and biodiversity at an unprecedented rate. The causes go deep and the losses are driven by a complex array of social, economic, political and biological factors at different levels. Immediate causes such as over-harvesting, pollution and habitat change have been well studied. But the socioeconomic factors driving people to degrade their environment are less well understood. This book examines the underlying causes. It provides analyses of a range of case studies from Brazil, Cameroon, China, Danube River Basin, India, Mexico, Pakistan, Philippines, Tanzania and Vietnam, and integrates them into a new and interdisciplinary framework for understanding what is happening. From these results, the editors are able to derive policy conclusions and recommendations for operational and institutional approaches to address the ‘root causes' and reverse the current trends. Contact Information: Email: earthinfo@earthscan.co.uk Birdlife International http://www.birdlife.net/ BirdLife International is a global partnership of non-governmental conservation organisations with a focus on birds that works together on shared priorities, exchanging skills, achievements and information. BirdLife International is present in 103 countries and territories worldwide. The BirdLife International Partnership strives to conserve birds, their habitats and global biodiversity, working with people towards sustainability in the use of natural resources. Its aims are: To prevent extinction and maintain or improve the status of all bird species; To conserve and improve the quality of sites and habitats for birds; To conserve biodiversity by protecting birds and their habitats; To integrate bird conservation into sustaining people's livelihoods. Notable Feature(s): Descriptions of projects around the world. Contact Information: BirdLife International Wellbrook Court Girton Road Cambridge CB3 0NA UK Telephone: +44 1 223 277 318   Fax: +44 1 223 277200 Email: birdlife@birdlife.org.uk Both ENDS http://www.bothends.org/ http://bothends.geenpunt.nl/encycl/encycl.html Both ENDS supports the work of environmental organisations, primarily in the so-called South (developing countries) and the Central and Eastern European (CEE) countries. The core of its activities is in making connections, between South and North, environment and development, and between different sectors of society. Both ENDS particularly supports (1) environmental initiatives which - born locally - can have an impact globally; (2) viable alternatives capable of inspiring others, rooted in local peoples' knowledge and managed bottom-up; and (3) alternatives which can compete with - or even emulate - mainstream projects. Communicating about these initiatives - collected in the interactive Encyclopedia of Sustainability is central to Both ENDS' work. The Encyclopedia is a collaborative and ever-expanding online collection of innovative, people-oriented environmental initiatives and a meeting place to exchange experiences and viewpoints. Notable Feature(s): An online newsletter (also available in hardcopy)- the Encyclopedia of Sustainability NEWS includes on-going debates, reader opinions and state-of-the-art analyses of key sectors; Both ENDS produces funding guides, research and lobby documents, supports campaigns and helps build coalitions; its service desk offers information packs on environmental topics, helps fund-seeking organisations in locating donors, and assists in identifying the right expertise or partner; general and thematic links. Contact Information: Huub Kistermann, Editor Both ENDS Damrak 28 - 30 1012 LI Amsterdam The Netherlands Telephone: 31 20 623 08 23   Fax: 31 20 620 80 49 Email: webmaster@bothends.org, encyclopedia@bothends.org, info@bothends.org Catholic Conservation Center http://conservation.catholic.org The mission of this Web site is to inspire and inform people about ecology, environmental justice, and the stewardship of creation in light of scripture and Roman Catholic tradition. It features a collection of writings and documentation about ecology and environmental justice from a wide variety of Roman Catholic sources. Contact Information: Bill Jacobs Email: billjacobs@catholic.org Center for Environmental Leadership in Business http://www.celb.org/ The Center for Environmental Leadership in Business provides a new forum for collaboration between the private sector and the environmental community. The Center promotes business practices that reduce industry's ecological footprint, contribute to conservation, and create value for the companies that adopt them. The result is a net benefit for the global environment and for participating companies. In collaboration with industry leaders, other environmental organizations, and academia, the Center develops and demonstrates innovative, replicable business practices that focus on three critical issues: biodiversity, water, and climate change. Created in a partnership between Conservation International and the Ford Motor Company, the Center operates as a division of CI and is governed by a distinct executive board of leaders from the business and environmental communities. Contact Information: The Center for Environmental Leadership in Business Conservation International 1919 M Street, NW Suite 6000 Washington, DC   20036 USA Telephone: 202.912.1000   Fax: 202.912.1047 Email: info@celb.org Center for International Environmental Law (CIEL) http://www.ciel.org/ With offices in Washington, DC and in Geneva, Switzerland, CIEL recognizes the growing connection between threats to the global environment and basic human rights. It seeks to identify and develop connections between international environmental law and human rights law, to integrate the theoretical and advocacy approaches of the two movements, and to promote a more just, equitable and sustainable approach to natural resource management issues, CIEL started its Human Rights and Environment (HRE) Program in 1998. The link between human rights and environmental protection has become increasingly clear in recent years. Environmental damage is often worse in countries and in areas with human rights abuses. Where human rights are weak, civil society groups are not able to raise environmental concerns effectively. Rights of association, access to justice, access to information and freedom of expression, are critical for the success of a country's environmental and human rights movements. Human rights and environmental abuses take place at different levels. Activities of private corporations are increasingly contributing to human rights violations and environmental degradation. For instance, corporations often expel local peoples from their lands, fail to implement pollution control measures, suppress local activists who question the impacts of their activities, or produce and export chemicals banned in their own country that they know will cause serious health problems in the country of import. Human rights and environmental abuses are often perpetrated in the name of development, as past experience with projects of multilateral institutions like the World Bank has demonstrated. Poor and rural peoples in developing nations are further marginalized by projects such as large dams or gas pipelines that claim to reduce poverty, but instead displace local inhabitants and exploit their natural resource base. Although rural resource users comprise the majority of the citizens of the world, their leverage in the global economy is weak. Local communities, including indigenous peoples suffer human rights and environmental abuses when national and state laws do not recognize their rights, including their rights to their land and natural resources. As the linkage between environmental and human rights concerns becomes more apparent, it is increasingly difficult to differentiate between environmental injustices and human rights abuses. Notable Feature(s): CIEL programs, publications, links, and information about a full range of environmental, legal, research, human rights, policy, and advocacy services. Contact Information: Center for International Environmental Law 1367 Connecticut Avenue, NW Suite 300 Washington, DC   20036 USA Telephone: 202.785.8700   Fax: 202.785.8701 Email: info@ciel.org Centre for Science and Development http://www.cseindia.org/index.html The Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) is an independent, public interest organisation which aims to increase public awareness on science, technology, environment and development. The Centre was started in 1980. For more than two decades, CSE has been creating awareness about the environmental challenges facing India: searching for solutions that people and communities can implement themselves; challenging India to confront its problems; inspiring it to take action; pushing the government to create frameworks for people and communities to act on their own. Notable Feature(s): Down To Earth magazine; materials on global environmental governance, policy-making, and accountability. Contact Information: Centre for Science and Environment 41, Tughlakabad Institutional Area New Delhi-110062 India Telephone: +91 (011)-260-81110   Fax: +91 (011) 260-85879 Email: cse@cseindia.org Climate Change / Climate Ark http://www.ClimateArk.org/ This Web initiative is dedicated to promoting public policy that addresses Global Climate Change through reductions in carbon emissions, energy conservation, alternative energy sources and ending deforestation. It is an excellent site for finding information regarding Climate Change with the Climate Ark search engine. The Climate Change Portal allows full text searches of leading research and activist Web sites. The Climate Change Archive includes popular media and