Brooklyn, NY – The Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS), which conducts conservation projects throughout the world’s oceans, proudly supports World Oceans Day on June 8th, an event now officially recognized by the United Nations. World Oceans Day, organized by the Ocean Project with support from WCS and other groups, comes as a sweeping new national survey reveals that Americans are concerned about the health of the ocean and are ready to take personal action to make a difference. The Wildlife ...

Landmark Legislation Paves Way to Comprehensive Climate Change Policy NEW YORK (MAY 21, 2009) - The Wildlife Conservation Society applauds U.S. Rep. Henry Waxman (D-CA) and U.S. Rep. Edward Markey (D-MA) of the House Energy and Commerce Committee for including provisions on forestry preservation in the American Clean Energy and Security Act. The provisions call for action to avoid the burning or cutting down of the world’s forests. Deforestation results in one-fifth of total greenhouse...

WCS applauds the inclusion of forestry provisions in the American Clean Energy and Security Act, which paves the way to comprehensive climate change policy.

It’s Not Only Fish That Need Coral Reefs WASHINGTON (MAY 20, 2009) The Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) held a Congressional policy briefing today on Capitol Hill highlighting the need for better policies to protect the world’s coral reefs in the face of climate change. Featured speakers included WCS President and CEO Dr. Steven E. Sanderson, WCS Director of Marine Conservation Dr. Caleb McClennen, and WCS Senior Conservation Zoologist Dr. Tim McClanahan. Honorary hosts at the brief...

Scientists discover the world’s largest nesting population of leatherback sea turtles on the beaches of Gabon. The finding offers new hope for the future of this endangered species.

Wildlife Conservation Society applauds the launching of Coral Triangle Initiative at CTI Summit in Manado, Indonesia NEW YORK (MAY 15, 2009) On May 15, 2009, the Heads of State of Indonesia, the Philippines, Timor Leste, Papua New Guinea, Solomon Islands, and Malaysia, signed a “leaders declaration” to officially launch the Coral Triangle Initiative on Coral Reefs, Fisheries and Food Security (CTI-CFF). As part of this historic initiative, the six countries pledge “accelerated and colla...

Wildlife Conservation Society gives support to proving “Biotic Pump” model NEW YORK (May 1, 2009)—Climatologists have long assumed that vast rainforests are largely a regional consequence of heavy rain fall, but these ecosystems may actually be huge water pumps that generate most of their rain, says a Wildlife Conservation Society researcher in the most recent edition of BioScience Magazine. In fact, climate experts have largely ignored a recently published hypothesis on how rainforests influenc...

In the face of warming ocean waters due to climate change, some coral reefs off East Africa are demonstrating unusual resiliency. A WCS study shows that successful fisheries management is key.

Successful reef management coupled with geophysical factors produces hearty corals off East Africa coast NEW YORK (April 23, 2009) – The Wildlife Conservation Society announced today a study showing that some coral reefs off East Africa are unusually resilient to climate change due to improved fisheries management and a combination of geophysical factors. WCS announced the results of the study at the International Coral Reef Initiative (ICRI), which is meeting this week in Phuket, Thailand. The ...

Nearly 6,000 Irrawaddy dolphins are alive and swimming in Bangladesh, according to new WCS research. Prior to this study, the largest known populations of Irrawaddy dolphins numbered in the low hundreds or less.