International Conservation Organizations
Today international conservation organizations serve as environmental consultants for governments and large corporations interested
in reducing pollution, setting aside protected areas, and conserving biodiversity. Organizations like the International
Conservation Union (IUCN) and the World Wildlife Fund try act as mediators between various development interests,
policy makers, local peoples, scientists, and activist groups in promoting conservation. These organizations initiate
and support a broad range of conservation-related activities from arranging international conferences to establishing
community-based conservation projects to maintaining parks and reserves. Keeping attuned to economic realities,
they work to integrate latest scientific findings into preservation efforts.
Activist Groups
Activist groups, like the Rainforest Action Network (RAN), the Environmental Defense Fund (EDF), Friends of the
Earth (FOE), and the Sierra Club are publicists and sponsors of rainforest preservation. These organizations support
and initiate community-based conservation projects that involve locals in conservation. They are watchdogs of development
projects that impact the rainforest and spread the the word to other organizations, peoples, and governments. They
initiate campaigns against large corporations and governments responsible for deforestation and encourage consumers
to boycott their products. Pressure against these companies from environmental organizations, coupled with boycotts,
will often sway the firm to adopt more ecologically sound methods or abandon plans to clear forest lands for production.
While critics argue that successful boycotts in the North only lead to trade diversion to markets that remain open,
their campaigns draw public attention to deforestation and increase industry's sensitivity to rainforest issues.
The Rainforest Action Network is one of the world's largest organizations completely committed to saving the world's
rainforest. It is based in San Francisco, California and has countless affiliates throughout the world. The organization
has lead numerous campaigns, several of
which have been successful. RAN uses boycotts as a primary means
to encourage consumers not to buy products made by rainforest-damaging means.
RAN, along with other organizations, have been responsible for pressuring companies into less ecologically damaging
practices. The table reflects some of their successes. The first major successful boycott, (lead by RAN) a boycott
of Burger King, caused the fast-food giant to cancel $35 million in beef contracts with Central American countries.
Since then, the demand for cattle products has diminished, and these nations have slowed the clearing of rainforest
for pasture land. Recently FOE's "Mahogany is Murder" campaign reduced UK mahogany imports rom 31,300
cubic meters in 1992 to 18,900 cubic meters in 1996.
Today RAN and other groups are encouraging boycotts of Texaco, Burmese teak ("Teak is Torture" campaign),
mahogany ("mahogany is murder" campaign), Home Depot, and Shell Oil. In the past couple years several
city governments have refused to purchase goods or services from firms that participate in forest destruction.
In 1995, the city government of Berkeley, California, prohibited firms that operate in Burma, which has witnessed
widespread deforestation and human rights violations from commercial activities, from selling goods to the city
government. The companies affected by the blockade include Pepsico, Texaco, and Unocal. In 1996, in response to
the hanging of environmentalist leaders in Nigeria, the Toronto metro council rejected Shell oil's proposal to
fuel city vehicles. In 1997, Berkeley moved to ban companies operating in Nigeria from city government contracts.
According to EDF, municipalities that have banned the use of unsustainable produced tropical timber include Baltimore,
Bellingham, Harrisburg, Los Angeles, Ottowa, San Francisco, Santa Clarita, and Santa Monica.
Private Funding Organizations
In addition to conservation organizations, private corporations have been responsible for funding projects to help the environment.
Recently Motorola allied with the World Wildlife Foundation's conservation effort, by enhancing the organization's
communication capabilities when in remote areas. Now WWF has first class tracking devices and excellent mean of
communication for their fieldwork.
The Costal Rainforest Coalition