environmental group information that was not permanent Web content and thus would have been lost if not archived here. Notable Feature(s): Directory of Web sites used in climate change data searches. Contact Information: Email: grbarry@students.wisc.edu Communicating Nature Conservation http://www.ecnc.nl/doc/ecnc/publicat/commman.html Communicating Nature Conservation introduces basic concepts in communication, explains how and when communication can play a role in policy making, lists instruments and methods for developing communication activities and building partnerships, illustrates all this with practical examples and case studies, and provides checklists of do's and don'ts. The manual is designed for self-study by anyone involved in conservation policy or conservation projects. It pays particular attention to the specific conditions and problems facing conservationists in the transition societies in Central and Eastern Europe, and provides them with instruments to improve communication with relevant target groups. Notable Feature(s): Selected chapters on-line. Contact Information: Sandra Rientjes Fax: +31-13-4663250 Email: rientjes@ecnc.nl Conservation International (CI) http://www.conservation.org/xp/CIWEB/home Conservation International (CI) is a field-based, non-profit organization that protects the Earth's biologically richest areas and helps the people who live there improve their quality of life. CI uses science, economics, policy, and community involvement to promote biodiversity conservation in tropical rain forests and other endangered ecosystems worldwide. In the effort to conserve endangered ecosystems, CI's innovative solutions put people first. CI teams up with local communities, indigenous people, corporate leaders, scientists, and government officials to develop conservation strategies that draw on CI's toolbox of programs. Notable Feature(s): Center for Environmental Leadership: focus on industry approaches to critical environmental problems; CI program details by region, hotspots around the world, and by research or strategic approach. Contact Information: Conservation International 1919 M Street, NW Suite 600 Washington, DC   20036 USA Telephone: 202.912.1000   Conservation International: Business & Environment http://www.conservation.org/xp/CIWEB/programs/CELB/business_environment.xml http://www.celb.org/ From Conservation International comes the resources of this site. The private sector emerged as a global force in the 20th century, helping to meet the needs of a rapidly expanding human population. A century of economic progress, however, has extracted a steep price from the natural world. Plant and animal species are disappearing at an alarming rate; forests, wetlands, coral reefs and other vital ecosystems are in critical condition. Pollution, wasteful uses of natural resources, and climate change threaten natural habitats and human livelihoods. To help address these threats, Conservation International and Ford Motor Company have created the Center for Environmental Leadership in Business. This program aims to engage the private sector worldwide in creating solutions to critical environmental problems. The Center for Environmental Leadership in Business engages the private sector worldwide in creating solutions to critical global environmental problems in which industry plays a defining role. The Center engages industries that have the greatest impact on the world's critical ecosystems and those with the greatest potential to promote positive environmental change. These industries include agriculture, fisheries, forestry, energy, mining, travel and leisure, transportation, manufacturing, and financial services. Contact Information: The Center for Environmental Leadership in Business Conservation International 1919 M Street, NW Suite 600 Washington, DC   20036 USA Telephone: 202-912-1000   Fax: 202-912-1047 Email: info@celb.org Convention on Biodiversity Clearing-House Mechanism http://www.biodiv.org/chm/ http://www.biodiv.org:8080/relinks/search.htm The Clearing-House Mechanism promotes technical and scientific co-operation at all levels among Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity. It also facilitates access to and the exchange of information on biodiversity around the world. Notable Feature(s): Several excellent search engines for Convention materials, thematic areas covering every conceivable issue related to biodiversity and the law, sustainable development, tourism, and the like; available in English, Spanish, and French. BIOSEARCH feature at: http://207.107.99.12:8080/phantom.acgi Contact Information: Telephone: (+1) 514 287 7024   Fax: (+1) 413 332-8442 Email: chm@biodiv.org Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) http://www.cites.org/ Known as CITES, the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora, was entered into force on 1 July 1975 and now has a membership of 145 countries. These countries act by banning commercial international trade in an agreed list of endangered species and by regulating and monitoring trade in others that might become endangered. The international wildlife trade, worth billions of dollars annually, has caused massive declines in the numbers of many species of animals and plants. The scale of over-exploitation for trade aroused such concern for the survival of species that an international treaty was drawn up in 1973 to protect wildlife against such over-exploitation and to prevent international trade from threatening species with extinction. Notable Feature(s): Complete text of the Convention; CITES-listed Species database; latest CITES news; a Web-based book CITES: A Conservation Tool, which guides the Parties and others through the Convention's articles and resolutions governing the submission, presentation, and adoption of proposals to amend the Appendices; links. Contact Information: CITES Secretariat 15, chemin des Anémones CH-1219 Châtelaine-Gen&e Switzerland Telephone: (+4122) 917-8139/40   Fax: (+4122) 797-3417 Email: cites@unep.ch E-Law: Environmental Law Alliance Worldwide http://www.elaw.org/ The Environmental Law Alliance Worldwide (E-LAW) gives public interest lawyers and scientists around the world the skills and resources they need to protect the environment through law. Grassroots lawyers from 10 countries founded E-LAW in 1989. Now, nearly 300 grassroots lawyers and scientists in 60 countries call on the E-LAW network for critical legal and scientific tools. E-LAW advocates serve low-income communities around the world, helping citizens strengthen and enforce laws to protect themselves and their communities from toxic pollution and environmental degradation. E-LAW advocates are building a sustainable future by helping citizens participate in policy decisions about the environment. By giving grassroots advocates access to critical legal and scientific resources, E-LAW strengthens these advocates to challenge environmental abuses and pursue environmental justice. E-LAW U.S. helps grassroots advocates gain the skills and legal and scientific resources they need to challenge environmental abuses. Advocates call on the E-LAW network for model statutes and regulations, information about polluters, and court decisions that protect the environment. They also obtain information about the scientific questions that are at the heart of environmental challenges, including identifying the health risks of pesticides, providing model habitat restoration plans, and providing information about the best available technology to reduce industrial pollution. Notable Feature(s): Extensive collection of resources, legal opinions, model laws, reports; quarterly PDF newsletter E-LAW Advocate; news bulletins. Contact Information: Environmental Law Alliance Worldwide (E-LAW) 1877 Garden Avenue Eugene, OR   97403 USA Telephone: 541.687.8454   Fax: 541.687.0535 Email: elawus@elaw.org Earth Day Network http://www.earthday.net/ Earth Day Network is the nonprofit coordinating body of worldwide Earth Day activities. Its goal is to promote a healthy environment and a peaceful, just, sustainable world by organizing events, activities, and annual campaigns. The network is headed by the organizers of the original Earth Day in 1970, Gaylord Nelson and Denis Hayes, and is based in Seattle, Washington, in the United States. A host of dedicated people -- from advisory councils to grassroots organizers together provide the vision, influence, and energy that have sustained Earth Day as a prominent and effective vehicle for environmental responsibility over the past three decades. Notable Feature(s): Worldwide Earth Day Network Directory; Earth Day News bulletin; Teachers Corner; Earth Day Store; Grist magazine; links. Contact Information: Earth Day Network 91 Marion St. Seattle, WA   98104 USA Telephone: 206.876.2000   Fax: 206.682.1184 Email: earthday@earthday.net Earth Island Institute (EEI) http://www.earthisland.org/ http://www.earthisland.org/wosh/ Earth Island Institute (EII), founded in 1982 by veteran environmentalist David Brower, fosters the efforts of creative individuals by providing organizational support in developing projects for the conservation, preservation, and restoration of the global environment. EII provides activists the freedom to develop program ideas, supported by services to help them pursue those ideas, with a minimum of bureaucracy. The World Sustainability Hearings (a project of Earth Island Institute) is a collective effort of dozens of environmental and social justice organizations around the world to give a voice to people not usually represented at high-level U.N. negotiations. Convening a citizens' court, the Hearings will present the real-life experiences of communities with "sustainable