Ecologic Development Fund
Encyclopedia
EcoLogic, a 5013 nonprofit organization with a Four Star Charity Navigator
Rating, based in Cambridge, Massachusetts
, advances conservation of critical natural resources in rural Latin America by promoting sustainable livelihoods and strengthening community participation in environmental stewardship
. EcoLogic was established to fulfill a mandate voiced by indigenous and environmental leaders at the 1992 Earth Summit
to reduce the destruction of significant tropical ecosystems by advancing economic development and self-determination among communities living in and around threatened habitats. EcoLogic partners with local organizations to promote community-based management of forests and coastal ecosystems, often at the level of microwatersheds (direct water sources and the land cover that helps recharge and clean the water). Since 1993, EcoLogic has provided direct technical and financial assistance to over 5,000 rural communities and has helped to protect 2,000 water sources throughout Latin America.
in rural areas of Latin America by promoting sustainable livelihoods and by strengthening community participation in natural resource management.
of plants and animals but also some of the poorest people in the western hemisphere. Ecologic is motivated by the belief that resource use associated with conditions of poverty (slash and burn agriculture, clearcutting
, overfishing
) places tremendous pressure on fragile ecosystems. Similar threats are posed by ecologically unsustainable activities in mining, agribusiness, and oil exploration. It is the balance between human needs and environmental imperatives that Ecologic finds most compelling in addressing the future of the planet. In its 2007 State of the World's Forests report, the UN's Food and Agriculture Organization
found that in the last 15 years, Latin America has lost over 158000000 acres (639,403.9 km²) of forest. Central America alone has lost 19%, the largest percentage for the region. This habitat devastation accelerates the loss of species, endangers critical sources of safe water, and contributes the massive release of greenhouse gases that exacerbates global warming.
is to plant and protect trees that store the carbon dioxide our society produces (CO2 sequestration). Tropical forests having been identified as especially effective areas to serve this function, Ecologic's conservation efforts in the heavily forested areas of Latin America are leading the way in the introduction of sequestration as a solution to local conservation efforts and global environmental well-being. Producing and selling carbon credits benefits poor, rural communities by employing individuals in the planting and maintenance of millions of trees each year. Linking global market demand for forest resources to the communities Ecologic and its partners serve helps halt destructive land-use practices that severely decrease the Earth's capacity to absorb greenhouse gases, protect water, prevent erosion
, and support life.
Charity Navigator
Charity Navigator is an independent, non-profit organization that evaluates American charities. Its stated goal is "to advance a more efficient and responsive philanthropic marketplace by evaluating the financial health of America's largest charities."-About:...
Rating, based in Cambridge, Massachusetts
Cambridge, Massachusetts
Cambridge is a city in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States, in the Greater Boston area. It was named in honor of the University of Cambridge in England, an important center of the Puritan theology embraced by the town's founders. Cambridge is home to two of the world's most prominent...
, advances conservation of critical natural resources in rural Latin America by promoting sustainable livelihoods and strengthening community participation in environmental stewardship
Stewardship
Stewardship is an ethic that embodies responsible planning and management of resources. The concept of stewardship has been applied in diverse realms, including with respect to environment, economics, health, property, information, and religion, and is linked to the concept of sustainability...
. EcoLogic was established to fulfill a mandate voiced by indigenous and environmental leaders at the 1992 Earth Summit
Earth Summit
The United Nations Conference on Environment and Development , also known as the Rio Summit, Rio Conference, Earth Summit was a major United Nations conference held in Rio de Janeiro from 3 June to 14 June 1992.-Overview:...
to reduce the destruction of significant tropical ecosystems by advancing economic development and self-determination among communities living in and around threatened habitats. EcoLogic partners with local organizations to promote community-based management of forests and coastal ecosystems, often at the level of microwatersheds (direct water sources and the land cover that helps recharge and clean the water). Since 1993, EcoLogic has provided direct technical and financial assistance to over 5,000 rural communities and has helped to protect 2,000 water sources throughout Latin America.
