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Introduction to the Community Conservation Coalition

The Community Conservation Coalition (CCC), founded in 1999, is a Washington, D.C.-based forum consisting of diverse organizations interested in the human dimension of biodiversity conservation worldwide.

The mission of the CCC is to contribute to the conservation of biological diversity by fostering communication, collaboration, and institutional change within member organizations and their partners concerning the linkages among conservation, population dynamics, health, education, and the economy.

• CCC member organizations [contact.html] include: Conservation International (CI)

• Environmental Health Project (EHP)

• International Resources Group Ltd. (IRG)

• Jane Goodall Institute (JGI)

• John Snow, Incorporated (JSI)

• Population Action International (PAI)

• Population Reference Bureau (PRB)

• Rojas International, Associates

• The Nature Conservancy (TNC)

• World Wildlife Fund (WWF)

• U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID)

The Social Context of Biodiversity Conservation

The CCC recognizes that conservation of biological diversity is inherently a social issue. The immediate causes of biodiversity loss commonly include habitat alteration and loss, overharvesting, species and disease introduction, and pollution and climate change. Yet, these proximate causes of biodiversity loss can only be understood in their social, economic, political and cultural contexts.

To successfully achieve biodiversity conservation, one must understand and influence these underlying contexts and, ultimately, change human behavior. Social science knowledge and appropriate application of tools become central to this process not only at the local scale, but also within national and international arenas.

The CCC perspective for such understanding and application has focused traditionally on the scale of local communities in or around protected areas. However, newer modes of thinking and acting at larger geographic scales consider a broader social and institutional understanding of conservation. The CCC wholeheartedly embraces the theme of the Vth World Parks Congress, "Benefits Beyond Boundaries," as we present tools for practitioners working in protected area or landscape settings who are attuned to the broader social, political, economic and cultural contexts of biodiversity conservation.

The CCC would like to thank the contributors of the tools, resources, case studies and links included. Individual and institutional contributions have created a body of knowledge greater than the sum of the parts.



Target Audience

While neither comprehensive nor all inclusive, Putting Conservation in Context provides a general reference for anyone interested in using social science tools to further conservation efforts, including: the donor community, policy makers, conservation and development non-profit organizations, government agencies, program managers and field staff, conservation stakeholders, students, educators and specialists in conservation and related fields.

Acknowledgment

First and foremost we would like to thank all of the contributors of the tools, resources, case studies and links included in these materials. Individual and institutional contributions have created a body of knowledge greater than the sum of the parts. The members of the CCC (CD) Task Force were also instrumental in making this project come to fruition: Carol Boender, David Gambill and Laura Shillington of Conservation International; Jesse Buff and Robert Layng of Population Action International; Jonathan Nash and Roger-Mark De Souza of Population Reference Bureau; Doreen Robinson of World Wildlife Fund; Sergio Moncada of The Nature Conservancy; and Connie Campbell of U.S. Agency for International Development. Angela Martin managed the development and production process, working in collaboration with Andrew Sherman and Kristen Truitt of ASAA Multimedia. The CCC would also like to acknowledge the organizations that made financial contributions for the development of Putting Conservation in Context, including: Conservation International, Environmental Health Project, Population Action International, The Nature Conservancy, World Wildlife Fund, and U.S. Agency for International Development. Assembly of tThese materials were made possible through support provided by the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) via (1) the Office of Regional Sustainable Development, Bureau for Latin America and the Caribbean, under the terms of Award No. EDG-A-00-01-00023-00 for the Parks in Peril Program and (2) via the Biodiversity Team of the Office of Natural Resources Management, Bureau for Economic Growth, Agriculture and Trade and the Office of Population, Global Health Bureau, under the terms of Associate Grant No. GPH-G-00-02-00010-00 under Leader Associates Cooperative Agreement No. LAG-A-00-00-0046-00. The opinions expressed herein are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the U.S. Agency for International Development.

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