development" and the promise of the 1992 Rio conventions that equitable economic growth and an ecologically sustainable livelihood could be achieved jointly. Together with panels of scientific, religious, civic, labor, business, and political leaders, participants in the Hearings will make their own assessment of the 10-year history since the Earth Summit in Rio, alongside and in conversation with the "official" UN assessment down the road. Notable Feature(s): Useful collection of documents and background materials in advance of the 2002 World Summit on Sustainable Development (WSSD); The-Edge, cutting-edge environmental news and analysis; City Talk, a project to connect Africans and Americans. Contact Information: Earth Island Institute 300 Broadway Suite 28 San Francisco, CA   94133 USA Telephone: 415.788.3666   Fax: 415.788.7324 Email: astrid@wosh.org Earth Policy Institute (EPI) http://www.earth-policy.org/ Founded in 2001 by Lester Brown (founder of the Worldwatch Institute in 1974), the Earth Policy Institute has as one of its goals to challenge the communications media to assume responsibility for helping the world make the transition to an eco-economy. "It will take an enormous amount of information dissemination to guide the transition to an eco-economy," said Brown. "Editors may not relish this assignment, but the reality is that there is no other institution that has the capacity to disseminate quickly the information needed to guide the transition to a sustainable economy in the time that is available." The Institute plans to have three primary products: a book entitled Eco-Economy: Building an Economy for the Earth, a series of four-page Earth Policy Alerts, and similarly brief Eco-Economy Updates that identify major milestones or setbacks in building an eco-economy. Notable Feature(s): Extensive collection of lectures and policy briefings; Earth Policy Alerts on environmental and environmentally related issues; links related to eco-economy information and resources. Contact Information: Earth Policy Institute 1350 Connecticut Ave., NW Suite 403 Washington, DC   20036 USA Telephone: 202.496.9290   Fax: 202.496.9325 Email: epi@earth-policy.org Earthjustice http://www.earthjustice.org Earthjustice is a nonprofit public interest law firm dedicated to protecting the magnificent places, natural resources, and wildlife of this earth and to defending the right of all people to a healthy environment. It brings about far-reaching change by enforcing and strengthening environmental laws on behalf of hundreds of organizations and communities. Earthjustice represents—without charge—hundreds of public interest clients, large and small. It works through the courts to safeguard public lands, national forests, parks, and wilderness areas; to reduce air and water pollution; to prevent toxic contamination; to preserve endangered species and wildlife habitat; and to achieve environmental justice. Notable Feature(s): Detailed information on the various federal laws that form the basis of Earthjustice's work; international campaigns; news. Contact Information: Earthjustice 180 Montgomery Street, Suite 1400 San Francisco, CA   94104-4209 USA Telephone: 415.627.6700   Fax: 415.627.6740 Email: eajus@earthjustice.org info@earthjustice.org EarthRights International (ERI) http://www.earthrights.org/ EarthRights International is a nonprofit, nongovernmental organization that combines the power of law and the power of people in defense of human rights and the environment, our Earth rights. Earth rights are those rights that demonstrate the connection between human well-being and a sound environment, and include the right to a healthy environment, the right to speak out and act to protect the environment, and the right to participate in development decisions. ERI's mission is to protect human beings and their natural environment from abuses occurring in the name of development. It is impossible to abolish human rights abuses without addressing their frequent underlying causes, the exploitation and degradation of the environment. Likewise, ERI recognizes that we cannot safeguard the environment without ensuring that people are free to protect themselves and their homelands. All over the world, violations of human rights and the destruction of the environment go hand-in-hand. These earth rights abuses are often exacerbated by unfettered free trade and liberalized transnational investment. Notable Feature(s): News; court materials, briefs, and judicial rulings in the ERI Resource Center; publications. Contact Information: EarthRights International 2012 Massachusetts Ave.NW Ste. 500 Washington, D.C.   20036 USA Telephone: 202.466.5188   Fax: 202.466.5189 Email: infousa@earthrights.org EarthTrends http://earthtrends.wri.org/ Eco Earth http://www.ecoearth.info/ Eco Earth is the new name of Ecological Internet's long-established and vast Eco-Portal Web site, including search engine, site, and news links, blog, action alerts, discussion groups and more, used by 30 thousand users a day. Ecological Internet has also begun providing customized news feed, which link exhaustively to virtually all major happenings on most environmental topics. Notable Feature(s): Earth News; Earth Blog. Contact Information: Dr. Glen Barry Ecological Enterprises, Inc Telephone: +1 920 776 1075   Email: GlenBarry@EcologicalInternet.org ECO-ECONOMY INDICATORS: TRENDS TO TRACK http://www.earth-policy.org/Indicators/index.htm From Lester Brown's Earth Policy Institute comes this summary of 12 indicators that represent significant measures of our progress, or the lack thereof, in building an eco-economy--one that respects the principles of ecology. The trends included are population, economic growth, the world fish catch, forest cover, carbon emissions, grain production, water scarcity, global temperature, ice melting, wind electric generating capacity, and solar cell production. Contact Information: Earth Policy Institute Email: epi@earth-policy.org EcoBolivia Foundation http://www.ecobolivia.com/ EcoBolivia is a grassroots organization that is taking the initiative to protect the environment by identifying and championing sustainable livelihood and development. EcoBolivia describes best the indigenous culture and the natural beauty in which it works: "We are the inhabitants of the headwaters of the Amazon, an area recognized today as the most biodiverse area in the world. We live in the north of Bolivia in lands that extend from 6000 meters above sea level to almost sea level. We have mountains, valleys, cloud forests, dry forests, savannahs, sub tropical forests, tropical forests... We have paradise. We are from very diverse peoples: white, cinnamon, dark, Tacana, Moseten, Chiman, Esse Ejja, Quechua... We are a variety of peoples who have lived here for centuries and are part of this extraordinary environment. And we are also from the city, where we are extremely concerned with the damage suffered by the land and our forests, and from where we put in our 'little grain of sand.' Thirty years ago we still lived peacefully in our areas. It was a restful life. Then progress arrived, and everything began to change. This worried us a great deal and we decided to do something to protect our world. We knew that we could do nothing alone, so in 1993 we created Eco Bolivia Foundation." EcoBolivia strongly believes that protected areas can exist only with the assent and commitment of the communities within and around its borders. Since its inception, EcoBolivia has sought the involvement of indigenous communities in planning and decision-making. EcoBolivia has held workshops and meetings throughout the region to increase understanding of conservation, share ideas, and develop formal agreements for cooperation. Assisting the local ethnic people to create their own organization and aiding local communities to secure legal title to the lands they have traditionally used has been a major area of activity. The work has included mapping land use, performing a diagnostic census of more than 2,000 inhabitants to support their claims, and providing technical assistance to those communities pursuing land titling. Notable Feature(s): Background information on Madidi National Park and EcoBolivia's efforts to focus attention on that area's wealth of resources for furthering scientific knowledge; EcoBolivia has established research and observational facilities to facilitate the work of biologists, botanists, and other scientists from around the world who come to study the park's unparalleled diversity of flora and fauna. EcoBolivia also emphasizes the role of ecotourism in achieving its goals. Contact Information: Rosa María Ruiz Eco Bolivia Foundation PO Box 8505 La Paz Bolivia Telephone: Tel/Fax:591-2.315974   Email: derekt@shadow.net Ecotopics International News Service http://www.ecotopics.com/ Career reporter and Ecotopics editor Jo Campbell, and distinguished photojournalist Hyman Rudoff, Ph.D. moved the editorial production of the online magazine to environmentally challenged Northern California in 1998. Ecotopics' contents change approximately every quarter, with the technical expertise of Pacific Internet. Contact Information: Jo Campbell 26910 Oriole Drive Willits, CA   95490-9415 USA Telephone: 707.456.0841   Fax: 707.456.0713 Email: jocee@ecotopics.com Ecotourism Resource Centre http://www.bigvolcano.com.au/ercentre/papers.htm A Lycos Top 5% in the World Award site that is a comprehensive guide to ecotourism practice, ecologically sustainable development (ESD) and general tourism and travel best practice management sites worldwide. Electronic Green Journal http://egj.lib.uidaho.edu/egj16/index.html http://egj.lib.uidaho.edu/index.html The Web-based Electronic