Whether through unsustainable mining and logging or over-fishing and the illegal wildlife trade, Earth's natural resources are being used up at an alarming rate. Working toward sustainable use of natural resources is the key to keeping lands and oceans vital with life.
WCS has a strong record of working with the forestry, agriculture, energy, fisheries and mining industries to work toward sustainable use of natural resources. We establish conservation-friendly programs, partnerships and best practices around the globe.
The illegal wildlife trade is increasingly becoming the single greatest threat to many wildlife species. This multi-billion dollar trade is second only to the global trade in drugs and guns.
WCS has extensive experience in addressing the trade, especially in the tropical forests that are especially vulnerable, and works with local people to protect both their livelihoods and their wildlife resources.
Human-induced climate change is having a growing impact on all living things, from polar bears to coral reefs. Greenhouse gas emissions such as carbon dioxide are the main culprit, and just as human activity is the cause, it must also be the cure.
Human-induced climate change is one of the most significant conservation challenges of our time. WCS assesses potential impacts of climate change on key landscapes and seascapes and priority species, helping to design and plan for these impacts, and developing sound environmental policy that includes climate mitigation activities and sustainable financing strategies.
WCS plans to further take advantage of the carbon storage services provided by WCS-managed forests and generate sources of financing through sales of offsets in the carbon market. Additionally, through web sites such as this one, WCS encourages people to make a difference in mitigating the detrimental effects of climate change.
Diseases that can pass between wildlife, domestic animals and humans continue to emerge in unprecedented ways and places. Contributing factors include the illegal wildlife trade, climate change, and habitat degradation. The health of animals, people and the environment is, in fact, one health that needs a holistic global plan.
WCS – with a century-long history of groundbreaking work in veterinary medicine – is the worldwide leader in addressing the global issue of wildlife health and its connection to that of domestic animals, people, and the planet. Today, WCS continues to build international constituencies for its "One Health" approach to this conservation challenge.
WCS has long been on the forefront of identifying and monitoring emerging diseases, and connecting wildlife health to issues ranging from climate change to the illegal trade in wildlife. On national and international levels, WCS is helping to guide policy, increase expert capacity, and bring together all relevant parties to address the health of our environment and of all species, including our own, as "One Health."
When people and their livelihoods are threatened by conservation measures, threats to wildlife understandably take a back seat. To be effective, such measures must benefit all species, including our own.
WCS has long held that a key to conservation is engaging local people in the management of wild places and important habitat outside of park and reserve boundaries, as well as working with communities to protect livelihoods as well as natural resources.
Today, ecotourism projects, natural product development, and other programs help promote sustainable use while bolstering local economies. Innovative approaches in a number of nations have shown that protecting wildlife and wild lands does not preclude the needs of people and their futures. In addition, WCS is developing a policy framework that will further influence the global debate on conservation and connect its benefits to benefits for communities and nations, too.