Since many of these goods are produced in the South and consumed in the North, the associated problems cannot be solved by working on just one end. The Alliance's Amazon Rivers Program and the Natural Resources and Rights Program mesh closely with universities, museums, government agencies and NGOs in Brazil, Indonesia and other countries. When the Alliance's Conservation Media Center conducts a training workshop for environmental journalists in Central America, all host-country decisions and arrangements are made by a partner organization. We couldn't begin to do the Smart Wood program alone, nor would we want to. These grassroots partners also make the most efficient use of scarce funding.
National groups offer local expertise and information.
The new ECO-O.K. coffee project, for example, relies on years of research done by the Alliance's partner in Guatemala. Now the southern NGO community is strong and independent. We want to build on that foundation with a new model of partnerships, a model that helps groups learn from each other, combine our forces, and leverage our resources. Meanwhile, outside the tropics, concerned community groups and individuals often feel powerless to help, since they have no direct connection with or knowledge of these quiet but valiant efforts in foreign lands. We produce the Allies in the Rainforest Catalogue , a tool for concerned citizens outside the tropics to help dedicated citizens in the tropics.