Green Journal provides peer-reviewed articles, book reviews, news, and information on current printed and electronic sources concerning international environmental topics. Contact Information: Maria Anna Jankowska, General Editor Email: majanko@uidaho.edu Envirolink Network http://www.envirolink.org/environews/ http://www.envirolink.org/library/index.html The EnviroLink News Service is a project of the EnviroLink Network, a non-profit organization. The primary mission of this service is to inform EnviroLink's users about the latest news and information about the global environmental movement, animal rights, sustainable practices, and greenliving. Notable Feature(s): The EnviroLink Network offers free Internet services to non-profit organizations within the environmental and animal rights communities. The EnviroLink Network provides these services to any organization within these communities, regardless of their politics or opinions; Featured News, Breaking News, Sustainable Business News; discussion groups; archives; environmental library; green marketplace; search engine; daily e-mail environmental alerts; links. Contact Information: Email: membership@envirolink.org Environment News Service http://www.ens-news.com/ The Environment News Service is the original daily international wire service of the environment. Established in 1990 by Editor-in-Chief Sunny Lewis and Managing Editor Jim Crabtree, it is independently owned and operated. The Environment News Service (ENS) exists to present late-breaking environmental news in a fair and balanced manner. ENS is now featured as the exclusive provider of environmental news to Lycos, one of the most popular portals on the Internet. It is indexed by Reuters Business Briefing, Dow Jones Factiva, and the London Financial Times. ENS contributors around the world cover issues and events that affect the environment such as: legislation, politics, conferences, lawsuits, international agreements, demonstrations, science and technology, public health, air quality, drinking water, oceans and marine life, land use, wildlife, forests, natural disasters, the indoor environment, hazardous materials, toxics, nuclear issues, renewable energy, recycling, transportation, and environmental economics. Notable Feature(s): Up-to-the-minute news and reports through the AmeriScan and WorldScan features; events calendar; free e-mail subscription to daily headlines. Contact Information: Telephone: 800.632.9528   Email: news@ens-news.com Environmental Education on the Internet http://eelink.net/ee-linkintroduction.html With support from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, EE-Link offers teachers, students and professionals an important and useful resource. Contact Information: 1825 Connecticut Ave., NW 8th Floor Washington, DC   20009-5708 USA Telephone: 202-884-8912   Fax: 202-884-8455 Environmental Films http://www.frif.com/subjects/ecology.html First Run / Icarus Films is a leading distributor of documentary film and video. Their 700 films and videos, mostly independent productions, provide innovative and informative views of our rapidly changing world. Their catalog profiles path-breaking documentary work from around the world. Notable Feature(s): In addition to ecological titles, First Run/Icarus Films offers work on HIV/AIDS, adolescence, Africa, Asia, human rights, health, education, indigenous people, urban studies, and many other subjects. Contact Information: First Run/Icarus Films 153 Waverly Place New York, NY   10014 USA Telephone: 212.727.1711   Fax: 212.989.7649 Email: info@frif.com Environmental Justice: An Interview with Dr. Robert H. Bullard http://www.igc.org/igc/en/hg/bullard.html Here is the transcript of an interview with Dr. Robert Bullard, one of the pioneering scholars and activists in the environmental justice movement. Environmental Links for Asia http://eelink.net/international-asia.html Contact Information: 1825 Connecticut Ave., NW 8th floor Washington, DC   20009-5708 USA Telephone: 202-884-892   Fax: 202-884-8455 Environmental Organization Web Directory http://www.webdirectory.com With thousands of links the "Amazing Environmental Organization WebDirectory!" claims to be the largest exclusively environmental directory on the Web. It includes sites from over 100 countries. Environmental Working Group (EWG): Cutting-Edge Research on Health and the Environment http://www.ewg.org/ http://www.ewg.org/about.html The Environmental Working Group (EWG) is a leading content provider for public interest groups and concerned citizens who are campaigning to protect the environment. Through its reports, articles, technical assistance and the development of computer databases and Internet resources, EWG's staff of 18 researchers, computer experts and writers produce hundreds of headline-making reports each year, drawing on original EWG analyses of government and other data. EWG is based in Washington, D.C., with an office in San Francisco. EWG provides information and policy analysis to the general public, environmental organizations and other public interest groups, journalists and policy makers. Many EWG reports are developed as a series of state-level studies and are released in collaboration with public interest organizations in dozens of cities and states. Notable Feature(s): Extensive collection of articles and searchable databases. Contact Information: Environmental Working Group 1718 Connecticut Ave., N.W Suite 600 Washington, DC   20009 USA Telephone: 202.667.6982   Fax: 202.232.2592 Email: info@ewg.org EUROPARC Federation http://www.europarc.org/international/europarc.html http://www.umweltadressen.de EUROPARC is the umbrella organisation of Europe's protected areas. It unites national parks, regional parks, nature parks and biosphere reserves in 35 countries, with the common aim of protecting Europe's unique variety of wildlife, habitats and landscapes. EUROPARC was founded in 1973 under the official title "Federation of Nature and National Parks of Europe", and has since grown to become the recognised, professional organisation for European protected areas. An independent, non-governmental organisation, its membership brings together the organisations responsible for the management of over 400 protected areas. Notable Feature(s): Backround and policy papers; working groups, including wetlands and communications; events calendar. Contact Information: EUROPARC Headquarters Grafenau, Bavarian Forest Germany Email: office@europarc.org European Forest Institute http://www.efi.fi/ Contact Information: European Forest Instittute Torikatu 34 Joensuu FIN-80100 Telephone: +358 13 252 020   Fax: +358 13 124 393 FAO Forestry Department http://www.fao.org/forestry/index.jsp http://www.fao.org/forestry/FODA/UNASYLVA/unasyl-e.stm The FAO Forestry Programme addresses one of the most important, complex and controversial issues of modern times - how to use trees, forests and related resources to improve people's economic, environmental, social and cultural conditions while ensuring that the resource is conserved to meet the needs of future generations. Notable Feature(s): Extensive subject directory; n-line edition of Unasylva, the quarterly international journal of forestry and forest industries published by FAO; information on social, cultural, environmental, and economic issues associated with forests; English, Spanish, Arabic, French, Chinese; country-specific forestry profiles; contact directory for FAO forestry regional offices; global conventions related to forests; year 2001 State of the World's Forests. Contact Information: Forestry Department Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations Viale delle Terme di Caracalla Rome   00100 Italy Telephone: 39-06-57054778   Fax: 39-06-57055514 Email: ftpp@fao.org Forest and Biodiversity Links http://forests.org/forsite.html Contact Information: Glen Barry Email: grbarry@students.wisc.edu Forest Conservation Program (FCP) of the IUCN (World Conservation Union) http://iucn.org/themes/fcp/home.html http://www.iucn.org/ Key site for information, news, research, analysis, and perspective on everything to do with forests around the world. Through its Forest Conservation Program, the IUCN aims to maintain and restore forest ecosystems, both to conserve biodiversity and to ensure sustainable and equitable production of goods and services. Notable Feature(s): Forest Innovations. Contact Information: Bill Jackson Coordinator, Forest Conservation Programme IUCN The World Conservation Union 28 rue Mauverney CH-1196 Gland Switzerland Telephone: +41-22-999-0263   Fax: +41-22-999-0025 Email: webmaster@hq.iucn.org forests@hq.iucn.org Gender Dimension in Biodiversity Management http://www.mssrf.org/fris9809/gender-management1.html#top Rural women in developing countries hold the key to many of the planet's agricultural systems for food production, seed selection and protection of agrobiodiversity. Women using diverse wild and indigenous species often use home gardens as experimental plots. Gender analysis deals with the socially constructed roles and relationships among men and women in their day today activities. There is widespread misunderstanding of the distinction between gender analysis and exclusively women-centred approaches. Hence, there is often the tendency to focus on women separately, rather than on the relations between men and women. Genetic Resources Action International (GRAIN) http://www.grain.org/front/index.cfm Genetic Resources Action International (GRAIN) is an international non-governmental organisation that promotes the sustainable management and use of agricultural biodiversity based on people's control over genetic resources and local knowledge. The loss of biological