Nature conservation is the answer to global change, because climate change is affecting everything that we know and that we have been taking for granted.

Nature preservation critically depends on people’s livelihoods. Poverty and uncertain land rights lead to resource depletion. Soils, water and natural vegetation will only be respected, if land users have a future perspective for themselves and their children. Stable communities are much more resilient, when environmental conditions change.

The Global Conservation Standard is designed to make conservation pay for land users and the local populations, based on the volume of measurable ecosystem benefits.

GCS makes conservation attractive to the private sector. Conservation Credit Units demonstrate measurable corporate social responsibility to the buyer. Sales benefits go directly into a locally governed funding mechanism for conservation management in the Core Conservation Area and sustainable economic development in what we denominate as the Commercial Buffer Zone.