Wildlife and habitat conservation is one of today’s most pressing issues, as urbanization, fueled by globalization, continues to spread throughout the world. Working to balance the needs of local communities and the needs of local wildlife can be difficult, but the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) uses field experience to help mitigate the conservation issues that arise from local communities, natural resource use, wildlife health, and climate change. WCS works to protect both wildlife and wild places, taking a multi-pronged approach to conservation by trying to work with local communities and organizations. Some of these projects include helping start Afghanistan’s first national park, helping with coral recovery in the Indian Ocean after the devastating tsunami, and working to lessen the effects of energy development in Uganda. The WCS website also provides many interesting links to articles and other conservation initiatives around the world, making it a great resource for those who are interested in getting involved in conservation movements across the globe.
Geography 250
This is definitely one of my favorite websites because it acts as a portal of sorts to a lot of other transboundary environmental websites such as those associated with the IUCN. It really is a great resource for researching global initiatives that address environmental concerns.
The WCS website is engaging and interactive. Their site includes a variety of links where you were able to learn both about the programs established by the World Conservation Society as well as learn about ways in which you as an individual can follow their lead and take action. The “Where We Work” link was interesting. It provided a map where you are able to locate the countries with programs and discover what they are doing in certain ecosystems. They included both landscapes and seascapes which I also found intriguing.