diversity, particularly in the "gene rich" countries of the South, undermines the very sense of sustainable agriculture as it destroys choices for the future and robs people of a key resource base for survival. Genetic erosion is more than just the loss of genes; it is the loss of options for development. GRAIN pursues its goals by protecting and strengthening community control of agricultural biodiversity and by promoting agriculture rich in biodiversity Notable Feature(s): October 2002 report Traditional knowledge of biodiversity in Asia-Pacific additional GRAIN publications and reports; biodiversity rights legislation around the world; online and print quarterly publication Seedling. Contact Information: GRAIN Girona 25, pral., E-08010 Barcelona Spain Telephone: +34 933011381   Fax: +34 933011627 Email: grain@grain.org Global Environmental Facility http://www.gefweb.org/ The Global Environment Facility (GEF) is a Washington, DC-based organization that funds developing country actions that deliver clear global environmental benefits. Notable Feature(s): Publications on climate change and many other topics of environmental importance. Contact Information: Email: gef@gefweb.org Global Forest Watch http://www.globalforestwatch.org/english/index.htm Global Forest Watch is an international data and mapping network that combines on-the-ground knowledge with digital technology to provide accurate information about the world's forests. Global Forest Watch is convinced that forest degradation would be significantly slowed around the world if governments and industry were to actually implement commitments they have made --nationally and internationally -- to manage and protect their forests. Global Forest Watch's overall objective is to infuse transparency and accountability into the decision making processes that determine how forests are managed and for whom. Notable Feature(s): Maps, newsletter, reports, links; The Last Frontier Forests: Ecosystems and Economies on the Edge. Contact Information: Global Forest Watch c/o WRI 10 G Street, NE Washington, DC   20002 USA Telephone: 202.729.7600   Fax: 202.729.7686 Email: gfw@wri.org Global International Waters Assessment (GIWA) http://www.giwa.net/index.phtml The aim of GIWA is to produce a comprehensive and integrated global assessment of international waters, the ecological status of and the causes of environmental problems in 66 water areas in the world, and focus on the key issues and problems facing the aquatic environment in transboundary waters. It is to be a systematic assessment of the environmental conditions and problems in international waters, comprising marine, coastal and freshwater areas, and surface waters as well as ground waters. Notable Feature(s): Extensive links collection; news and highlights, including archived newsletter. Contact Information: Global International Waters Assessment SE- 391 82 Kalmar Sweden Telephone: +46- 480 44 73 53   Fax: +46- 480 44 73 55 Email: info@giwa.net Global Warming and Terrestrial Biodiversity Decline http://www.panda.org/climate/ A report by the World Wildlife Fund concludes that several species will be wiped out due to global warming unless they can adapt rapidly to the new environment or migrate quickly. Jennifer Morgan, director of the World Wildlife Fund Climate Change Campaign, says species will have to migrate 10 times faster than they have since the last Ice Age in order to survive in the 22nd century. Notable Feature(s): Download the full report at World Wildlife Fund site. WWF-United States 1250 24th St. N.W. Washington, DC 20037-1175 Tel. 202.293.4800 Fax. 202.293.9211/293.9345 Contact Information: WWF International Avenue du Mont-Blanc CH-1196, Gland Switzerland Telephone: +41 22 364 91 11   Fax: +41 22 364 53 58 Email: Ovanbogaert@wwfint.org Green Cross International http://www.greencrossinternational.net/index1.html Green Cross International was founded by Mikhail Gorbachev in 1993, building on the 1992 Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro and Agenda 21. Green Cross is a non-governmental, non-profit organization. Its mission is to help create a sustainable future by cultivating harmonious relationships between humans and the environment. Green Cross concentrates its efforts on the following five programs whose common theme is to promote a significant change in human values leading to greater respect and care for Earth's community of life in all its diversity, and to address the environmental causes and consequences of wars and conflict. Notable Feature(s): Newsletter and program information on water conflicts and more. Contact Information: Green Cross International 160a, rte de Florissant CH - 1231 Geneva Switzerland Telephone: 41 22 789 1662   Fax: 44 22 789 1695 Email: secretariat@gci.ch Green Pages – The Global Directory for Environmental Technology http://eco-web.com/ This comprehensive guide to a full spectrum of environmental products and services features 3,773 leading suppliers from 89 countries. Information about organizations, conferences and publications is complemented by editorial contributions from distinguished experts in their respective fields. A practical reference source for government departments, utility companies, engineering consultants, development agencies, importers and traders, educational institutes, non-governmental organizations and individuals engaged in environmental activities. Harvard's Environmental Information Center http://environment.harvard.edu/HERO/wrapper/pageid=eic/home.html An exhaustive set of resources, guides, policy instruments, and economic and social references is available at this site. Notable Feature(s): Tutorials, library databases and indexes, links too numerous to mention. Contact Information: Tom Parris Environmental Resources Librarian Telephone: 617.496.6158   Fax: 617.495.5324 Email: tparris@fas.harvard.edu Information for Action http://www.informaction.org/ This Web site explains environmental problems and offers solutions to fix them, including an automated lobbying service. Among the issues covered are air pollution, biodiversity, cars, chemicals, conservation, consumption, consumerism, energy, environment, forests, genetic engineering, greenhouse, green taxes, health, land pollution, lobbying, toxicology, oceans, pesticides, pollution, population growth, radiation, nuclear power, sustainable living, transport, urbanization, waste, and water pollution. Notable Feature(s): An easy to use lobbying facility; searchable database of politicians, business leaders, and environmental groups; a database containing information on chemicals, including their effects on the environment and the health of humans; and a monthly newsletter. Contact Information: Rowland Benjamin, President P O Box 1040, West Leederville WA 6901, Australia International Council for Local Environmental Initiatives (ICLEI) http://www.iclei.org/ Established in 1990 through a partnership of the United Nations Environment Programme, the International Union of Local Authorities (IULA), and the Center for Innovative Diplomacy, ICLEI is the international environmental agency for local governments. Contact Information: World Secretariat - ICLEI City Hall West Tower 16th Floor Toronto, Ontario   M5H 2N2 Canada Telephone: 416-392-1462   Fax: 416-392-1478 Email: iclei@iclei.org International Environmental Education http://eelink.net/eeorganizationsandprojects-international.html International environmental education projects and resources include those that address environmental issues outside of the United States, either for U.S. students involved in other countries, or for groups actually based in other countries. Notable Feature(s): Organizations and projects accessible by topic, including forests, marine, air and climate, population, solid waste, urban and built environment, toxic waste, wildlife and biodiversity. International Water Working Group http://www.citizen.org/cmep/Water/cmep_Water/ Research and news from Critical Mass Energy and Environmental Program, including Water for All, Public Citizen's information and action global project defending water as a common resource. Notable Feature(s): Defending the Global Commons in Spanish ; the same report also in English. Contact Information: Public Citizen 1600 20th St. NW Washington, DC   20009 USA Telephone: 202.588.1000   IUCN - World Conservation Union - U.S headquarters http://www.iucn.org/ The IUCN Washington, DC office provides vital services and linkages for the Union and its members to key international organizations, US Government agencies, and a diverse set of environmental NGOs, including the World Bank, the UN System, the Inter-American Development Bank and a variety of US-based foundations. The Washington Office also functions as a global center for the Union, housing global programs such as the Climate Change and Marine Initiatives, Sustainable Use Initiative, Indigenous Peoples, and Green Accounting. It also provides global policy support on environmental law, marine and coastal biodiversity, innovative finance, forests, trade and environment. "At the heart of all efforts to eradicate poverty and move development to a more sustainable path, is the ability of communities and countries to conserve and sustainably manage natural resources and to share the benefits equitably," said Rachel Kyte, IUCN Senior Multilateral Policy Advisor." Notable Feature(s): Library; species survival information; sustainable use practices; people and their communities - perspective and practical tools for reconciling population dynamics and conservation objectives. Contact Information: IUCN/US Washington Office 1630 Connecticut Ave NW Third Floor Washington 20009, DC   20009 USA Telephone: 202.387.4826   Fax: 202.387.4823 