The Foundation protects biodiversity directly in four geographical program areas.

• • Alaska – In Southeastern Alaska, we focus on the Tongass National Forest by maintaining Clinton-era Roadless Rule protections and expanding other protections such as wilderness designations.
  • California Floristic Province – The California Floristic Province grantmaking, primarily in Northern California, focuses on the protection of salmon, land, wildlife corridors as well as the restoration of rivers.
  • Montana – Focused in the High Divide in SW Montana this program area mainly aims to identify and protect wildlife corridors, reduce livestock-carnivore conflict, and to expand critical habitat for endangered species.
  • Chilean Patagonia – The Foundation promotes the expansion and institutionalization of private land conservation initiatives, with a focus on protecting endangered watersheds, and counters threats such as dams, industrial forestry, salmon aquaculture, and mining projects.

On a more general scale the Foundation supports the following focus areas.

• • Bird Conservation
  • Systemic Support program at the U.S. national policy level for wildlife corridors, the Endangered Species Act, and additional wilderness designation.
  • Global Biodiversity – Our goal in Global Biodiversity is to support campaigns and/or groups in biodiversity hotspots. Specific objectives are to (1) protect global temperate rainforests, (2) support creation of wildlife corridors, (3) land acquisition and protection for endangered species and, (4) support projects that involve indigenous peoples in the process and stewardship of conservation projects.

To address the adverse impact of economic and human population growth on biodiversity, the Foundation’s grantmaking includes both Consumption and Population programs.

• • The Foundation’s Sustainable Consumption program currently focuses on promoting greater use of environmental paper. Grantmaking in this area aims to broaden the market for environmental papers and packaging through markets campaigns, shareholder activism, consumer-targeted education, and dialogue with the corporate sector. This year we have expanded our packaging program to include efforts to reduce plastics in the waste stream, through strategies such as eliminating single use plastic disposables by promoting reusable packaging for grocery stores, take-out, and delivery.
  • The Foundation’s International Population program area is focused on reducing population growth rates in countries recognized for their rich biodiverse landscapes and that have a total fertility rate exceeding replacement levels. To achieve this goal, the Foundation funds groups that facilitate initiatives related to family planning, women’s education and women’s empowerment in countries with such rich and recognized biodiversity. The Foundation also supports advocacy efforts addressing global population growth in the context of environmental sustainability.

The Foundation recently established a new program area of Climate Crisis Activism reflecting the importance of the climate change movement.

The Foundation partnered with 1% for the Planet and RESOLVE to create a fund for high priority habitat acquisitions for the purpose of protecting biodiversity. The Quick Response Fund for Nature was launched in February 2015.