Mission
The Ecologic Development Fund is a nonprofit organization dedicated to advancing the conservation of critical natural resourcesNatural Resources
Natural Resources is a soul album released by Motown girl group Martha Reeves and the Vandellas in 1970 on the Gordy label. The album is significant for the Vietnam War ballad "I Should Be Proud" and the slow jam, "Love Guess Who"...
in rural areas of Latin America by promoting sustainable livelihoods and by strengthening community participation in natural resource management.
The Impact of Poverty on Biodiversity
Latin America is home to some of the greatest biodiversityBiodiversity
Biodiversity is the degree of variation of life forms within a given ecosystem, biome, or an entire planet. Biodiversity is a measure of the health of ecosystems. Biodiversity is in part a function of climate. In terrestrial habitats, tropical regions are typically rich whereas polar regions...
of plants and animals but also some of the poorest people in the western hemisphere. Ecologic is motivated by the belief that resource use associated with conditions of poverty (slash and burn agriculture, clearcutting
Clearcutting
Clearcutting, or clearfelling, is a controversial forestry/logging practice in which most or all trees in an area are uniformly cut down. Clearcutting, along with shelterwood and seed tree harvests, is used by foresters to create certain types of forest ecosystems and to promote select species that...
, overfishing
Overfishing
Overfishing occurs when fishing activities reduce fish stocks below an acceptable level. This can occur in any body of water from a pond to the oceans....
) places tremendous pressure on fragile ecosystems. Similar threats are posed by ecologically unsustainable activities in mining, agribusiness, and oil exploration. It is the balance between human needs and environmental imperatives that Ecologic finds most compelling in addressing the future of the planet. In its 2007 State of the World's Forests report, the UN's Food and Agriculture Organization
Food and Agriculture Organization
The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations is a specialised agency of the United Nations that leads international efforts to defeat hunger. Serving both developed and developing countries, FAO acts as a neutral forum where all nations meet as equals to negotiate agreements and...
found that in the last 15 years, Latin America has lost over 158000000 acres (639,403.9 km²) of forest. Central America alone has lost 19%, the largest percentage for the region. This habitat devastation accelerates the loss of species, endangers critical sources of safe water, and contributes the massive release of greenhouse gases that exacerbates global warming.
Mitigating climate change
Ecologic's approach to the anticipated challenges of climate changeClimate change
Climate change is a significant and lasting change in the statistical distribution of weather patterns over periods ranging from decades to millions of years. It may be a change in average weather conditions or the distribution of events around that average...
is to plant and protect trees that store the carbon dioxide our society produces (CO2 sequestration). Tropical forests having been identified as especially effective areas to serve this function, Ecologic's conservation efforts in the heavily forested areas of Latin America are leading the way in the introduction of sequestration as a solution to local conservation efforts and global environmental well-being. Producing and selling carbon credits benefits poor, rural communities by employing individuals in the planting and maintenance of millions of trees each year. Linking global market demand for forest resources to the communities Ecologic and its partners serve helps halt destructive land-use practices that severely decrease the Earth's capacity to absorb greenhouse gases, protect water, prevent erosion
Erosion
Erosion is when materials are removed from the surface and changed into something else. It only works by hydraulic actions and transport of solids in the natural environment, and leads to the deposition of these materials elsewhere...
, and support life.
Community self-determination
EcoLogic takes a people-centered approach to the conservation of tropical and semi-tropical habitats, holding that conservation efforts too often impose restrictions that fail to take into account the needs of people living in and around threatened areas. A goal of long-term, effective stewardship requires understanding and integrating local needs. Additionally, Ecologic recognizes that local people are often excluded from important decisions regarding their land, resulting in resource extraction from which they see little benefit. Thus, Ecologic employs a strategy of community-led resource management by encouraging those closest to the land to steward resources that meet their needs and in ways that are ecologically compatible.Highlighted Results for Conservation and Communities
- Pico Bonito Forests in Honduras, a joint venture between EcoLogic and Pico BonitoPico BonitoPico Bonito National Park is located on the north coast of Honduras, in the mountain range called Cordillera Nombre de Dios, to the southwest of the city La Ceiba. It is part of the Mesoamerican Biological Corridor ....