Email: postmaster@iucnus.org IUCN: The World Conservation Union http://iucn.org/ Founded in 1948, the IUCN is a vast and important international network of governments, government agencies, and non-governmental organizations working at the practical field and policy levels, together with scientists and experts. Its mission is to influence, encourage and assist societies throughout the world to conserve the integrity and diversity of nature, and to ensure that any use of natural resources is equitable and ecologically sustainable. IUCN brings together governments, government agencies, and more than 700 NGOs together with more than 10,000 technical, scientific and policy volunteer experts from 181 countries. The site is an excellent source of information and perspective on themes and practices of importance to the environment and every creature living there. Notable Feature(s): News and a vast array of research and tools for assessing sustainability, changing attitudes, making maps, acquiring knowledge, and checking facts. Contact Information: IUCN World Headquarters 28 rue Mauverney CH-1196 Gland Switzerland Telephone: +41-22-999-0001   Email: bill.jackson@iucn.org Magazine PAPER Project http://www.ecopaperaction.org/news1.html The nonprofit PAPER Project works to preserve the health of forests and communities by encouraging magazine publishers to make environmental commitments and improve their environmental records. Because paper production is one of the most resource-intensive manufacturing processes, publishers who print on eco-papers can prevent hundreds of pounds of air and water pollution and leave thousands of trees standing in forests each year. The PAPER Project provides extensive resources and assistance to publishers interested in taking this environmental step. The PAPER Project is a collaboration between the nonprofit organizations Conservatree, the Independent Press Association, and Co-op America, and is dedicated to providing magazine publishers with the tools and resources they need to adopt environmentally preferable alternatives. The project's goal is to preserve the world's remaining forests by increasing the magazine industry's use of eco-papers; it does not represent a particular brand of paper. Notable Feature(s): Co-op America; Conservatree - paper for the environment; Independent Press Association. Contact Information: Co-op America's WoodWise Program 1612 K St. NW Ste. 600 Washington, DC   20006 USA Telephone: 202.872.5307   Man and Biosphere (MAB) Program http://www.unesco.org/mab/index.htm http://www.mountains2002.org/ UNESCO's Programme on Man and the Biosphere (MAB) develops the basis, within the natural and the social sciences, for the sustainable use and conservation of biological diversity, and for the improvement of the relationship between people and their environment globally. Notable Feature(s): World Network of Biosphere Reserves; Capacity Building programs; International Year of Mountains, 2002. Contact Information: UNESCO MAB Secretariat Division of Ecological Services 1, rue Miollis 74732 Paris Cedex 15 France Telephone: (33-1) 45 68 40 67   Fax: (33-1) 45 68 58 04 Email: mab@unesco.org Native Forest Network (NFN) http://www.nativeforest.org The Native Forest Network is a global and autonomous network of forest activists, indigenous peoples, conservation biologists, and non-governmental organizations working to protect native forests worldwide. NFN is working to protect public lands, stop pollution from pulp and paper mills, reduce consumer demand for virgin wood, promote alternative fiber and much more. Through its bulletin (free subscription by contacting NFN) the Network promotes the protection of native forests worldwide. Notable Feature(s): Southern Hemisphere office; action alerts and international news; links to related resources. Nature Conservancy (TNC) http://nature.org/ The Nature Conservancy calls itself "Nature's real estate agent." After more than 45 years, the Conservancy has protected more than 11 million acres of ecologically significant land in the U.S. and assisted in protecting more than 60 million acres worldwide. Notable Feature(s): Description of TNC's international program: identifying and protecting threatened areas in Indonesia, Melanesia and Micronesia working in Latin America in concert with more than 45 organizations covering 22 countries to provide community development, professional training and funding for legally protected areas. biodiversity index Contact Information: The Nature Conservancy International Headquarters 4245 North Fairfax Drive, Suite 100 Arlington, Virginia   22203-160 USA Telephone: (703) 841-5300   Orion Society http://www.orionsociety.org/index.html The Orion Society's programs and publications seek to inform, inspire and engage civil society in becoming a significant cultural force for healing nature and community. Orion writers are interviewed on topics ranging from education, to conservation and sustaining ideas. A program of the Orion Society, the Orion Grassroots Network, actively connects and supports grassroots organizations that are engaged in healing nature and community. It is the fastest-growing network of environmental and community organizations in North America. The network now actively supports 559 nonprofit organizations and connects them to the full diversity of groups involved in the social and environmental movement, and since 2002, engages them in coordinated campaigns on regional, national, and global issues. Notable Feature(s): Extensive collection of articles and features from Orion magazine and Web exclusives including photo essays, personal reflections, book reviews, poetry, and incisive commentary, e.g., Wendell Berry's The Idea of a Local Economy. Contact Information: The Orion Society 187 Main Street Great Barrington, MA   01230 USA Telephone: 413.528.4422   Fax: 413.528.0676 Email: orion@orionsociety.org grassroots@orionsociety.org Pacific Institute for Studies in Development, Environment, and Security http://www.pacinst.org/ The Pacific Institute for Studies in Development, Environment, and Security is an independent, non-profit center created in 1987 to conduct research and policy analysis in the areas of environment, sustainable development, and international security. Underlying all of the institute's work is the recognition that the pressing problems of environmental degradation, regional and global poverty, and political tension and conflict are fundamentally interrelated, and that long-term solutions require an interdisciplinary perspective. Notable Feature(s): Newsletter; descriptive materials on programs in climate change, biodiversity, community strategies for sustainable development and justice; press information. Contact Information: Wil Burns, Senior Associate/Director of Communications Pacific Institute 654 13th Street Preservation Park Oakland, CA   94612 USA Telephone: 510.251.1600   Fax: 510.251.2203 Email: wburns@pacinst.org Paul Hawken - Natural Capital Institute http://www.paulhawken.com http://www.naturalcapital.org/ Paul Hawken is an environmentalist, entrepreneur, journalist, and author. Starting at age 20, he dedicated his life to sustainability and changing the relationship between business and the environment. His practice has included starting and running ecological businesses, writing and teaching about the impact of commerce on living systems, and consulting with governments and corporations on economic development, industrial ecology, and environmental policy. His book Natural Capitalism: Creating the Next Industrial Revolution (Little, Brown. September 1999) co-authored with Amory Lovins is published in 14 languages and has been read and referred to by several heads of state including President Bill Clinton who has called it one of the five most important books in the world today. Hawken's books have been published in over 50 countries in 27 languages and have sold over 2 million copies. Notable Feature(s): Natural Capital Institute; Sustainable Civil Society Database. Contact Information: Paul Hawken c/o Natural Capital Institute 3 Gate Five Road, Suite B Sausalito, California   94965 U.S.A. Telephone: 415.331.6241   Fax: 415.331.6242 Email: info@paulhawken.com Rainforest Portal http://www.rainforestportal.org/ The Rainforest Portal is an Internet search tool that provides access to reviewed rainforest conservation news, information retrieval tools, and original analysis and action opportunities; including an annual assessment of the State of the Rainforests. The Rainforest Portal is a project of Ecological Internet. This site is dedicated to the complete protection of all remaining large rainforest in the world, an end to industrial rainforest development, and ecologically sustainable development for their inhabitants. Contact Information: Glen Barry, Ph.D., President Rainforest portal, a project of Ecological Internet, Inc. PO Box # 433 Denmark, Wisconsin   54208-0433 U.S.A. Telephone: (for media queries o   Email: GlenBarry@EcologicalInternet.org Ramsar Convention Manual, 2nd Edition http://www.ramsar.org/lib_manual_1.htm This manual is the authoritative guide to The Convention on Wetlands (officially The Convention on Wetlands of International Importance especially as Waterfowl Habitat), an intergovernmental treaty adopted in 1971 in the Iranian city of Ramsar. Notable Feature(s): Detailed procedures for joining the Ramsar Convention; Small Grants Fund for Wetland Conservation; 1997-2002 Strategic Plan; full-text sections useful for government agencies, NGOs, managers or wardens of wetland nature reserves, environmental educators, policy-makers and others with an interest in wetlands habitat;site resources available in the three official working