Conservation Int’l vows independence despite its source of funding

Jul 18, 2018 ExxonMobil, News

Conservation International (CI) yesterday said that it is no “watchdog group”; distancing itself from any responsibility to speak out whenever a company acts in violation of certain standards of environmental responsibility.
Yesterday, this newspaper published an article that highlighted how CI operates around the world. The piece noted that CI has been accused of being essentially a PR agency for huge corporate companies.
According to articles written by several reputable outlets, CI just helps the biggest corporate culprits of environmental disasters to “improve their Image.”
In addition, this newspaper highlighted the fact that while there has been much talk about the several weaknesses in ExxonMobil’s Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA); and the absence of a public detailed oil spill response plan, CI has been silent. Not a word was spoken about these and other ills. https://kaieteurnewsonline.com/2018/07/17/conservation-intl-is-funded-by-worlds-largest-polluters/.
Yesterday CI responded, “As a science-based organization dedicated to saving nature for the benefit of people everywhere, Conservation International works with organizations, governments, communities and, yes, corporations all over the globe. We are not a “watchdog” group.
“We are dedicated to providing on-the-ground solutions, and the results speak for themselves: Conservation International has supported 1,200 protected areas across 77 countries, protecting more than 601 million hectares of land and sea.
“In Guyana, Conservation International has worked with people in over 50 communities to help protect nearly 3 million acres of indigenous lands while improving local livelihoods. In addition, we have assisted successive governments in revising policies and legislation on Guyana’s protected areas, tourism and the extractive sector to ensure that they align with conservation centered development.”
Further, CI said, “Without question, our global economy and the products it provides create many of the challenges facing our environment today. For any organization dedicated to sustainability, that means we must work with corporations to help them avoid – and where not possible, mitigate and offset – environmental impacts from those activities.”
The environmental agency said that in Guyana, through a grant from the ExxonMobil Foundation, it is investing in three of Guyana’s highest-priority conservation areas and helping train a new generation of leaders dedicated to the country’s sustainable development.
CI said, “Organizations like Conservation International, along with Government, the private sector, and civil society must work together to secure Guyana’s future through investing in its natural heritage and addressing its human capital deficit.
“Wherever we work, we will, without reservation, continue to be an independent organization, working on behalf of the environment and the well-being of people everywhere.”

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