***********************************************
WORLDWIDE
BIODIVERSITY/FOREST CAMPAIGN NEWS
Rainforest
Alliance Allies Program
***********************************************
Forest
Networking a Project of Ecological Enterprises
2/1/95
OVERVIEW
& SOURCE
We try
to pass along various rainforest organization's materials;
which
represent a broad range of rainforest protection methods.
Here is
an item from the Rainforest Alliance, a New York based
organizaton,
which describes their "Allies Program" and may offer
interested
individuals an opportunity to hook into on the ground
projects
in the tropics.
*******************************
/*
Written 2:36 PM Feb
1, 1995 by canopy in igc:rainfor.genera
*/
/* ----------
"Allies Program" ---------- */
Do you
ever wonder what can you do to save the rainforests? The
Rainforest
Alliance has a few suggestions.
Learning about
tropical
rainforests and teaching others what you know is one way
to help
this vital cause. Joining a
conservation group such as
the
Rainforest Alliance is another. Your
membership also supports
the
Alliance's innovative conservation projects.
You can
also extend a hand directly to grassroots organizations
that
are working to save tropical forests in their own countries.
The
Rainforest Alliance's "Allies in the Rainforest" catalogue
describes
several dynamic projects designed and implemented by our
conservation
partners in tropical countries all over the world.
All of
these programs need allies and support.
The "Allies"
program
is a great way to get involved with rainforest
conservation
at your office, in your community, at school, or on
your
own, and become a true ally of the rainforest.
Please
contact
the Rainforest Alliance to receive the complete "Allies"
catalogue
free of charge.
The
following are brief descriptions of the projects represented
in the
catalogue:
Save
Bosque El Imposible rainforest in El Salvador-- or a crucial
wildlife
corridor in Costa Rica--
You can
help conserve these rich, natural rainforests by
purchasing
land, or making a donation toward land purchase in
either
of them.
Southern
Mexico--
help
the Maya Indians learn how to sustain the threatened forest,
and
simultaneously, conserve the winter home of many migratory
songbirds
from the U.S. and Canada.
Save
the Si-A-Paz forest--
Si-A-Paz
drapes along the San Juan river dividing Nicaragua from
Costa
Rica. This Nicaraguan forest has
suffered from the
settlement
of thousands of impoverished peasants displaced by the
1991
civil war. With your help, the
Rainforest Alliance's local
conservation
partner is able to teach the Nicaraguan farmers how
to make
the land productive without destroying the resource.
Lemurs
in Madagascar--
In
Madagascar, lemurs are endangered due to the vast destruction
of
their forest home. Almost 95% of
Madagascar's forest has been
cleared
to make way for people. This
"Allies" project helps the
ring-tail
and the sifaka lemurs survive in the 500 acre Berenty
reserve
in Southern Madagascar. The local partner organization on
this
project works to conserve lemur land through management,
science,
and education.
Nature's
Pharmacy --
Another
"Allies" program works to protect nature's pharmacy; many
vital
medicines and treatments for diseases came from rainforests.
The
source of these medicines is now vanishing rapidly. Join the
Rainforest
Alliance and a community of scientists to study and use
medicinal
plants in ways that also save forests.
Many projects
are
currently underway in various areas in Central and South
America
which work with local people to improve forest harvesting
techniques
in order to conserve important plant species.
The
Catalyst Grants Program --
provides
conservation groups in the tropics with an infusion of
funds
at times when a financial boost is most needed. The Grants
are
always small, never larger than $1,000 (usually in the $500
range),
but they make a huge difference.
Through the Catalyst
Grants
Program, dozens of projects in many countries have been
pulled
through financial crises and been able to succeed. The
Rainforest
Alliance's partners in this Program are always
community-based
tropical conservation organizations and
individuals.
On the
back page of the "Allies" catalogue is a coupon for you to
fill
out and send in with your donation, allocating which program
you
wish to support. Every school group,
community, office, or
individual
will receive a special certificate acknowledging their
help in
saving tropical forests. An acre of
land through the
"Allies"
program is also a great gift idea.
The
Rainforest Alliance is an international nonprofit organization
based
in New York City and Costa Rica. The
Alliance is dedicated
to the
conservation of tropical forests for the benefit of the
global
community. Its mission is to develop
and promote
economically
viable and socially desirable alternatives to the
destruction
of this endangered, biologically diverse natural
resource. This mission is pursued through education,
research in
the
social and natural sciences, and the establishment of
cooperative
partnerships with businesses, governments, and local
peoples.
To
receive your free copy of the "Allies in the Rainforest"
catalogue,
or for more information on the Rainforest Alliance and
its
tropical conservation initiatives, please call or write to
Helene
Weitzner/ Coordinator "Allies in the Rainforest"/
Rainforest
Alliance/ 65 Bleecker Street/ New York, NY
10012.
Phone:
212-677-190o; fax: 212- 677-2087; E-mail:
canopy@cdp.apc.org
###RELAYED
TEXT ENDS###
You are
encouraged to utilize this information for personal
campaign
use; including writing letters, organizing campaigns and
forwarding. All efforts are made to provide accurate,
timely
pieces;
though ultimate responsibility for verifying all
information
rests with the reader. Check out our
Gaia Forest
Conservation
Archives at URL=
http://forests.lic.wisc.edu/forests/gaia.html
Networked
by:
Ecological
Enterprises
Email
(best way to contact)-> gbarry@forests.org
Phone->(608)
233-2194 || Fax->(608) 231-2312