languages of the Convention - English, French and Spanish. RESOLVE - Center for Environmental and Public Policy Dispute Resolution http://www.resolv.org/ RESOLVE is a leader in mediating solutions to controversial problems and broadening the techniques for consensus building on public policy issues. RESOLVE is dedicated to improving dialogue and negotiation between parties to solve complex public policy issues and to advancing both research and practice in the dispute resolution field. RESOLVE works in the United States and internationally and has an accomplished team of senior mediators managing numerous mediation cases each year. Notable Feature(s): Free "Ask a Mediator" service to pose questions needing resolution; public and private on-line conference rooms; consensus-building tools and principles; articles and case studies; working drafts for review and comment; listserv; bibliography on dispute resolution and related concepts; links. Contact Information: RESOLVE, Inc. 1255 23rd Street, NW, Suite 275 Washington, DC   20037 USA Telephone: 202.944.2300   Email: info@resolv.org Resource Renewal Institute (RRI) http://www.rri.org/home.html The Resource Renewal Institute (RRI) is a nonprofit, non-governmental organization that supports innovative environmental management strategies in the United States and worldwide. RRI's mission is to catalyze the development and implementation of green plans. Notable Feature(s): International Green Planner; clearinghouse of Best Practices; online library. Contact Information: Danielle Kraaijvanger, Executive Director Resource Renewal Institute Fort Mason Center, Pier 1 San Francisco, CA   94123 USA Telephone: 415.928.3774   Fax: 415.928.6529 Email: info@rri.org, danielle@rri.org, eric@rri.org, allison@rri.org, nancy@rri.org Riverkeeper http://www.riverkeeper.org/ Riverkeeper serves as a tireless advocate for the health of the Hudson River and the New York City watersheds. On behalf of a grassroots constituency, it employs a variety of tools and strategies to identify problems, respond to citizen complaints, devise appropriate solutions and vigorously enforce environmental laws. Riverkeeper is the public's investigator, scientist, lawyer, lobbyist and public relations agent for the River. Its partners are the fishermen and concerned citizens who keep Riverkeeper informed of suspicious activity on the river. It uses the Clean Water Act, which empowers private citizens to act as enforcement agents and public advocates, to collect evidence and file lawsuits against polluters. This hands-on "blue-collar environmentalism" is central to Riverkeeper's operations and philosophy. The impact of Riverkeeper extends beyond the Hudson River. The organization is a shining example of people defending their homes and their natural environment. The message—spoken and unspoken—is that everyone has the right to do the same. There are over 80 Waterkeeper programs across the United States, from Cook Inlet in Alaska to the Chattahoochee River in Georgia; from Casco Bay in Maine to San Diego Bay in California. Waterkeeper programs outside the U.S. include Waterkeepers for Lake Ontario, the Nicoya in Costa Rica, and the Petticodiac in New Brunswick. Riverkeeper has succeeded and grown and spawned dozens of new Waterkeeper organizations because it is based on one of the fundamental principles of a free society. The Riverkeeper movement is an environmental neighborhood watch program, a citizens' patrol to protect the nation's waters. Notable Feature(s): History of the organization; legal resources, environmental campaigns, email alerts; curriculum ideas for empowering a new generation of environmental activists. Contact Information: Alex Matthiessen, Executive Director Riverkeeper P.O. Box 130 Garrison, NY   10524 USA Telephone: 800.21.RIVER   Email: info@riverkeeper.org Sanctuary Asia http://www.sanctuaryasia.com Sanctuary is at the fulcrum of several wildlife conservation campaigns and serves as a network for wildlife groups, concerned individuals and non-profit organisations. It is also a source of information for press and television reporters. Sanctuary Asia, India's leading wildlife, conservation and environment magazine, was started by editor Bittu Sahgal in 1981 to raise awareness among Indians of their disappearing natural heritage. The overwhelming response to the magazine led to the birth of Sanctuary Cub, a children's nature magazine, in 1984 and to The Ecologist Asia (Indian edition of The Ecologist, UK) a journal dedicated to the issues of the environment, development and human rights, in 1993. Notable Feature(s): News updates from the region; links; resources for children; book reviews; Contact Information: Sanctuary Asia 602 Maker Chambers V Nariman Point Mumbai 400 021 India Telephone: 91-22. 2830061   Fax: 91-22. 287 4380 Email: webmaster@sanctuaryasia.com Selected Internet Resources on Global Forest Policy http://www.iisd.ca/linkages/forestry/forestsites.html Student Environmental Coalition Action http://www.seac.org/ SEAC is a grassroots coalition of student and youth environmental groups, working together to protect our planet and our future. Through this united effort, thousands of youth have translated their concern into action by sharing resources, building coalitions, and challenging the limited mainstream definition of environmental issues. Notable Feature(s): The SEAC Speaker's Bureau; SEAC's Clearinghouse of books, fact sheets, organizing guides, and merchandise to assist activism; links to national student activist organizations. Contact Information: Student Environmental Coalition Action P.O. Box 31909 Philadelphia, Pennsylvania   19104-0 U.S.A. Telephone: 215.222.711   Email: seac@seac.org TerraGreen http://www.teriin.org/terragreen/index.htm From TERI, TerraGreen is an e-magazine that reports significant shakeouts in India's energy, environment and sustainable development scenarios, once every two weeks. The news and features focus on a diversity of issues including important developments in sustainable development, forestry, power and energy conservation, biotechnology, pollution and climate change, and on people trying to make a difference. Also essays, interviews, book and film reviews, interesting facts too. Each issue of TerraGreen has a short e-mail version, with a full presence on the World Wide Web. Contact Information: Dr Subhadra Menon, Executive Editor, TerraGreen Darbari Seth Block India Habitat Centre Lodhi Road New Delhi India Telephone: 91 11 4682100/ 11   Fax: 91 11 4682144/ 45 Email: terragreen@teri.res.in The Access Initiative (TAI) http://www.accessinitiative.org/ The Access Initiative (TAI) is a global coalition of public interest groups collaborating to promote national-level implementation of commitments to access to information, participation, and justice in environmental decision-making. TAI is led by five organizations: Corporación PARTICIPA (Chile) Thailand Environment Institute (Thailand) World Resources Institute (United States) Environmental Management and Law Association (Hungary) Advocates Coalition for Development and Environment (Uganda) The Access Initiative is motivated by a vision of the world in which all people — regardless of citizenship, country of residence, wealth, or education — have access to the information and decision-making processes necessary to participate meaningfully in the management of their natural environment. Notable Feature(s): How-to Guide: a set of tools to help civil society groups measure how well governments are performing on access to information, public participation, and justice in decision-making for the environment. Contact Information: Karin Krchnak, director World Resources Institute Washington, DC USA Email: access@wri.org Tidepool http://www.tidepool.org/ Tidepool is a on-line news filter that selects the top environment, community development and economy news stories from more than 30 Northwest papers in the USA. Its goal is to provide the bioregional community with a daily source of the news it needs to create a conservation based economy. Tidepool was created in 1997 by Ecotrust--a Portland based nonprofit organization developing new strategies for conservation in the coastal temperate rain forests of North America by helping local communities build new economies based on protecting their environment. Contact Information: Ed Hunt, Editor Telephone: 360.465.2433   Email: editor@tidepool.org Towards the Wise Use of Wetlands – Edited by T. J. Davis (Ramsar, 1993) http://www.ramsar.org/lib_wise_1.htm This book provides a comprehensive picture of the national and global importance of wetlands. Both coastal and inland wetlands support a very large number of human activities that depend directly on the proper functioning of the wetland ecosystem: farming and grazing, forestry, fisheries, fish farming, tourism, and cattle raising. Notable Feature(s): Detailed case studies of wetlands management practice from around the world. Water Conserve http://www.waterconserve.info/ Water Conserve is a water conservation portal and Internet search tool that provides access to reviewed water conservation news and information. This Web site is dedicated to global water conservation and ecological sustainability. Notable Feature(s): Water Conservation News Archive includes over 5,000 news items covering the past five years; Water Conserve Links Directory contains links to leading water research and activist Web sites; Water Conservation Blog features original commentary on breaking water conservation news. Contact Information: Glen Barry Email: grbarry@students.wisc.edu Weathervane – global climate information and research http://www.weathervane.rff.org/ Wetlands International (WI) http://www.wetlands.org/ Wetlands International is the leading global non-profit organisation dedicated solely to the crucial work of wetland conservation and sustainable management. Well-established networks of experts and close partnerships with key organisations provide Wetlands International with the essential tools for catalysing conservation activities worldwide. WI's activities are based on sound science and have been carried out in over 120 countries. Notable Feature(s): Excellent collection of links; news; monitoring tools; updates on wetlands conservation and waterbirds everywhere; worldwide staff directory. Contact Information: Wetlands International Coordination Unit PO Box 471 6700 AL Wageningen The Netherlands Telephone: +31 317 478854   Fax: +31 317 478850 Email: frazier@wetlands.agro.nl icu@wetlands.agro.nl Wildfowl & Wetlands Trust (WWT) http://www.wwt.org.uk/ Based in the UK, WWT is leading efforts to develop a global program of education and public awareness about wetlands, in partnership with the Ramsar Convention, Wetlands International, and the World Conservation Union (IUCN). WWT's "WetlandLink International," with contacts in more than 100 countries, seeks to increase effective contact between wetland education/conservation centers around the world and to develop techniques for the creation and restoration of wetland habitats. WWT monitors the numbers and distribution of wildfowl globally and draws up conservation assessments and action plans for threatened species, promoting their implementation with their global partners. Notable Feature(s): Educational programs; training courses and designs for new centers; a newsletter for WWT participants that provides an international context for their work and helps them to locate relevant expertise and exchange ideas. Contact Information: The Wildfowl & Wetlands Trust Slimbridge Glos GL2 7BT UK Telephone: (01453) 891900   Fax: (01453) 890827 Email: enquiries@wwt.org.uk Wildlife Interest Group A section of the American Society of International Law (ASIL) http://eelink.net/~asilwildlife/ http://www.jiwlp.com/ The Wildlife Interest Group was organized in 1984 under the auspices of the American Society of International Law, whose Constitution provides for the establishment of Interest Groups "designed to broaden interest in and study of international law and to encourage inquiry into particular fields of international law." Membership in the Group is restricted to members of the Society; however, non-members can participate in many of the Group's programs, including conferences. Notable Feature(s): Archived materials from the Journal of International Wildlife Law & Policy; useful bibiliography on environmental change and its impact on species/ecosystems. Contact Information: Wil Burns, Senior Associate, ASIL Wildlife Interest Group c/o Journal of International Wildlife Law & Policy 1210 Floribunda Avenue #7 Burlingame, CA   94010 USA Telephone: 650.703.3280   Fax: 801.838.4710 Email: asilwildlife@pacbell.net World Conservation Monitoring Centre http://www.unep-wcmc.org/ The World Conservation Monitoring Centre was created by The World Conservation Union (IUCN), the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) and the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP), and is scheduled to become UNEP's Center for World Biodiversity Information and Assessment by June 2000. The Web site includes reports and studies on biodiversity conservation, and searchable databases on World Heritage sites, CITES-listed Species, the world's protected areas, the IUCN list of threatened animals ("Red Lists"), and 7,000 tree species of global conservation concern. Contact Information: WCMC Information Office 219 Huntingdon Road Cambridge   CB3 0DL UK Telephone: +44 (0)1223 277314   Fax: +44 (0)1223 277136 Email: info@wcmc.org.uk World Rainforest Movement (WRM) http://www.wrm.org.uy/index.html The World Rainforest Movement is an international network of citizens' groups of North and South involved in efforts to defend the world's rainforests. It works to secure the lands and livelihoods of forest peoples and supports their efforts to defend the forests from commercial logging, dams, mining, plantations, shrimp farms, colonisation and settlement and other projects that threaten them. Notable Feature(s): Extensive list of publications about forests, forest people, indigenous rights, and more: often available in Spanish, French or Portuguese; action alerts; information sorted by country and by topic; links. Contact Information: Ricardo Carrere The WRM International Secretariat Maldonado 1858 Montevideo   11200 Uruguay Telephone: +598 2 403 2989   Fax: +598 2 408 0762 Email: wrm@wrm.org.uy World Resources 2005 -- The Wealth of the Poor: Managing ecosystems to fight poverty http://pubs.wri.org/pubs_pdf.cfm?PubID=4073 Ecosystems are—or can be—the wealth of the poor. For many of the 1.1 billion people living in severe poverty, nature has always been a daily lifeline—an asset for those with few other material assets. Profounc poverty is a fundamental obstacle to the dreams and aspirations of people in every nation. Even after five decades of effort to support development and growth, the dimensions of poverty still stagger us. Almost half the world’s population lives on less than $2 per day; more than a billion live on $1 or less. Poverty at this scale ripples beyond the boundaries of any particular country or region and affects the well-being of us all. The publication of World Resources 2005 comes at a particularly critical time. Economies in many developing countries have been growing at a rapid pace for several years. That growth has made us aware of two stark realities: in the largest of those countries it has lifted millions out of extreme poverty; but the price these nations are paying in accelerated degradation of their natural resources is alarming. Contact Information: World Resources Institute 10 G Street, NE (Suite 800) Washington, DC   20002 U.S.A. Telephone: 202.729.7600   Fax: 202.729.7610 Email: library@wri.org World Resources Institute (WRI) http://www.wri.org/wri/index.html World Resources Institute (WRI) provides information, ideas, and solutions to global environmental problems. WRI's mission is to move human society to live in ways that protect Earth's environment for current and future generations. Its program meets global challenges by using knowledge to catalyze public and private action. Notable Feature(s): News and reports, including publications on Global Topics: agriculture and food, biodiversity and protected areas, business and economics, climate and atmosphere, coastal and marine ecosystems, energy and resources, forests and grasslands, population and health and human well-being, water resources and freshwater ecosystems; EarthTrends, the Environmental Information Portal. Contact Information: World Resources Institute 10 G Street, NE (Suite 800) Washington, DC   20002 USA Telephone: 202.729.7600   Fax: 202.729.7610 Email: front@wri.org World Wilderness Congress http://www.worldwilderness.org/history.htm Established in 1977, the World Wilderness Congress is the oldest and most continuous, international public environmental forum. Its debate and action helps focus a wide range of people and professions on key issues affecting wildlands and their dependent human and wildlife communities. The WWC has convened on six occasions: South Africa (1977); Australia (1980); Scotland (1983); United states (1987); Norway (1993); India (1998). - with participants from over 100 nations including philosophers, influential and forward-thinking local leaders and communities, heads of state and senior politicians, field and game rangers, artists, corporate leaders, scientists, educators, managers, financiers, and others. Contact Information: Email: info@worldwilderness.org World Wildlife Fund Global Network (WWF) http://www.panda.org/ WWF-World Wide Fund For Nature is the world's largest and most experienced independent conservation organization, with around 5 million supporters and a global network of 27 National Organizations, 5 Associates, and 21 Programme Offices. WWF offers multi-faceted clearinghouse site devoted to issues of conservation and biological diversity. The focus extends to water, climate, forests, and sustainability and beyond. Notable Feature(s): Living Planet Report on the state of the world's natural environment and the human pressures upon it; sophisticated search engine of the entire WWF domain; field reports; kids' stuff; research tools, news, multimedia education and entertainment; links to WWF offices and programs around the world. Contact Information: WWF International Avenue du Mont-Blanc CH-1196, Gland Switzerland Telephone: +41 22 364 91 11   Fax: +41 22 364 53 58 Worldwatch Issue Alert http://www.worldwatch.org/alerts/indexia.html From Worldwatch and Lester R. Brown comes a new initiative, the Earth Policy Institute and its series of Worldwatch Issue Alerts designed for political leaders, corporate planners, and environmental activists. The Alerts are designed to identify both emerging new issues and to update developments with current issues. The Alerts will cover a range of topics, such as rising temperatures, falling water tables, recycling trends, new sources of energy, population, fish farming, tobacco, obesity and other health issues, and various topics central to building an environmentally sustainable global economy. The inaugural issue: FALLING WATER TABLES IN CHINA MAY SOON RAISE FOOD PRICES EVERYWHERE. Contact Information: Lester Brown c/o Reah Janise Kauffman Worldwatch Institute 1776 Massachusetts Ave., NW Washington, DC   20036-1904 USA Telephone: 202.452.1992 x 514   Fax: 202.296.7365 Email: rjkauffman@worldwatch.org