Good natural resource management and biodiversity protection are important not only because they are "the right thing to do," but because they directly affect the lives and livelihoods of every human on the planet. Conservation has a direct impact on poverty alleviation, sustainable economic development, natural security, fresh water and food security, agriculture, and health.

Poverty Alleviation

Over 2.5 billion people work in the agriculture sector worldwide. Over 1 billion of these people are subsistence farmers, working small plots of land with traditional techniques. With so many of the world's people barely surviving, it is imperative that we protect the land on which the underprivileged depend. Pollution, land degradation, and contamination all threaten the livelihoods of impoverished families already at risk. By improving environmental sustainability and integrating the latest science, we can not only secure the future of the environment, but improve the lives of billions.

Sustainable Economic Development

The global economy is inextricably dependent on the health of the natural environment. The ICCF recognizes that responsible resource management and economic development are not at odds; rather, environmental health directly affects the bottom line.

Natural Security

As natural resources become increasingly scarce due to population growth and unsustainable
patterns of development, resource-driven conflicts will occur with progressive frequency. How we define security must account for these factors, and efforts to ensure U.S. interests must also
address natural resource degradation.

Water

Water scarcity affects one in three people on every continent of the globe. The situation is getting worse as needs for water rise with population growth, urbanization, and increases in household and industrial use. Lack of access to clean water is emerging as one of the most troubling challenges of our time.

Food Security

Global food demand is predicted to double by 2050 as a consequence of a projected population increase of 2.7 billion people and changing consumption patterns. If the world does not address sustainable food production methods, we will face land degradation, extinction of vital species, and loss of natural habitats to farmland. The ICCF and its partners work to educate policymakers of best practices in food production to ensure a nourished and verdant world for future generations.

Global Health

Proper functioning of ecosystem services is essential for global health. Our health depends on the environment for everything from chemical compounds to develop the next generation of pharmaceuticals to filtering our water and air. Drastic ecosystem changes can directly lead to outbreaks in disease and propagation of its carriers.