WCS NEWS RELEASE<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n NEW YORK , N.Y. | JANUARY 25, 2022<\/p>\n\n\n\n The Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) has formally joined the Accountability Framework Initiative<\/a> (AFi) as a supporting partner.<\/p>\n\n\n\n AFi is a collaborative effort to build and scale ethical supply chains for agriculture and forestry products. The coalition consists of a diverse group of environmental and human rights organizations working to create a \u201cnew normal\u201d where commodity production and supply chains protect natural ecosystems and human rights. The Accountability Framework provides a set of norms and guidance to help companies commit to supply chains that are free from deforestation, conversion, and human rights violations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n By joining the coalition, WCS extends its efforts to urgently target investment and attention towards the frontiers of the world\u2019s at-risk forests. WCS\u2019s \u2018Forest First\u2019 approach provides the scientific and economic cases for the private and public sector to target emerging deforestation threats before they become embedded in supply chains, and in line with AFi\u2019s focus on human rights, emphasizes the importance of supporting the leadership and engagement of smallholder farmers, indigenous peoples and local communities to ensure the effectiveness of this work.<\/p>\n\n\n\n As a supporting member of AFi, WCS will contribute to guidance on the protection of forests and integrate perspectives from WCS\u2019s work in over sixty countries.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cProtecting intact forests is the most impactful and cost-effective strategy for mitigating the climate crisis, protecting biodiversity, and avoiding future zoonotic disease outbreaks, like COVID-19,\u201d said Matt Leggett, WCS\u2019s Associate Director of Sustainable Commodities and Private Sector Engagement. \u201cThe guidance provided by the Accountability Framework allows companies to take effective action toward these outcomes, in a way that is ethical for both human communities and for nature and we look forward supporting and scaling up the work of the coalition.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n To learn more about the Accountability Framework Initiative, visit: https:\/\/accountability-framework.org\/<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n To learn more about WCS\u2019s Forest First Approach, visit: https:\/\/www.wcs.org\/our-work\/forest-first-approach<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS)<\/p>\n\n\n\n MISSION: WCS saves wildlife and wild places worldwide through science, conservation action, education, and inspiring people to value nature. To achieve our mission, WCS, based at the Bronx Zoo, harnesses the power of its Global Conservation Program in nearly 60 nations and in all the world\u2019s oceans and its five wildlife parks in New York City, visited by 4 million people annually. WCS combines its expertise in the field, zoos, and aquarium to achieve its conservation mission. Visit: newsroom.wcs.org<\/a>. Follow: @WCSNewsroom<\/a>. For more information: +1 (347) 840-1242<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Join more than one million wildlife lovers working to save the Earth\u2019s most treasured and threatened species.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" 26 JANUARY 2022 : 1H7TJ WCS NEWS RELEASE Source >>> NEW YORK , N.Y. | JANUARY 25, 2022 CREDIT: Cristian … Source >>><\/a><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
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CREDIT: Cristian Samper<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n
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T: +1 (718) 220-3682
C: +1 (908) 247-2585
ssautner@wcs.org<\/a><\/li>
Global Conservation<\/a>,\u00a0Inspire<\/a>,\u00a0Business Partnerships\/Natural Resources Extraction<\/a>,\u00a0Climate Change<\/a>,\u00a0Conservation and Communities<\/a><\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\nSTAND FOR WILDLIFE<\/h1>\n\n\n\n