National Park Foundation, received the 2007 Energy Globe National Award for projects that innovatively conserve natural resources or make use of renewable energy. By planting and protecting trees, Pico Bonito Forests helps offset carbon dioxide emissions. The carbonCarbonCarbon is the chemical element with symbol C and atomic number 6. As a member of group 14 on the periodic table, it is nonmetallic and tetravalent—making four electrons available to form covalent chemical bonds...
stored though these efforts generates carbon credits, which are then sold through the World Bank's BioCarbon Fund to countries seeking to meet their greenhouse emission targets under the Kyoto ProtocolKyoto ProtocolThe Kyoto Protocol is a protocol to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change , aimed at fighting global warming...
. Pico Bonito is the fourth forestry project worldwide whose methodology for carbon sequestration received approval under the Kyoto Protocol's Clean Development Mechanism (CDM). - EcoLogic's Belizean partner Sarstoon Temash Institute for Indigenous Management (SATIIM), along with other indigenous groups in southern Belize, won a landmark legal victory in the Supreme Court of Belize that recognizes indigenous land rights around the Sarstoon Temash National Park.
- In Totonicapán, Guatemala, introducing a new tray-based system instead of plastic bags to raise seedlings increased planting rates from 30 seedlings per day to 360, and plant survival rates from 60% to a stunning 98%.
- With EcoLogic’s support, two towns in the Sierra de Guerrero region of Mexico, Santa Rosa de Lima and Santa Barbara, earned national environmental certification through Mexico’s National Environmental Auditing Program. They were the first communities managing communal lands—called ejidos—to be recognized in this way. Their accomplishment demonstrates the potential of rural communities to be effective natural resource managers and leaders in watershed management to ensure water quality.
Partnerships
- Municipalities of the Central Atlantida Department (MAMUCA); Atlantida, Honduras
- Pico BonitoPico BonitoPico Bonito National Park is located on the north coast of Honduras, in the mountain range called Cordillera Nombre de Dios, to the southwest of the city La Ceiba. It is part of the Mesoamerican Biological Corridor ....
National Park Foundation (FUPNAPIB); Bosques Pico Bonito and Pico Bonito National Park, Honduras - Ulew Che’ Ja' (Earth, Trees, Water); San Miguel de Los Altos, GuatemalaGuatemalaGuatemala is a country in Central America bordered by Mexico to the north and west, the Pacific Ocean to the southwest, Belize to the northeast, the Caribbean to the east, and Honduras and El Salvador to the southeast...
- Sarstoon Temash Institute for Indigenous Management (SATIIM); Sarstoon Temash National Park, Belize
- Ak’Tenamit (New Village); Sarstun, Guatemala
- Mancomunidad de Municipios Frontera del Norte (Northern Border Municipalities Alliance); Sierra Cuchumatanes, Guatemala
- Consejo Regional de la Sierra de Guerrero (CRESIG – Regional Council of the Sierra de Guerrero Mountains); Sierra de Guerrero, Mexico
- Reforestamos Mexico (Reforesting Mexico); Sierra de Guerrero, Mexico
- PronaturaPronaturaPronatura is the largest Mexican environmental conservation group. Founded in 1981, the organization covers 17 Mexican states, being now composed of 6 regional representations, which are:* Pronatura, A.C.* Pronatura Chiapas* Pronatura Noreste...
Veracruz; VeracruzVeracruzVeracruz, formally Veracruz de Ignacio de la Llave officially Estado Libre y Soberano de Veracruz de Ignacio de la Llave , is one of the 31 states that, along with the Federal District, comprise the 32 federative entities of Mexico. It is divided in 212 municipalities and its capital city is...
, Mexico