The Island Resources Foundation is a private, non-profit organization based at Red Hook on the East End of St. Thomas, US Virgin Islands, dedicated to solving the environmental problems of development in small tropical islands. Their web site describes their activities and those of their partner organizations. The Canadian International Development Agency maintains a site detailing its programs and activities. A common concern for the environment transcends cultural and ideological differences and creates a strong foundation for furthering coexistence in the Middle East. When the participants return home, they are part of a professional network which encourages peaceful cooperation on common issues.
Participants are women and men, and the group size is usually five or six Fellows.
We publish annually a Middle East Program Alumni Newsletter , and will hold our second alumni retreat in Cyprus in October, 2000. And there is so much to learn. For example, here in northeastern North America the concentration of land trusts offers tremendous opportunity to share experience in the tools of private land conservation. At the same time, our colleagues from other regions have shared with us their experience in areas such as collaborative management, trans-boundary cooperation, marine protected areas, and the protection of working landscapes. QLF's international programs are integrated with programs in Canada and the U.S. to bring this experience home.