Conservation in Action

During the Summer of 2010, I traveled to coastal Ecuador for an internship with Third Millennium Alliance to aid in the active restoration of the critically endangered rainforest system located within the Chocó-Manabí Conservation Corridor. I established a waste-management program in the rural community, monitored reforestation plots at the Jama-Coaque Ecological Reserve, and wrote an article about my experiences. I was inspired to begin formulating a nonprofit with the same kind of conservation mission as 3MAlliance.

3MAlliance is part of a new wave of non-profit ecosystem service organizations taking a holistic approach to conservation. The NGO was founded in 2007 by a group of ecologists and economists. Theirs is a model that looks at a realistic picture of environmental conservation, where communities work within their local ecosystem because their economic livelihood depends on its restoration, preservation, and survival.

Thanks to the generosity and support of many individuals, 3MAlliance has incorporated the well-being of the local community into the sustainable management of 47,000 acres of tropical rainforest.

It makes sense: when a community has a healthy vested interest in their landscape, conservation and environmental preservation are truly attainable.

Donations (in any amount) are always appreciated and tax deductible, but are not the only way of supporting their cause. The organization provides ample internship opportunities and has welcomed a variety of visitors and volunteers to their majestic bamboo house; from scientists, students, and professionals to musicians, naturalists, and artists. This is the type of diverse inclusiveness needed to make conservation a sustainable, win-win solution.

If you have the time and/or the resources, please support the Third Millennium Alliance to restore and conserve one of the most important biodiversity hot-spots in the world.