The destruction of natural environments around the world is contributing to global temperature rise and the loss of biodiversity.

But it's not too late to slow climate change and save wildlife at the same time.

Save nature to turn the tide on climate change.

Support the U.S. Foundation for
International Conservation Act

Protecting nature supports our climate.

The climate crisis is growing more dire every day. Intense storms, frequent forest fires, and rising sea levels pose a growing threat to humanity and wildlife globally.

Contributing to this crisis is the destruction of ecosystems that keep climate change in check. Deforestation, land use, and pollution are devastating natural environments that keep carbon dioxide out of the atmosphere and provide habitats for wildlife.

The time to act is now.

Protecting nature isn't just the right thing to do—it's what we have to do to fully address climate change.

Nature has a way of keeping climate change in check by absorbing carbon.

Nature-based solutions, including protecting intact forests and restoring coastal ecosystems, can achieve

30% of the action needed to keep global temperature rise to

to 1.5°C by 2050

What can we do?

The U.S. and other countries need to step up to ensure the future of our planet for generations to come. We need to protect and restore natural environments that keep carbon dioxide out of the atmosphere, keep wildlife thriving, and safeguard human health.

Nature provides 1/3 of climate solution through 2050

Make Conservation Financing a Priority

Photo Credit: ©Diane Detoeuf/WCS

Congress's proposed U.S. Foundation for International Conservation would leverage private funding to implement projects around protected and conserved areas in the most vulnerable parts of the world in order to avert the looming crises facing our planet.

It would provide many benefits, including:

— Conservation of forests, freshwater, and biodiversity
— Sequestering carbon
— Supporting food and water security, tourism, and other essential ecosystem services

If you're in the U.S., help move the U.S. Foundation for International Conservation forward by urging your senators to support it right away.

Act Now

Blue Carbon

Coastal and marine ecosystems such as mangrove forests, seagrass beds and tidal marshes capture and store a huge amount of carbon. This is called blue carbon.


Forests

Intact forests are extensive swaths of primary forest that are free of significant damage. They are vital to our planet.

By sponging up some of the carbon dioxide we spew into atmosphere, forests help keep Earth’s climate at least 0.5° C cooler than it would otherwise be.


Peatlands

Peatlands are freshwater wetlands that accumulate organic matter. They are often characterized by specialized forms of plant life and deep, water-logged soils. Despite occupying a fairly small area of the planet, peatlands store a vastly disproportionate quantity of carbon.

Photo Credit: ©Nico Püschel

What’s most critical for climate change mitigation is to ensure that the vast amounts carbon stored in peat stay there. Already, roughly 15% of peatlands globally have been drained, and another 5-10% have been degraded. We must protect what remains. It’s much cheaper to protect these high-integrity peatlands than it is to restore degraded ones

Join the Wildlife Conservation Society in supporting change today

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