The mission of the Institute is to increase humankind's understanding,
appreciation, and protection of our natural environment; particularly
wildlife populations and wild landscapes. Our
goal is to enable human beings to live in harmony with other
species. Institute
programs strive to increase our understanding of natural systems
through basic, innovative scientific research incorporating GIS
to develop Conservation Area Designs for analysis and education.
The Yellowstone-to-Yukon region and the Northwest Rainforests
are our areas of focus . Our program focus is to ensure that
decisions affecting wildlife and wild landscapes are based on
the best available scientific knowledge and are not compromised
by political expediency. Our work is directed towards the conservation
of carnivores and their habitats. Conservation
Area Designs (or reserve designs) are a combination of art and
science applied to landscapes and human activities using GIS. The
goal of a Conservation Plan is maintaining viable populations
of native species, in intact ecosystems, on a spatial scale large
enough to maintain large carnivores: as human
populations and activities increase. Human
populations need space to grow and develop, but humans are extremely
adaptable and we can direct our own growth: in so doing we can
conserve sufficient habitat for other species to coexist. Otherwise,
we can continue to make the mistakes of the past: driving species
to extinction and making the planet less inhabitable for all
species including people and wildlife. |