Natural Resources

The loss of forests, fish stocks, fresh water sources, healthy soils, coral reefs, and wildlife impoverishes developing countries. These natural resources provide hundreds of billions of dollars of value to the world economy every year and are the foundation on which many developing economies around the world will grow. And because competition for natural resources—water, arable land and food—can lead to instability, conflict and mass migration, the National Intelligence Council anticipates that resource scarcities will increasingly define security challenges this century. Learn more

Disappearing Species

One-quarter of the world’s mammals and one-third of primates and amphibians are already severely endangered. Unless conservation activities increase dramatically, as many as two-thirds of all species could be near extinction by the end of this century. Three-quarters of the world’s terrestrial plant and animal species are in developing nations. The amount of natural habitat conserved in those regions during the next few decades will determine how many species survive. Learn more

Communities at Risk

More than a billion of the world’s poorest people rely on local natural resources for food, fresh water, and livelihoods.  The loss of forests, fish stocks, fresh water sources, healthy soils, coral reefs, and wildlife impoverishes local communities, depriving them of ecosystem services vital for human welfare as well a basis for economic development such as ecologically sustainable tourism.  Learn more