The Global Climate Action Summit

From Sept. 12 to 14, WCS joined leaders from around the world at the Global Climate Action Summit in San Francisco to adopt measures to reduce the pace of climate change.

Photo Credit: Cristian Samper © WCS

News from the Summit

The Role of Indigenous Peoples Living in Intact Forests

We released a new analysis with our partners showing that at least 35 percent of remaining intact forest landscapes are managed or owned by Indigenous Peoples. It illustrates just how essential these groups will be in helping the world avoid catastrophic climate change.

Consider the Tacana

WCS CEO Cristian Samper for Scientific American
The story of the world's most biodiverse wilderness, the Madidi-Tambopata landscape that crosses from Bolivia to Peru, is worth discussing this week.

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The Protection of Rights in the Amazon

WCS's Lilian Painter for National Geographic
The movement there has been able to secure legal recognition of almost 75 percent of existing territorial demands.

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Working to Re-establish Local Control

WCS's Deo Kujirakwinja and Michael Painter for National Geographic
After years of violent conflict, people in DR Congo are using the creation of protected area and community forestry concessions.

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Deep History Recognized

WCS's Cheryl Chetkiewicz for National Geographic
Indigenous communities in Canada's boreal forest are finally being acknowledged as guardians and leaders of this important wilderness.

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Q&A

What is WCS's Role at the Summit?

We spoke with Caleb McClennen, WCS Vice President for Conservation Science and Solutions, about the summit and the organization's strategy in addressing climate change.

WCS: What are WCS’s priorities at the summit?

Caleb McClennen: WCS has two priorities for the Global Climate Action Summit. One, communicating the importance of nature-based solutions, particularly Indigenous People's stewardship of intact forests, in meeting the global climate challenge. And two, promoting our REDD+ projects in two forests—Makira, Madagascar and Keo Seima, Cambodia.

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Intact Forests

Our vision: End all intact forest loss by 2030. Our planet’s last unbroken swaths are among the most powerful and cost-effective solutions we have to combat the global challenge of climate change. Saving them will not happen organically. Check out our strategy.

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Downloads

WCS has protected the planet’s most critical natural strongholds for over a century, leading with an effective science-driven model that is shaped and championed by communities.

Video

Deforestation-Free Cocoa Activity

The Makira Project, managed by WCS, is the largest carbon emission reduction program in Madagascar’s land use sector, playing a critical role in demonstrating the success of forest conservation in reducing climate change and keeping global temperature increases below two degrees Celsius. It's a good example of how we're working with local communities and governments on this issue. In the Makira landscape, WCS works to incentivize forest conservation by introducing sustainable, high-earning cocoa and clove farming opportunities.

Nature 4 Climate

For more on natural solutions to climate change, check out Nature 4 Climate, a new collective effort by many of the world’s leading environmental groups to raise awareness of this forgotten part of the climate puzzle.

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