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The RNC Alliance - helping restore natural capital
Restoration of natural capital involves any activity that invests in the
replenishment of natural capital (native vegetation, clean water, healthy soils, cleaner air
and healthier more sustainable land use)
and as a result improves the flows of ecosystem goods
and services while considering the needs of the people.
RNC activities restore natural
ecosystems at a regional or landscape level, rehabilitate arable land and
other production systems in an ecologically
sound manner. These activities are intended to enhance the physical, socio-economic,
psychological, and cultural aspects of people's quality of life. RNC initiatives include
programs to raise awareness of the value of natural capital in people’s daily lives.
The RNC Alliance is an international network of environmental practitioners,
environmental scientists, economists,
not-for-profit organisations, and other organisations and people - all interested in volunteering
their knowledge and expertise for the benefit of all. The aim is to find, and help implement,
locally appropriate solutions to resolve environmental and economic development problems.
The RNC Alliance recognises that the natural environment is crucially important for sustaining
economies. The natural environment has already undergone
severe degradation from development, worldwide. Only by restoring the natural
environment and rehabilitating production systems on a regional or landscape scale
can this degradation be stopped and reversed. The underlying commitment of the RNC Alliance
can be summarised in one line:
economics in which nature matters and ecology in which people matter.
Regional centres for the RNC Alliance
Six regional centers have been (or are being) established in Africa, Madagascar, South Asia,
Latin America,
Mediterranean region-Middle East and the Pacific. To manage meetings, fundraising, and other
collaborative efforts among the regional centers, a coordination center for the
RNC Alliance has been established at the Missouri Botanical Garden (MBG), USA.
Student training and applied research at each regional centre is of utmost importance.
The regional centers will work with existing organisations representing all sectors
— public and private — to build capacity and add value to their missions.
The regional centres will provide strategic planning, applied research, specialised training,
networking, and public outreach. They will establish and run prototype projects for
hands-on participation and training courses as well as research and demonstration.
These projects will be strategically located in rural areas of high interest for biodiversity
conservation. They will be established to stimulate interest in, and develop expertise for,
innovative approaches to sustainable economic development.
Funding for the work of the RNC Alliance
Donations may be made to the Missouri Botanical Garden, and flagged for the RNC Alliance.
They may also be made to IEWF, who is a partner and is the coordinator of the RNC Pacific Alliance
(see "Donations" in the side Navigation bar).
For more information, please contact Dr. James Aronson (details below) or Ms. Olga Martha Montiel
(details below) or Bev Debrincat at IEWF (see Contact IEWF).
To read more about "why RNC?"
click here.
Initiators
1. Dr. James C. ARONSON, RNC Alliance Coordinator, Missouri Botanical Garden, St. Louis, USA; & CEFE/CNRS Montpellier, France. Tel. (+ 33) 467613284; E-mails: ja3853@aol.com & james.aronson@cefe.cnrs.fr
2. Prof. James N. BLIGNAUT, Director: RNC - Africa, Dep’t. of Economics, University of Pretoria, South Africa, and Director: Jabenzi and Beatus. Tel. (+ 27) 84 720 4127; E-mail: james@jabenzi.co.za
3. Dr. Andre F. CLEWELL, Director, and Dr. Narayan DESAI Assistant Director, RNC - South Asia. Tel: (+ 1) 941-778-4727; E-mails: clewell@verizon.net; nrd1675@hotmail.com
4. Ms. Olga-Martha MONTIEL, Vice President for Conservation and Sustainable Development, Missouri Botanical Garden, St. Louis, USA. Tel. (+ 1) 314-577 9412; E-mail: OlgaMartha.Montiel@mobot.org
Visit the RNC Alliance website at
www.rncalliance.org
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