Working closely with communities, CI finds new ways to make income for local people while helping to conserve natural habitats.
Conservation International (CI) works to help communities develop projects because if tropical ecosystems are to be conserved, the people who thrive upon them for their income must survive too. .
Working with communities to develop products and to open markets creates an economic enthusiasm for them to conserve their natural resources rather than destroy habitats for farming, cattle ranching or timber extraction. .
Conservation Enterprise creates a replacement for deforestation (which can lead to flash floods, soil erosion and excess water run-off) and other habitat loss by developing cheaply sustainable schemes which, rely upon, but do not destroy, natural resources. .
CI has developed conservation schemes in nearly 20 countries which employ more than 6,000 people and which use more than 5 million hectares. It is also representing a way that other countries could use in later years to come. .
Agroforestry: Conservation Coffee and Conservation Cocoa .
Coffee and cocoa grown under the shade of a forest canopy provide habitats for numerous plants and animals. CI's Conservation Coffee and Conservation Cocoa programs work with organized farmer groups in Africa and South America, giving better profits while reducing the impact that intensive sun-grown coffee and cocoa farming have on the environment. .
Enterprise Development: Provides associates with the tools they need to set up workable schemes in the areas of Agroforestry that add to biodiversity conservation. These tools include: .
Management skills: Support in employing and training local scheme managers so that they gain the skills and ability necessary to run a profitable business. .
Access to finance: Link producers to sources of money to allow them to grow their businesses. CI also runs its own fund for investing in conservation schemes, called Verte Ventures' and helps in the design of funds within the country.
