From The Nature Conservancy.

• Author: McCormick, Steven J.
• Position: FROM READERS - Letter to the Editor

World Watch's recent article by Mac Chapin, "A Challenge to Conservationists," raises important issues regarding the fundamental need to involve indigenous and traditional communities in conservation efforts.

An open dialogue is critical to strengthening the collaboration among indigenous communities and conservationists.

For more than 50 years, The Nature Conservancy has depended upon partnerships with local peoples to conserve some of the most biologically critical and threatened ecosystems on Earth.

Most of the world's biodiversity exists in areas inhabited by people. The Nature Conservancy knows that effective conservation cannot be achieved unless the people who live and rely on those lands are an integral part of the process.

Among The Nature Conservancy's core values is a "Commitment to People," which states that we "respect the needs of local communities by developing ways to conserve biological diversity while at the same time enabling humans to live productively and sustainably on the landscape."

The Nature Conservancy works in all 50 of the United States, as well as in 28 countries around the world. In...